Evening star., 1942-04-17
New Group Kept Busy
Taking Full Course
In Seamanship
Recruits Fitting Out
Croft, Studying Many
Nautical Subjects
By MALCOLM LAMBORNE. yr.

By MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr.
Sea Scouts of Corinthian Yacht
Club are out to regain the national
honors they held for two years
national flagship of all Sea Scouts
IN the United States.
But even II the live-wire group
under the leadership Of Skipper
Fred Tip fails In that purpose, 1t
viii have accomplished an even more
important objective In the light Of
the war--that OF training young men
In seamanship, small boat handling
and plotting.
Some Of these youngsters now
learning the ropes on the catboats
Wildcat and Bobcat may In a few
years be the seamen or officers on
board ships of our Coast Guard and
Navy. because they first learned the
difference between port and star
board within the shadow of the
Army War College and the Naval
Air Station.
This right TO fly the national Sea
Scout flag was lost last year, Tip
explains, because recruits" were
hard to get and many OF the regular
crew were engaged in studying for
exams to enter the Coast Guard and
Naval Academies.
May 30 Cruise Planned.
But things are looking up for the
young salts at Corinthian this spring
Twenty of them have been out each
week end now for several weeks,
fitting out the cats and their
smaller sailing and rowing equip
ment. preparing for the first part of
q busy season to come--competition
In the Potomac River Sailing Asso-
citation.
Twelve newcomers that form the
bulk Of the new outfit have been
put through q comprehensive study
course OF nautical subjects. The
tests they successfully passed are
equivalent to the No. / grade much
older shippers pass In the. United
States Power Squadrons, that Of
pilot.
Present plans call for q shakedown
cruise over Memorial Day, and then
when school vacations come, they
prepare for the two and three week
cruises to Chesapeake Bay In their
catboats.
On these two 2s-foot cats the boys
visit virtually every tributary of the
Potomac. They are known by every
lighthouse keeper of the rivers
nearly 100 miles. while there are few
farms boarding tidewater that have
not at one time or another welcomed
the seafarers ashore.
Salvaged Boats Used.
without power and with only sails
and oars, the Wildcat and Bobcat
manage TO complete every cruise
within the allotted time.
It would be dtfncIlt to say Just
how many miles those boats have
covered since they came into the
possession Of the Scouts nearly 10
years ago. FOR q while they rested
In the mud OF the river here, until
q group 1t Corinthian undertook
10 salvage them. From 1919 to
1881 they were used rs training ships
at the Naval Academy and in 1891
were brought to Washington.
Before q Scout can qualify for a
long cruise. Tip explained. he must
first get his sealegs on one Of the
short trips taken to Aqua and Oc-
coquan Creeks. Seldom does q Scout
fail to make the grade.
The Ship Committee Is composed
Of prominent Corinthian members,
including J. Z. Lawton as chairman.
L. w. Walker, club secretary. and
DR.. H. A. Smith. Assisting Tip as
mates are Walter Lawson, last years
national penguin champion; Rich
ard Winfield, Ted Vial. John Tryon
and Richard Tryon. william L.
Preston Is troop adviser.
Group Wins Many Trophies.
Something like rs trophies have
been won by the Scouts for their
sailing skill. which doesn't include
Lawson's vast collection as penguin
skipper. For the past two years the
Scouts have placed first in rowing
contests held at Annapolis for Sea
Scouts of Maryland, Virginia, Della
ware and tie District, which proves
the boys can WELD mean oar, too.
Skipper Tip reports he is still
accepting candidates for member
ship. Any boy with "a little salt in
his blood" says the skipper, and
who is u years or older may apply
No previous scouting experience is
necessary. The group meets each
Friday night at Capital Yacht Club,
l020 Maine avenue S.W.. at 7:30
O'Clock, where candidates are in