Cradle of Liberty Sea Scout Squadron

First Annual Rendezvous

20 through 22 June 2014

Resica Falls Scout Reservation

Officially formed less than a year ago, Cradle of Liberty's fledgling Sea Scout Squadron held its first annual Sea Scout Rendezvous during the weekend of 20 through 22 June 2014 at the Resica Falls Scout Reservation in Marshall's Creek, Pennsylvania.  Of the six (6) Sea Scout Ships in the Cradle of Liberty Council, only two (2), Ship 201 from Jenkintown, PA, and Ship 461 from Souderton, PA, were present at the Rendezvous.  The two Cradle of Liberty Squadron Ships were joined by Ship 2012 from Bensalem, PA, part of the Bucks County Council.  Ship 201 from Jenkintown served as the host Ship for this inaugural event.  As a result of Squadron Commodore Bob Gabage's inability to attend the event due to work obligations, Ship 461 Skipper Tim Wile served as the Rendezvous Rear Commodore.  Robin Gabage, from Ship 201, served as the Rendezvous Portmaster and Boatswain.

Firestone Lodge served as the Rendezvous Headquarters for the weekend.  The Lodge also served as the bunk house and the mess hall for the Rendezvous.  The Lodge's common area, with its spacious fireplace, provided a great location for meetings, dining, and simply getting together and getting to know one another.  The photo at right depicts most the of participants at the Rendezvous in front of the fireplace at Firestone Lodge.

The Rendezvous was the first-ever event designed especially for Sea Scouts in the history of the Cradle of Liberty Council.  While the former Philadelphia and Valley Forge Councils had held Sea Scout Rendezvous and Regattas in the past - none have been held since the two councils merged in 1996 to form the Cradle of Liberty Council.  Squadron Commodore Bob Gabage hopes that the Rendezvous will become an annual event and will lead to greater communication and cooperation between the council's Sea Scout Ships and promoting Sea Scouting within the council and the entire Southeastern Pennsylvania region.

Being that the Rendezvous was a Sea Scout event, it is not surprising that the weekend's events revolved around the water.  The participants were divided into crews of two (2) persons who competed against each other in the various events at Lake Roger.  The events included a canoe course, a rowboat relay, and other aquatic activities that tested the participant's boating skills.  Each team was awarded points on how well they performed in each of the events with the team garnering the highest score being declared the champion.  The photo below right depicts Ship 461 Mates Andy Cowles (fore) and Paul Coache (aft) paddling for all that they were worth.  The photo at left depicts the participants getting ready for the canoeing event on Lake Roger.

The rowing relay was another one of the aquatic events held during the Rendezvous.  The point of the relay was to get from point A to point B with one team member rowing, at Point B, switch places amongst the team members, and return to Point A with the second team member doing the rowing.  As seen from the photo at right, navigation and piloting was not part of this event.

One Rendezvous event that was not done in two-person teams was the Dragon Boat Race.  The Cradle of Liberty Council has two (2) Dragon Boats that were gifts from the Chinese Government several years ago.  Each Dragon Boat carries a crew of up to ten (10) persons, one of which acts as the boat coxswain and the remainder paddle to provide the boat's propulsion.  The Boat's coxswain keeps cadence for the rowers so that they row in unison.

Due to the limited number of participants, the Dragon Boat Race at the Rendezvous pitted an adult crew against a Sea Scout crew.  The adult team prevailed. 

The Rendezvous was also the place for the unveiling of the Squadron's "Liberty Cup," which is to be awarded to the winning team of Sea Scouts at each Rendezvous.  The names of the members of the winning team will be inscribed on the Liberty Cup and the Cup itself will be on display at the Cradle of Liberty Council Headquarters in Wayne, PA.  The winner of the very first Liberty Cup was a crew from Ship 2012 from Bensalem.  The photos below depict the winning team members from Ship 2012 being presented with the 2014 Liberty Cup by Melanie Gabage (in khakis) and Robin Gabage (in light blue) from Ship 201.  Ship 2012 is homeported in Bensalem, Bucks County, and, as seen from the photos, has elected to adopt the New Century Sea Scout uniform as opposed to the traditional Navy-based uniforms used by our Ship. 

This page last updated on Sunday, 06 July 2014.