Sea Scout Ship Pearls (Ship 669) of Santa Cruz, California, Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, named 2025-2026 BoatUS National Flagship Award winner.
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Sea Scout Ship Pearls (Ship 669) had an incredible 50 on-water days last year and participated in many activities including scuba diving.
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SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 21, 2025 – From its humble beginnings three years ago with just two scout participants, to today with an incredible 28 youth with 22 adult leaders, significant growth might be a reason Sea Scout Ship (SSS) Pearls (Ship 669) of Santa Cruz was recently named the 2025-26 BoatUS National Sea Scout Flagship honoree. However, there were plenty more qualified reasons for receiving the prestigious award which recognizes excellence in program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment. For Ship 669, that included an incredible slate of on-water participation in cruises and regattas, a focus on advancement in on-water skill development, safety and leadership, community service activities and more.

SSS Pearls is led by Boatswain Oly B. and Skipper John Fisher, chartered by the Santa Cruz Lions Club and supported by Santa Cruz Youth Maritime Foundation, a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization who own and sponsor the Ship. Meetings are hosted by Santa Cruz Elks Lodge #824. Sea Scouts is a coeducational program from Scouting America defined by Four Ss: Scouting, Seamanship, Service, and Social. A Sea Scout “Ship” is a unit consisting of five or more Sea Scouts and adult leaders that may use a variety of boats.

Ship 669’s cruising highlights aboard their scout-maintained 1979 38-foot Sea Chief “Conquest” Trawler, homeported at Santa Cruz Harbor, include open ocean and inland water trips on San Francisco Bay, throughout the Sacramento Delta and Monterey Bay. The Ship also recently added a 1978 30-foot Catalina sailboat to their training fleet.

They also attended four regattas achieving their best results ever, including winning Golden Wind Jammer at the Southwestern Regatta. Advancement activities included training with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, lifeguard and SCUBA certifications, CPR and first aid certifications, and rank achievements. The Santa Cruz scouts also participated in community service and fundraising such as a benefit dinner, selling Christmas trees, and working in elementary school gardens.

“Ship 669 is a successful, committed group of youth and leaders who bested all National Flagship honorees for this highest honor,” said BoatUS Vice President Heather Lougheed. “That’s impressive considering the incredible competition among these very active ships. BoatUS applauds you.”

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) created the National Sea Scout Flagship award in 2002 to mark the 90th anniversary of Sea Scouts. For more on Sea Scouts, go to SeaScout.org.

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The best ‘Ship’ in the country! Sea Scout Ship Pearls of Santa Cruz named 2025-26 @BoatUS National Sea Scout Flagship. Join us in celebrating this prestigious honor as we salute the dedication and seamanship of the Pearl’s crew! https://bit.ly/4jYBL1W  @SantaCruzSeaScouts #SeaScout  #SeaScouts #SeaScoutShip #BoatUS #Flagship ##Seamanship #MaritimeExcellence #SantaCruz #SantaCruzCA #SantaCruzCalifornia #CaliforniaBoating

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

Celebrating more than 55 years, BoatUS is the nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group with more than 725,000 dues-paying members. BoatUS is the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill, fighting for their rights. The TowBoatUS^® fleet is available 24/7 to assist our members on the water when boats break down or run aground with some 600 vessels and 300-plus locations across North America, bringing our members safely back to the launch ramp, marina or dock. On the road, we are The Boat Owners Auto Club™, helping ensure roadside trailer and tow vehicle breakdowns won’t slow you down. BoatUS offers GEICO boat insurance policies that give boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and the superior service they need. Award-winning BoatUS Magazine is the largest circulation recreational marine publication in the U.S. with engaging content that speaks to the passion for boat ownership, while our 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers the nation’s only free online boating safety course and many other programs that keep boaters safe and our waters clean. Visit BoatUS.com.

About Scouting America and Sea Scouting:

Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.” The Scout organization is composed of nearly 2.3 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. Introduced in 1912, Sea Scouts is one of Scouting America’s older youth programs and for over 100 years it has promoted better citizenship and improved members’ boating skills through instruction and practice in water safety, boating skills, outdoor, social, service experiences, and knowledge of our maritime heritage. For more information on Scouting America, visit scouting.org. For Sea Scouts, visit SeaScout.org.