Holo Holo Blog

Are you looking for a youth-to-young-adult program to enrich your child’s life? Or perhaps you are looking for a meaningful local organization to get involved with or donate to? A program that positively impacts children’s time, values, friendships, skills, future, and connection to the ocean? Look no further; Kauaʻi Sea Scouts are up to big things.

Today, we sit down and talk story with the Sea Scouts Skipper, Larry Richardson.

What is your role in the Sea Scout Program, and when was it founded?

Sea Scouts, BSA, was initially founded in 1912. Sea Scouts on Kauaʻi was started in 2009 by my son, Max, and myself. Although there are many Sea Scout Programs on the Mainland, we are the only Sea Scouts in all of Hawaiʻi.

Please tell us about the Sea Scout Program: the who, what, where, when, why, & how kinda thing.

• Who are the Kauaʻi Sea Scouts?

Sea Scouts is a co-ed program for youth ages 11 to 21. We learn and have fun doing it. From short 3-day cruises to our longest cruise of 24 days, we explore the Hawaiian Islands. The program is built around adults teaching, being a resource, and the crew actively running the ship. From cooking, running the helm, standing watch, pulling the anchor, navigating, tying lines, or doing fenders, our ship is in good hands with our Sea Scout crew.

• What do you teach, and what is your mission statement?

We teach about ships: seamanship, leadership, and citizenship, as well as life and professional skills. My personal description of the program is that: “The classroom is the ocean, and the subject is life.” We want our youth to learn more than seamanship in our program.

• Where does the program take place?

Meetings are at All Saints Church Gym in Kapaʻa.

• When does the program take place?

Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 PM, with cruises and other activities during school holidays.

• What is “the why” behind what you do?

In addition to safe boating, vocational training for the maritime industry, and general seamanship, we want to instill life skills in our youth members that will help them in whatever career path they choose, as well as just life in general.

• How important is this program in inspiring youth to pursue a career in the maritime industry?

We have already had youth age out of our program and attend Cal Maritime, join the Navy and Coast Guard, and go to work on local tour boats.

• How does Holo support your organization to practice these skills at the national competition?

Holo Holo support helps our youth attend the Ancient Mariner Regatta in California so that they can put their skills to the test.

• How does one sign up or get involved with your program?

People are welcome to attend a Wednesday night meeting to get involved. We are always recruiting crew members and adult leaders.

What makes your program special/unique from other youth programs?

Well, It’s just like Boy Scouts, except it’s co-ed, and instead of camping in the forest, we go on long cruises on our own boat (our record is 24 days)!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your program, background, or upcoming events?

For 15 years, the Kauaʻi Sea Scouts have taught the youth of Kauaʻi all about ships: Seamanship, Leadership, Friendship, and Citizenship. As the only Sea Scouts in all of Hawaiʻi, the program has given boys and girls experiences and memories to carry through their lives. All Sea Scouts share the experience of actively loving the ocean, and several Scouts who have aged out of the program have gone on to maritime careers.

As the Sea Scouts explore the Hawaiian Islands, summers and school holidays have become cruising days. From short to extended cruises, our Scouts get to go places their friends and classmates only dream about.

As the program now has over 30 Scouts, we have outgrown our beloved 40-foot boat, the Decisive, which can only accommodate 14 people, including Scouts and adult leaders. Long cruises are broken up into two trips to get all the Scouts out on the ocean. With an aging boat and a growing program, to quote the movie Jaws, “it is time to find a bigger boat.”

We just brought our new 44-foot Sea Scout ship, The Holiday, home from Oʻahu. Our new boat can accommodate twice as many people and has two engines, so we have a backup engine if needed. We are currently rebuilding the engines and look forward to getting this boat and our Scouts out on the water soon.

Our program funds itself through donations and car washes. However, a major fundraising campaign is necessary to cover the cost of our new boat. With the philosophy that Sea Scouts is for everyone, no youth has been turned away.

And that’s a wrap! Thank you, Larry, Tom, and the entire Sea Scouts crew! Please consider donating to this incredible Kauaʻi community program here: https://www.kauaiseascouts.org/donate.