Friends of Sea Scouts of Maryland received der PeLiKan as a donation from Claire Kennedy, an elderly woman who wanted her boat to be used to give special opportunities to young people. After donating the vessel, Mrs. Kennedy rolled up her sleeves and helped put fresh paint on the bottom.
FoSSoM decided to use this unique vessel for training and not assign it to any one unit. Jerry Crabtree, then Chair of the Chesapeake Sea Scout Flotilla, came up with this "meaning" of it's name. He determined that the upper case "P" "L" and "K" in the name signify "Pride," "Leadership," and knowledge," respectively.
This year marks der PeLiKan's 11th year of service to Sea Scouts from across the country. Since her donation in 1997, she has logged more than 300 days under way and provided sailing experience and leadership opportunities to nearly 800 youth.
Der PeLiKan, the centerpiece of the Chesapeake Flotilla's training program, is used for both adult and youth courses that include Sea Scout Prepared Afloat Meals (SPAM), Sea Scout Advanced Leadership (SEAL), Seabadge Underway, piloting courses, long cruises, and weekend training cruises.
The boat has 8 berths, 2 heads and a galley. View a diagram and more in-depth specifications.
