The Beginning: Explorer Ship 529 was established in the summer of 1991 when a group of Boy Scouts decided to take their high adventure summer program to the British Virgin Islands for 2 weeks of sailing. Ship 529 has remained strong ever since.

 Our Goals: To gain confidence while learning the art of sailing and working together as a crew. Knowing the different parts of our vessels from the inside out, including charting and GPS skills, engine mechanics, and usage of marine various electronics.

Our Boats: Ship 529 owns 2 boats: Chantey, a 32' Challenger and Cheng-Ho, a custom built 37' cutter.

Sailing Trips: Since the program started in 1991, we have taken a myriad of day trips to scenic spots like the Queen Mary in Long Beach Marina (which includes the famous Shoreline Village ice cream run).  We also take a couple weekend trips per year to Santa Catalina Island (approximately 25 miles off the Southern California coast). We usually sail to Two Harbors, but we will also sail to Avalon and have twice sailed to Emerald Bay.

Ultimate Adventures: Ship 529 has taken four two-week trips to the B.V.I. (British Virgin Islands) since 1992, with our fourth trip just completed in August of 2007. On our first trip to the B.V.I. in 1992, we missed Hurricane Hugo by a few days, and were able to spend our two weeks in perfect sailing conditions. One of our many adventures while in the BVI included snorkeling the shipwreck of "The Rhone" (the boat on which the movie "The Deep" was based), which sank in 30 to 90 feet of water.  We visited many inland towns, participated in their Carnivals, and learned a lot of what island life is all about.

During our second trip in July 1996, Hurricane Bertha brought its two day unrelenting wrath upon us and passed her eye directly over our hotel on Tortolla Island. It was a once in a lifetime experience and allowed the kids to see first hand how the Atlantic Ocean storms compared to Pacific Ocean storms they were used to. In addition to Ship members on Bi-Op-Sea we had a boat of 4 returning 1992 members on a second boat, Ariel III. Our two boats sailed to 9 different islands during our 2 weeks, and left feeling more confident in all of our abilities knowing we could handle anything that was blown our way!

Our third trip in July of 1999 was quite a memorable trip, on board the 51' Great Expectations. While we didn't have to endure a hurricane this time, we did have to endure some pretty nasty rain storms from time to time. This made our daily sails quite thrilling, and gave us some great heavy weather experience. The nights were much as the days, including nightly rain showers. This forced many of us to abandon our outside sleeping areas and seek emergency shelter below (as our cabins do not really comfortably sleep two). During our 13 days we visited 16 islands, including St. John in the US Virgin Islands. We caught a few fish, and saw many more in their beautiful coral homes.

Our fourth trip was in August of 2007 and for the second time we were able to crew two 50-footers. Nine Ship members, six youth and three adults, sailed aboard Toy Boat III while four Ship adults and one sibling sailed aboard Badger B. For four of our crew, they were returning for at least the second time. We had beautiful weather and lots of wind for our crew. We visited a new island, Cooper Island, which will now be a standard stop for us. Late in the trip Hurricane Dean passed approximately 200 miles south of the BVI, pounding us with 8 to 10 foot swells and winds gusts to 40 knots and making for a fun ride down to Norman Island for the last night on the boat.

We will soon begin planning our fifth trip, with a date still to be determined. A new crew is already hard at work learing the art of sailing, with the goal, as always, of each crew member being able to serve in any capacity onboard at any time. Not only does that give our adult advisors peace of mind (and the ability to take all our beautiful pictures), but it also assures each person that they have truly earned the best sailing vacation in the world.

Sailing is for Everyone: No sailing experience is needed! Boys and girls ages 14 to 20 are welcome to join our program any time.  Beginning May 1, 2010, the minimum age to join Sea Scouting will change to 13 years old and completion of the 8th grade.

To join Ship 529, it only costs $15.00 a year for registration with the Boy Scouts of America and $60.00 a year membeship dues. Adults over 21 are also welcome to join us (for the same registration fee and membership dues). For both youth and adults no sailing experience is required. The easiest way to contact us is via email.

Donations: You may help support our program through donations. Donatable items like boats, boat equipment, engines and other nautical equipment are most appreciated. All donated items are fully tax deductible.

Adult Advisors: 

If you have any questions about our program, E-mail us!