Ken Kirwin, Ship 09 – SSS Sea Fox, Alameda California, 2020 Quartermaster
While not maintaining or renovating the old admiral’s gig boat my crew called home, my time with the sea scouts was spent forming lifelong friendships and developing the skill sets necessary to work effectively as a group. From scoring extremely low during my first competitive season, all the way up to us performing tremendously well in my senior year. In the Spring of 2019 I had my quartermaster cruise, when me and a few others were tasked with delivering our program’s new sailboat up from Long Beach California to our homeport in the San Francisco Bay. Shortly after completing my quartermaster, I had to say farewell to my crew and begin truly putting the skills I learned in scouts to the test. I am now starting my second year at a maritime school in Southern Finland, studying to become a sea captain and specializing in icebreaker operations. I continue to volunteer with local sea scouts here in Finland, in the hopes that I may help others in the same way that sea scouts has helped me in my own journey.