Frequently Asked Questions

If it's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that you've got to have a sense of humor to be a youth group leader!

This page is a growing collection of questions from emails, some of which are really good questions. On the other hand, some of the questions I get should be on "Comedy Central".

Please keep in mind that this is just another camping trip. When preparing to come to the Brown, pretend you're going camping near a really big pond, but there isn't a tree to be found (except the one on the roof next door). This is a WWII cargo ship, converted to carry a small amount of troops along with cargo, it's not the "Love Boat". In Boy Scouts, we have the motto "Be Prepared", well, that's my advice to all of you. We, as youth group leaders, do our best to plan every outing with our group, but expect anything and understand that a perfect plan is a rare creature!

  Accommodations
   Q: Is there a limit to how many children our group can bring?
      A: Kinda'... Typically groups have 20 kids and 8 adults, but let us know how many folks are in your group even if you are going to run over the average and we'll do our best to accommodate you. If you are planning on bringing too many folks, we'll let you know!

   Q: If we exceed the 25 available bunks where do folks sleep?
      A: On the deck, unless you bring additional cots or sleeping pads.

   Q: Are there separate sleeping and toilet facilities for mixed sex group groups?
      A: Yes, however they are very limited. This is a WWII era ship, things weren't "PC" back in those days, and because the ship is an artifact we can only do so much to accommodate folks without destroying the integrity of it.

 Age Limitations
   Q: What's the minimum age for overnight visitors?
      A: 9 years old, for two night events, 7 years old for one night events and with "one on one" supervision for those under 9 years old.

   Q: Can siblings of our group's participants come also?
      A: No.

 Arrival and Departure Times
   Q: What time is the earliest we could arrive on Friday?
      A: 1830 (6:30pm)

   Q: What time is the earliest we could arrive on Saturday?
      A: Any time you like, but the earlier, the better. This answer also depends on what you plan on doing during your visit.

   Q: How late can we stay on our departure day?
      A: We're flexible on the departure time, but most groups depart between 1200 and 1500 (3:00pm).

 Galley
   Q: Can we have pizza delivered to the ship?
      A: If you were a pizza delivery person would you believe a phone call like that? There are pizza/sub shops in the area that you can call, but it's best to go get your order.

   Q: Is there a refrigerator for us to use?
      A: Yes.

   Q: Is there a stove for cooking?
      A: Does anyone look at the pretty pictures on the site? Yes... There are two-four burner electric ranges and two apartment size ovens. There is also a microwave oven for your use.

   Q: Is there a coffee pot for us to use?
      A: First time on a ship, hua? The ship's crew runs on coffee, without a coffee pot, the ship couldn't leave the pier! Yes, there is a coffee pot.

 Heating and Air Conditioning (gimme' a break)
   Q: Is there heat in the area where our group is staying?
      A: Only if body heat counts... NO! There is heat in certain parts of the ship to keep pipes from freezing but not in the areas where most of your activities will be taking place.

   Q: Can we bring electric heaters?
      A: No. The area that your group uses is too large to heat with residential heaters of that type.

   Q: Can we bring kerosene (liquid fuel) heaters?
      A: NO! Most youth organizations prohibit the use of liquid fueled heating/cooking equipment.

   Q: Can we bring propane heaters?
      A: Yes... However, you must notify us no later than two weeks in advance of your visit and one of our safety officers will have to inspect and approve the equipment prior to its use. Also, the equipment shall not be used between the hours of 2230 and 0630 (10:30pm-6:30am) or when your group is not present in the area in which the equipment is operating.

 Program
   Q: Is the program for our group pre planned?
      A: Absolutely not! Our program is designed to meet the goals of you and your group. We want you to tell us how we can help you accomplish your goals for your children. We will help you develop a weekend plan/theme that is tailored to your group and offer technical and educational resources that we may have. Also we will assist you in adjusting your time line for the weekends because we have a very good understanding of what will and will not work aboard the ship. The bottom line is that we want your time aboard the ship to be something special.

   Q: How many program topics can we pick?
      A: Two. We are limited by the amount of volunteers at the ship, therefore we place a limit on how many topics we can reliably provide on a Saturday.

   Q: Are program topics available anytime during the visit?
      A: Sometimes. It depends on the topic. The best time to plan to have a topic presented is between the hours of 0900 and 1400 on Saturday. Again, this is due to the availability of the volunteer instructor.

 This one's my favorite! (No foolin', this was a real question from an email!).
   Q: Does the knot tying instructor give the children instruction? Do we need to bring rope for each child?
      A: It depends on my mood. Sometimes I make the kids show me the knots. I've even been known to just stand there and stare at the children as they tie each other up... Seriously, your group gets First Class instruction from our staff! I work with our staff to develop program ideas into the best possible experience available and that includes recruiting the right instructors for the classes. We provide all materials for instructional classes unless otherwise noted in the class outline.

   Q:
      A: