End of the School Year... Forward Into Summer

We tend to look just at our own little corner of the NJROTC world... yeah it's Navy but that doesn't mean it's all about boats! The New Bern NJROTC has a very full plate, and continues it's strong academic record. At the end of spring, we have college plans & summer jobs. We say goodbye to the graduates. We have an annual banquet to gather with families & celebrate.

Our spring semester sailing cadets who stuck with the program, turned in written assignments, worked at "learning the ropes" (and the knots), get the honor of standing in front of the brigade to be recognized as SAILORS.

What does it mean to be a sailor? First, it means having skills & technical knowledge. Our little sailboats are simple but each part has a special name and it must be rigged correctly to work. Being a sailor means to be alert to one's surroundings. Awareness of the weather, of the wind direction, and keeping a lookout for objects... OR PERSONS... in the water, is necessary at all times.

Being a sailor means being a reliable part of the team. You must do your job even if the wind is gusting and the boat is heeling 'way over about to capsize. You must concentrate & do your job because the vessel and everyone onboard is depending on you. Being a sailor means to be resourceful and self-reliant. You can't get out and walk home! You can give up & quit, but you're still out at sea.

These are all characteristics we'd like to see in ourselves, in our family, in our co-workers, and very definitely in the next generation coming along. This is what it means to be a real sailor, and this is what our sailing program is all about.

At the banquet, we also give awards. The highest award we can give in the sailing program is the Skipper's Aiguillette. This requires learning not just how to sail a small boat, but demonstrating leadership in a wide range of on-water activities. It requires learning to navigate, to read weather systems, learning about different types of vessels, the physics of buoyancy & stability, communication inculing radio protocol... it's a big step.

Cadets Wheeler & Fouts are awarded their Skipper's Auguillettes.


Another event that occured at the end of the spring semester is a change of command. The New Bern NJROTC Brigade had it's change of command, and the Sailing Squad also has a new cadet commander. Congratulations to the Brigade officers and to Andrew Ferree on becoming "Top Sailor."

I apologize for the long delay in getting this post & pics onto the web site. Hope everybody is on their way to having a GREAT summer. We will have more sailing news soon!

...posted by Assistant Coach Doug King