Youth and adult leaders of Sea Scout Ship Invincible of Houston, the 2024-25 BoatUS National Flagship Award honoree
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Caption: Sea Scout Ship Invincible’s on-water activities included paddling as well as power- and sailboating.
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HOUSTON, May 7, 2024 -- The Sea Scout Ship Invincible (Ship 502) is exemplar of the best traditions of Sea Scouts BSA with more than 15 youth participating in a range of on-water adventures and community service activities. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is proud to honor the S.S.S. Invincible for its incredible program as the 2024-25 BoatUS National Sea Scout Flagship. The honor was created by the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) in 2002 to mark the 90th anniversary of Sea Scouts and recognizes excellence in program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment.

Sea Scouts BSA is a coeducational program from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) defined by Four Ss: Scouting, Seamanship, Service, and Social. Invincible is chartered by Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in the Sam Houston Area Boy Scout Council.

Sea Scout Ship Invincible’s on-the-water activities include stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, powerboating and sailing on large and small sailboats. The Ship’s docket on local waters included anchoring exercises, man overboard recovery drills, navigation practice and VHF radio skills development.

In Galveston Bay, Scouts sailed the Icicle Races in January and February, and in the summer, 10 of Ship 502’s members served at Camp Strake in Coldspring, Texas, some helping out as aquatics instructors or lifeguarding. Sea Scouts continued to support other BSA programs with an event for Webelos at the Bovay Scout Ranch, where 502’s youth served as lifeguards and directed canoeing.

Other activities included providing small boat sailing instruction to a Scouts BSA Troop at Lake Sommerville, sponsoring and staffing a highly successful fishing derby for Scouts BSA to raise money to replace broken fishing gear, holding two, three-day small sailboat  adventures on Lake Sommerville for taking out Scouts BSA Troops, and a week cruise for Sea Scout Advancement at Camp Strake.

“Sea Scouting helps youth become safe, smart, responsible boat operators, and in the case of S.S.S. Invincible, it’s been on an incredibly wide range of watercraft,” said BoatUS vice president Heather Lougheed. “We applaud Invincible’s youth members and adult leaders for becoming the nation’s standout ship, and for growing the next generation of responsible, courteous and safe boat owners.”

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The best ‘Ship’ in the country! Sea Scout Ship Invincible of Houston was named 2024-25 @BoatUS National Sea Scout Flagship. Join us in celebrating this prestigious honor as we salute the dedication and seamanship of the Invincible crew!  https://bit.ly/4a8hukS  #SeaScouts #BoatUS #Flagship #Invincible #Seamanship #MaritimeExcellence #HoustonProud #HoustonMaritime

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 nearly 800,000 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 the Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.” The Scouting 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 Scouting is one of BSA’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 the Boy Scouts of America, visit scouting.org. For Sea Scouting, visit seascout.org.