FOND DU LAC – Along Wisconsin’s lakes, youth are setting sail through the Boys Scouts’ Sea Scout program.

Founded in England, Sea Scouting began in the United States in 1912 by the secretary of the Navy, and in Fond du Lac in 1918, according to Paul Kaestner, skipper for Sea Scout Ship 5792 out of Fond du Lac. The program is focused around “all things on the water,” from canoes to kayaks, sailboats, sailboards and more, he said.

For more than 70 years the program gained much traction, particularly from the 1940s to 1970s, which Kaestner describes as the “golden years” of scouting. It was in the '50s and '60s that Kaestner took part; he is currently in his 36th year of traditional scouting.

“As a youth I can remember sailing regattas on Lake Winnebago … and there’d be no less than 300 sea scouts and 30 boats anchored off shore,” he said. “It was huge. Participation was amazing.”

Back on the radar

In Fond du Lac, sea scouting dropped off the radar for 30 years. But two years ago it found new life in the Fond du Lac Yacht Club’s and Fond du Lac Sailing Club’s Youth Sailing program.

Fond du Lac County children in the program can begin at age 9 with no age limit set and are taught by Sailing Club members, including Kevin Gratton, lead instructor, who has been sailing since he was a teen, and Kaestner.

Over eight classes, students develop skills in how to read and understand the wind, safety, knot tie, be attuned to the weather, follow rules, start up the boats and maintain them. In O’Pen Bics sailboats, the students “get a feeling” for sailing upwind, said Gratton, while also gaining comfort with the water.

“It’s just a really good way to get kids introduced to Lake Winnebago in a safe and controlled way where they can get comfortable sailing,” Gratton said.

Found in this group of students are multiple scouts, who Kaestner encourages to go for the “small boat sailing merit badge,” which allows them to learn about the fundamentals of sailing and gives them the chance to advance in the size of boat.

One these scouts is Sam Grahl, 16, of Campbellsport, who took part in the program for three years..

"It's a cool thing to talk about and learn how sailing works," he said.

Kaestner’s “pretty aquatically oriented” scouting troop decided to form a ship, “organized and chartered by Fond du Lac’s Church of Our Saviour, ELCA.”

As they acquired their own ships — a fixer-upper 25-foot Westerly tiger and a donated 27-foot Morgan offshore racer from Michigan — the Yacht Club continued its partnership, offering the scouts a discounted rate to store them during the winter. With members helping the club at its spring and fall clean-up days, it became free, said Christopher Romuald, Fond du Lac Yacht Club commodore.

The program opened doors to different events and groups, said Grahl.

It also opened the door for girls to join. While the Boy Scouts won't go co-ed until 2019, Sea Scouts program is already there. It's open to all beginning at age 14 — or 13 if they have finished the eighth grade — and extending to 21.

As the ship prepared to hold the “first-ever international level Sea Scout qualifying regatta in Fond du Lac,” Kaestner asked Brenna Wetherbee to join.

The 19-year-old Wetherbee had taken part in the sailing program for five years. Kaestner told her she’d “be a valuable addition to the ship” about a month before the qualifier, she said. She joined, finding it would provide more time on the water and leadership experience.

“I love the rush it gives me — the waves, powering the boat with only a little skill combined with some wind, flying across the water, no engine noise,” Wetherbee said of sailing.

Sailing Laser sailboats on a windward leeward course, two teams from the state qualified for the William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup Race.

Currently, there are about 40 Sea Scouts in the Wisconsin. In addition to Fond du Lac, the Sea Scouts have ships in Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Eau Claire, with efforts being made to form ships in Waukesha as well, according to John Paprocki, regional commodore for the Sea Scout’s Central Region.

Traveling to Galveston, Texas, were sailors from Sheboygan’s Ship 5050, Hannah Post and Patrick Fisher, and sailors from Fond du Lac, Wetherbee and Grahl.

Getting in shipshape

Preparation soon began for the international race, with Kaestner guiding them. Wetherbee practiced by studying racing rules, working with more experienced crew members and racing to hone her skills. Traveling to the Oshkosh Yacht Club, the team practiced on their small fleet of Collegiate 420s, which are comparable to what they would be sailing in Galveston, sloop rig sailboats called Flying Juniors.

In July, the teams went to Texas, where they took part in the six-day race. Coming to Sea Star Base, the weather was hot and humid as sailors from 10 countries came to compete.

“It was really cool to learn their experiences and the different boats they sail and what’s popular over there,” Grahl said of interacting with other competitors.

On the water, a common competitive streak came out, remaining “tight but friendly,” Wetherbee said. They competed in 22 races over four days.

Teams were split into two groups based on qualifiers: a top-level Koch and lower-level Kiwi. Wetherbee and Grahl placed in the Koch Cup, competing against 32 teams.

At the end of the races, the Fond du Lac team placed 10th, much higher than expected.

“I thought we would come in close to last," Wetherbee said. "Small town Wisconsin sailors versus world class racers? There was no chance we would tie for 10th. I was ecstatic after we continually performed better during the competition and was awed when we learned of our final placement.”

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Looking to the horizon

When the next Koch Cup takes place in two years, Wetherbee, who is in her second year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be aging out of the Sea Scouts, and Grahl hopes to have moved from his position of apprentice to quartermaster. The team's goals, he said, are to get a bigger ship, fix up one of the boats, and get more people to the Koch Cup. He is also focused on training the next people in line as part of the “circle of leadership.”

From the Sea Scouts, both Wetherbee and Grahl said they learned about much more than sailing.

“Sea Scouts gives you opportunities, skills and lifelong memories that you really can’t get in any other activity,” Wetherbee said. “I wish I could’ve joined sooner and known about the program earlier, and am sad to see it be over so soon.”

Looking to be a Sea Scout?

For more information on Fond du Lac's Sea Scout program, visit seascouts5792.wordpress.com or contact Paul Kaestner, skipper, at pdkscouting@gmail.com or 920-960-5152.

For the state, visit seascout.org and click "Find a Ship" at the bottom of the page.