I’m in charge of making a chart station for our Boy Scout Troop. The challenge is to keep boys between 12-18 interested and able to get the info across. I have 3 copies of 12354TR coming so we can run multiple plots. Part if the challenge I was going to do was to have them make a pair of home made dividers.
The suggestions I’m looking for are:
How to keep it interesting and fun? We don’t need them plotting great circles but a general idea would be cool.
Thanks for any suggestions.
I suggest using Chapman’s as your primary source; it covers all the basic small boat skills, and everything need for up to a 100 ton license. When I was about 12 an uncle took me to USCG Power Squadron night classes that were very good. You might want to contact the Power Squadron for materials. However, the best place to start is with the dozen most useful knots. At a very early age, I was taught to rapidly tie a bowline underwater in the dark. Kids can practice that by tying it behind their back. Line throwing contests are also good. For kids that are more academically inclined Rules of the Road and making flash cards by coloring in the proper lights area good exercises to learn this fundamental topic.
I wish someone would make a computer program like Flight Simulator to cover Rules of the Road and Shiphandling. Actually, Flight Simulator is good for learning how to make turns and to steady up on a course.
I am going to make a reference sheet but they want me to put 3 patrols an hour through the station so it’s going to be very brief. This station is only on charts, others will be covering knots and the rest. Our whole theme this year is oceans. My job is to make navigation simple and interesting. Thanks for the advice though.
Have them do a fix or two from something like a radar range, abeam, bearing on something. They will like finding the landmarks and then measuring from them to figure it out. Then run one course leg or two from their fix and see who can be closest, maybe what the sounding should be, that kind of thing. Will cover the basics in a pretty engaging manor id say?
That would be awesome but we’re on the beach for this with no electronics.
Homemade dividers? Chop Sticks! Or a thick piece of string and 2 straight pins. Or a finely graduated ruler. Or…
Yeah, but you could use a few CG questions for the training chart simplified? Wouldn’t be too hard to make a scenario or two up.