Cruising on The Morris

At 125 feet in length, the Morris is Sea Scouting’s largest training vessel in the world. During AMR weekend, she found a new home in the crew of the Neptune. This year, she went on her first summer cruise in 20 years. Since having her, she has cruised more in the last month then she has in cruised more than she has in 15 years.

Getting the Morris out on cruise has not only been great for the Morris, but also for the Neptune. We are a big family; we have each others back in a time of need. Having the largest boat in Sea Scouting, other crews look up to us now, and it is an awesome feeling. We feel like the super stars of Sea Scouting. One of the things that makes it so fun is being able to see the progress the crew has done and be able to be part of it.

Also, the Morris has had more pictures taken of her than ever. We can be going through the Delta or a bridge opening, and people are running out of their cars to take pictures. When we cruised her up north to the Feather River, families were running from their house as it was probably the largest boat they had seen up there in 100 years. People take notice of the Morris. We are so proud to have her be ours. The local news even brought out the helicopter to record us coming home.

When we cruise, it’s all safety, business and learning. Like when we brought her home, our officers challenged us and we steered compass courses without being able to see by covering the front windows. But we also have A LOT of fun and unique experiences that happen  along the way. Believe it or not, we actually rescued a drowning sheep. How many crews can say that one?

Before securing Anchor Detail, we used the ship’s PA to play different music for Karaoke. We were singing together into mooring lines with tunes from “Somebody That I Used to Know,” “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and “Payphone” amongst many others. Also, cleaning the deck has seemed to become an equal part of crew cleaning as well. Five gallon buckets of water tend to wash down equal parts boat and crew.

We restarted the Neptune almost four years ago. Since that time, we haven’t always had the best boats, but we have a great one now. Going through those times not only makes us appreciate what we have, but we also grew stronger as a crew and family. It’s also great to start to be recognized for all of the accomplishments our crew has done as well. Being a leader of the Neptune makes me feel important and very proud to know my crew is a huge success.

Nate Eckler

Director