Ramblings of a Troop Scouter…

Post date: Aug 2, 2013 12:14:30 PM

What is Gig Adventure?

Gig adventure is a tough event during which we expect the scouts taking part to cope with the cold of mid-winter on the water, sleep deprivation, tricky navigation during the hours of darkness as well as anything additional that nature will throw at them, all of this while cooped up together in an open boat for the duration of the event. And then we expect them to make the right decisions and maintain safety under all adversity.

In reflecting back over the last 10 years that I’ve been involved in scouting (and Gig Adventure), I’ve come to the conclusion that Gig adventure is far more than simply getting into a boat and rowing to the finish. There are also a few questions that always come up, and I’ll try to answer them here:

Why hold the event in Winter?

During the winter months we avoid the likelihood of thunderstorms and minimise the chance of rain (it can be miserable enough without having to sit in a wet boat with wet clothes).
The gig is an open boat, and having nowhere to hide from the baking summer sun will make this event more risky , from a health perspective, if held in summer.
It’s not designed to be easy.

Why start at midnight?

To allow for enough time so that the scouts can finish the event at a reasonable pace before too late on the Sunday afternoon. To note: a good average speed in a Gig is 5.5km/h if the conditions are perfect (which they have only been once in the last ten years). The total distance is about 80km; this means that a crew can expect to be on the water for a MINIMUM of 14.5 hours (and we’re talking perfect conditions here!).
To test the scout law: “A scout smiles and whistles under all difficulty”. This is easy with enough sleep, but bear in mind that by Saturday morning at 05:00, after a mere 5 hours of rowing and having covered no more than 30km, the scouts have probably been awake for 24hours. By the time the scouts get to 21:30 (as was the case this year), they have been awake for 39 and a half hours. And, YES, we still expect them to think straight and act responsibly.
It’s not designed to be easy.

Why make gig adventure so difficult?

In life we often come across difficult times and situations, and, without learning to persevere in adversity, we can fall apart. These days most of our children live a fairly protected and sheltered life (often out of necessity), and this means that they have no yardstick to measure themselves against. So along comes Gig Adventure and the need to find the inner strength and perseverance to get yourself and your crew to the finish line. As a yardstick, anyone who has completed the event knows that it’s something one can look back on and say “If I can complete Gig Adventure, I can get through this…”.

Finally: Is Gig Adventure really that tough?

On the face of it, it doesn’t seem like it: In the last ten years, 1^st Benoni has competed in every event held (there were only nine), choosing to do the full distance (and sometimes the short distance as well in a second gig). We have finished every event, usually early evening on Saturday, but on a few occasions, with particularly unpleasant wind, as late as lunchtime on Sunday. So how difficult can it possibly be? Compare 1^st Benoni’s results with those of another Sea Scout troop – in 10 years they have never finished the long distance, and only once have they completed the short distance. Also, it was only last year that the first all girl’s crew ever completed the event – guess who? 1^St Benoni! (In the words of an ex-scout, “We are MEN, even our girls are MEN!”)

As the troop scouter I wish to state that I am proud of the manner in which the first Benoni scouts, past and present, have conducted themselves and persevered under all conditions.

One year, under particularly difficult circumstances with a very strong wind blowing across the dam, a Police rescue skipper incredulously asked how old the scouts on the gig were. We told him that the oldest was 14.5 years old. At that he simply shook his head and said that if adults could have even half that sense of responsibility and water awareness, he wouldn’t have a job.

I am proud of the way in which our ex scouts have set the benchmark, and equally, in the way that this benchmark is achieved by the newer “generations” each year.

May you long keep this up, 1^st Benoni!