Camp EmBay Day 3

Tuesday, July 30, 10am; by Brian Finley
Greetings! Apologies, but it has taken the computer literally 3 hours to download the pictures posted in our earlier post. The computer keeps crashing, and there are network issues. I will try to post a few more right now, before my sailing outing. Update: The breakfast burritos were delicious this morning. They were massive, and we had a few boys eat 3! The kids are busy in their session 1 Merit Badge classes, Mr. Cook is in training for Leadership Skills, I'm here in the same room with that training (cracking up every few minutes at the trainer's jokes), and Mr. Thiry is snorkling in the middle of the bay with his snorkling buddy Mike (another parent from the LA area).

Mr. Thiry and Cook went through a lot of the leadership trainings yesterday (the same ones I went through my first year here at EmBay). I spent about 5 hours in the dual-session MB class (I was the only adult participant). I had a great time with the kids. The highlight was directing the 3 kids on our small Catalina 14.2 boat about a mile offshore. The scout operating the tiller was a little inexperienced, and we ended up capsizing the boat. We tried to right the boat for about 25 minutes. It was comical, tiring, and challending, as the seas were somewhat rough at that time. In my 20s, I could right a Holder 14 in about a minute by myself. These Catalinas are much harder! We did it, though, without losing any shoes, hats, nor sunglasses!

As I mentioned in my email yesterday, the highlight of the day was our troop kayaking trip. We kayaked to the south part of the bay, where the kids turned our relaxing trip into a capsize-fest. I first became aware of the situation when I saw Zach paddling for his life (as if he's just seen a shark!). I managed to stay afloat and avoid the transgressors. It was a hilarious situation. Even a post-capsized, swimming Ethan tried to coax me close to him, saying, "Mr. Finley, I'm your friend. Please give me a ride. You can trust ME. PLEASE!" I wasn't about to fall for that! I paddled away from him, and the first thing I noticed as I looked back at him was that he had a huge grin on his face.

I'll try posting some pics, now, but if it's still slow, I may have to try again later today. Cheers.

Emerald Campfire Ampitheater

Greetings from Camp Emerald Bay, July 2013

From Ethan Somers: Hello anxious adults out the wondering about your kids' safety. You will be glad to know that your kids are all okay and fit as fiddles! We have had lots of fun swimming surviving in the wilderness and such. We even had a few laughs when someone took a seat on a cactus!!! I believe the boys most enjoyed kayaking. They were continuously flipping the others' over and then swimming to the attacker and doing the same to him! Some new scouts in our troop have delicate tastes and won't eat the food. This one particular scout is surviving off Cliff Bars. Here are some pictures of us boarding the boat and enjoying fun activities on the island.

~Tuesday, 7/30/13 7:45am, From Brian Finley
Yes, there seems to be one scout who is not eating as much of the food as the others, however, the vast majority are pigging out on seconds and often thirds at most meals. The food is quite good. For instance, last night we had chicken breasts with potatos, gravy, broccoli, salad, and a piece of cake. Hopefully by now, all of you have received my emails regarding our first two days. Ethan and I are in the process of trying to download a couple dozen pictures. The techology here operates very, very slowly, so bear with us. I'll write more later. ~Brian

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Departure Time!

One final picture for the parents before we leave...

Waiting for our boat.  We lucked out and were selected to ride on the third of three boats!  The two+ hour wait actually passed pretty quickly as kids played frisbee, ate, got organized, and clowned around.

Despite the long wait, the kids had a great time joking and playing around.

Clowning around while waiting for our boatride.



Finally leaving to board our Catalina Express ride.



The largest of the 3 boats which ferried kids to the camp.  We were on this boat.  This was taken shortly after we arrived.  A smaller boat brought us in shifts to the camp dock. 

Arrival at the dock.

Camp Newport, our camp, which is the furthest camp from the parade field.  It's a gorgeous setting, with gently rolling hills similar to the Central California coast.

Scouts basking in the sun, waiting for the troop kayaking trip.

The parade field (as viewed from the dining hall porch).

The right side of the bay (kayaking and small boat sailing area).

This is the dining hall (faces eastward towards the parade field and bay).