Tideflats Leaders’ Sweat Equity Benefits Youth
If you were around Friday, October 2, you may have seen a rare sight. Residents of Tacoma witnessed Vérité leaving her home at the Tacoma Youth Marine Center on the Foss Waterway for a quick row around Commencement Bay.
Vérité is a 38-ft Captain’s gig built in 1998 in collaboration with youth from Remann Hall, Charles Wright Academy and Tacoma Sea Scouts at the Sea Scout Base under the direction of Shipwright Phil Lantz. Launched from Owens Beach in 1998, she holds 13 crew, ten of whom row a long oar ranging in length from 14-18 feet. Vérité is a replica of an 18th century French Admiral’s gig that was captured in Bantry Bay, Ireland in 1796.
Vérité is owned by the Youth Marine Foundation (YMF) and is moored at the docks of the Tacoma Youth Marine Center.
With youth programs being halted due to COVID-19, one of the biggest challenges facing the Foundation is the care and maintenance of their small fleet – including Vérité.
Being an all-wooden vessel, she occasionally takes on fresh water from the Puyallup River as it flows into the Foss Waterway, which can create long-term damage if not remedied. She also requires annual maintenance including haul-out, inspection and bottom-scraping to prevent long-term damage associated with natural marine growth like barnacles and seaweed.
As a Board member of the Youth Marine Foundation and Government Affairs Director for Schnitzer, Tony Belot recognized the opportunity this presented for the leadership team at Schnitzer Steel, Inc in Tacoma.
Tony often works alongside YMF Executive Director Monique Valenzuela identifying collaborative opportunities. “Our tideflats neighbors are an amazing community of mentors and volunteers,” adds Monique. “By volunteering their elbow grease and time, we can provide the opportunity for Tacoma’s non-boating youth to experience the water.”
The leadership team from Schnitzer spent the day doing the hard work first, then were rewarded with a row. They spent the morning in orientation learning about Vérité from Sea Scout alumnus and Vérité adult leader Robert Kroker.
They then went to work, putting in great effort and getting her back to working condition. The ten oars range in size from 14-18 feet and received a good hand-scrubbing from top to tip. Other volunteers used a hand pump to empty the vessel so her floorboards could be inspected and cleaned.
Leaving the Foss Waterway in morning fog, the Schnitzer volunteers put their morning learning to the test following commands like “Come to Oars!” and “Make Way Together.” The very nature of taking a longboat out on the water requires teamwork, cooperation and grit. The stroke oar is located the farthest in the bow of the boat. Although the seat is furthest in the back, it is the most important and sets the pace for the ship. To be expected, the plant general manager ended up in that seat as oar 1. There were many conversations on the boat, including the observation that when the volunteers learned their rhythm and rowed together, even traveling against a current became more efficient.
Who knew that a wooden longboat built by teens more than two decades ago would provide a lesson in teamwork, grit and leadership to manufacturing professionals?
The skills and pride felt by the volunteers from Schnitzer are exactly the reason recruitment for the next cohort of Vérité youth will begin soon. The opportunity for 14-year olds to learn essential “soft skills” and experience character development, while having the adventure of a lifetime is priceless. Thanks to the selfless volunteers at Schnitzer, Vérité is ready for another generation of Tacoma teens.
You can see some video highlights of the journey on the YMF YouTube Channel here. If you know of any youth 14 or older interested in joining the Vérité crew when the new youth program restarts, email YMF at monique@tacomaymf.org.
