S.F. Sea Scouts’ Summer Cruise up the Delta
Every summer, the San Francisco Sea Scouts embark on a Summer Cruise up the Delta. This year’s adventure is recounted by one of the crew, Penelope Kershaw.
My name is Penelope, and I’m the boatswain of Sea Scout Ship Viking, the 2026 Sea Scout National Flagship. Sea Scouts is a youth program of Scouting America that teaches teens and young adults aged 14 to 21 sailing and boating skills, as well as important leadership and safety. We meet multiple times a week throughout the year to work on our boats, sail, practice for our seasonal regattas, and work on advancement, which is where the older scouts will help teach the newer scouts essential skills and the requirements of each Sea Scout rank. But the highlight of our program is our annual long cruise every summer.
A few weeks ago, Viking, along with our brother ship Corsair, set out on our summer cruise — a sailing trip up the Delta. We started at our base in Aquatic Park in San Francisco and cruised for two weeks up to Stockton and back, stopping at marinas, islands and harbors along the way. One of these stops is St. Francis Yacht Club’s Tinsley Island, where they generously let us stay every summer.
While there, we practice small-boat sailing, swim in the pool to cool off and practice lifesaving and swimming requirements, and cook and enjoy meals together. Another favorite stop is Korth’s Pirates Lair Marina, where the crew gets the chance to take a break from long days of sailing to swim, pick blackberries, and do advancement.
Near the end of the first week, Viking meets up with Corsair at Power Squadron Island, where we do our yearly capsize drill. This year we capsized both Viking and Conquest, a 26-ft whaleboat with a centerboard. (We rigged Conquest to sail for the first time this year so it can take the place of Corsair while it’s undergoing repairs.)
We do the capsize drill to help teach the scouts what to do in an emergency situation — however unlikely.
