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. Knowing the different parts of our vessels from the inside out, including charting skills, GPS, engine mechanics, and electronics.

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

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 approximately 2 weekend trips to Santa Catalina Island (approximately 25 miles off the Southern California coast) each summer. We usually sail to Two Harbors, but we have also sailed to Avalon a few times.

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. We had beautiful weather and a great time for our crew. is hard at work fundraising for the trip. We have also begun our sail training program for the trip,

Plans are beginning for our fifth trip, initially set for July of 2010. Soon we will again be hard at work training a new crew, 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, 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.  It only costs $10.00 a year for registration and insurance and $60 a year membeship dues. Adults over 21 are also welcome to join us, and again 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!