Overnight Encampment on a Tall Ship
Date: 7:30pm May 14th (Saturday) to 8:00am May 15th (Sunday)
Location: Balclutha, 2905 Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco
Cost: $30 per participant
Max participants: 35
RSVP: Pack Form and Check payable to Pack 1776
Contact: Siddharth Bhatia
Avast, me hearties! Spend a night going back in time and experience first-hand what it was like to work and sleep aboard a permanently moored turn-of-the-century tall ship. Celebrate San Francisco's maritime heritage and travel back to the "Age of Sail". Try your hand at traditional maritime tasks such as raising a sail, swabbing the deck, rowing a longboat, and riding a bosun's chair into the rigging.
What to bring:
Sleeping bag, warm clothes, pillow if desired, personal items you need (toothbrush, etc). No electronic items allowed.
Eat dinner before arriving at the pier. Feel free to bring your own late night snacks.
Breakfast (bagels, croissants, danish, juice/milk etc.) will be provided by the Pack the next day.
Parking:
Free parking is available on the first come first served basis at the north end of lower VanNess next to the aquatic park, or in the nearby Ghirardelli square parking garage at a discounted rate for overnight parking. Carpooling strongly encouraged.
Whats included:
Tour of the Balclutha. This can either be on Sunday morning after breakfast or Saturday evening.
Activities on the Balclutha. The last time scouts learned about pulleys and swabbed the deck.
Tour of the remaining boats that are part of the San Francisco Maritime Association (including the USS Pampanito) on Sunday.
Due to the limitation on the number of attendees, this is open to Scouts and 1 parent/guardian only. We will open it up to siblings if we have open spots available.
Please RSVP and drop off your check in the pack mailbox. Your check secures your spot (response to the form does not). Please make your check payable to Pack 1776 and include your scout's name, Den number, and your email address so we can reply with confirmation.
Hope to see you onboard.
Sid
Shooting Sports Day in Livermore
Date: Saturday, March 6th, 2016
Location: Ranchos Los Mochos, 18450 Mines Rd, Livermore (map)
Cost: $15 per scout, $10 per person late fee after 2/27/15
Attire: Class A uniform
Bring: Completed Shooting Sports permission slip
The San Francisco Bay Area Council will host a Shooting Sports Day at RLM on March 6th.
The day will begin with check in at 8:30 am. Archery and BB Guns sessions will begin at 9:00 am and run until 4:00 pm with a one hour lunch break from 12-1pm. Food will not be provided - bring your own lunch.
More information and registration available at SFBAC's webpage.
Stanford Basketball Scout Days
Scout Days are not Pack 1776 events but rather community events open to Scout groups.
Blue and Gold 2016
Date: Friday, February 19th
Time: 6:15 pm - 8:45 pm
Location: Coyote Creek MPR
Cost: None
RSVP: Evite
Dear Pack 1776 Scouts and Families,
Come Celebrate Scouting with Us!
The Blue and Gold Banquet is where we celebrate the Birthday of the Cub Scout Program. We will be celebrating the 106th birthday of Scouting and having a ceremony for Webelos IIs who will receive the Arrow of Light Award and "bridge" to their journey into Boy Scouts. A catered dinner and fun entertainment by magician Phil Ackerly, a 4-Time Gold Medal Winner, are provided at no charge to Pack 1776 members and their immediate family.
Please RSVP by February 15th with the number of people attending and any vegetarian preference.
Schedule:
6:15 Welcome! Door Opens
6:30 Opening Flag Ceremony (Webelos II)
6:35 Greeting & Commence Dinner
6:50 Friends of Scouting
7:00 Recognition
7:10 Arrow of Light Ceremony
7:55 Closing Flag Ceremony (Webelos I)
8:00 Entertainment by magician Phil Ackerly
8:45 Clean Up
See you at the party!
Pack 1776 Blue and Gold Committee
January Hike – Bishop Ranch Regional preserve
Date/Time: Sunday Jan 31, 2016, 2-4pm
Location: Bishop Ranch Regional Preserve
Meeting Point: Trail entrance at Morgan drive
GPS coordinates: 37°44'58.4"N 121°57'47.0"W
Parking & Fees: Park on Morgan drive. No paid parking available.
Attire: Class A or B uniform (dress in layers)
Award: Opportunity to enjoy our neighborhood open green space
RSVP: Evite
Contact: Hiking Chair Siddharth Bhatia 408.431.8037
What to Bring:
Plenty of water and snacks
layers of clothing appropriate for the weather
binoculars, camera (optional)
In January, let's explore areas in our community where we can go for a short hike. The Bishop Ranch Regional Open Space Preserve offers quiet and solitude on 444 acres just a short distance from San Ramon Valley subdivisions. Watch for animals such as deer, red-tailed hawks, and turkey vultures.
The trail will be a short 2.5 mile loop comparable to our last two hikes so it should take about 90 mins to complete. Elevation gain will be about 400 feet which is similar to the 350 feet we had at our last hike in Coyote hills regional park.
Pinewood Derby 2016
Date/Time: Saturday, January 24th, 2016 Noon to 3pm
Location: Coyote Creek MPR
Attire: Class A
Bring: Reusable water bottle and Readiness to cheer on your fellow scouts
Our Annual Pinewood Derby will be held on January 24 from noon to 3 PM in the MPR! There will be racing, design competitions, and pizzas. Please be conservation minded and bring your own reusable bottle - fresh filtered water available from the nice refillable station in the MPR. We will once again have an open class for adults and siblings. Additional kits may be purchased for $5. Contact Surat Perez to purchase more kits. Wear your Class A uniform!
The mandatory inspection and car impounding is on January 23 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Ajay's Home.
Even though Pinewood Derby car is a team project for scouts and their adults, we encourage scouts to do as much of the car building as possible. For those new to scouting or just need a refresher course, here are some helpful websites:
If you need help cutting the wood block, you can take it to Alamo Hardware on Sunday, January 10 at 6:00 PM or Monday, January 11 at 4:00 PM. The store staff will cut each car for $5. You can also use their equipment to sand, align the wheels, and fine-tune various details. To minimize wait time, advance sign-up is required.
Each car must pass inspection on January 23 by the official inspection committee before it will be allowed to compete. Once a car passes inspection and is entered into the race, only the race committee members can touch it. If the car loses a wheel, or is otherwise damaged, the racer has 5 minutes to make repairs.
On the day of the event, cars will race in multiple heats. Only their best time will be used. All participants will receive a medal and patch for participating. Trophies will be awarded to the fastest three cars in each rank, and the overall fastest three cars in the Pack. We will also give trophies to 1) Best Paint Job, 2) Most Unique, and 3) Most Patriotic.
Pinewood Derby Rules and Top Tips
Race cars shall be constructed from the parts contained in the Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby® Kit, materials from the kit may be supplemented but not replaced.
The use of pre-shaped car bodies, machined wheels or axles acquired from the Internet or other sources is NOT allowed.
Racecars may weigh no more than 5 ounces (total) as determined on the official scales during check-in.
The car shall roll on the wheels from the kit. The wheels shall turn about the axle nails from the kit. The axle nails shall be firmly affixed to the wood of the car body. The Cub may cut new axle slots (or drill new axle holes) in the original block from the kit. The original axle-to-axle spacing of 4.40" (±0.125" (1/8")) must, however, be maintained. It must be obvious to the judges that the original groove spacing, wheels, and the nails from the kit are being used.
Axle nails must be mounted parallel to the track surface. Tilted or canted axles that cause the car to run on the edge of the wheels are not allowed. Wheels must run flat on the track surface. At least three wheels must be in contact with the track surface at all times as the car rolls.
Cars may be no longer than 7.00 inches with a maximum width of 2.75 (2¾) inches and a maximum height of 4.00 inches as determined by the official gages during the Registration and Inspection process. Underside clearance of at least 0.375 (3/8) inches and inside wheel to wheel clearance of at least 1.75 (1¾) inches is required to allow the car to clear the racetrack's center guide-strip. Adequate clearance is the responsibility of the racecar builder. IMPORTANT NOTE: Wood blocks supplied in the official kits are often slightly longer than 7.00 inches to allow for final shaping and sanding. Be sure to check the final dimensions of your car carefully. Do not assume that the dimensions of the block supplied in the kit will automatically be legal.
Weight may be added to the car and will be considered part of the car for purposes of all measurements. "Weight" is considered to be any material on the car that is not provided in the kit. All weight must be securely fastened to the car, e.g. by permanent glue, nails or screws, but not by "sticky substances", e.g. tape, or tack spray. Weights shall be passive, i.e. non-movable, non-magnetic, non-electric, non-sticky, etc.
Wheel treatment (hub and tread smoothing and polishing) may not result in substantial removal of mass or in reducing the wheel width or diameter from the original kit wheels. Some of the original "tread marks" on the wheel face must remain intact, i.e. apparent to the inspector. (Tread marks are the small zigzag lines visible at the very outer edges of the wheel when it is viewed parallel to the axle line.) Wheels may not be machined or sanded to a beveled condition. At least 80% of the original wheel width must contact with the track surface, and the portion of the wheel surface that contacts the track must remain parallel to the axle. The hub through which the axle nail passes cannot be shortened. The area between the hub and contact surface of the wheel cannot be drilled or otherwise opened.
Top tips:
1. Make sure it weighs 5 oz exactly (use a postal scale or go to the post office) and have the weight centered towards the back of the car. Weight kits are available at scout store, Michaels, and on-line.
2. Polish the axles.
3. Consider raising one wheel so the car runs on three wheels.
4. There are lots of online videos, just remember the wheels must run flat to the track, no canted wheels.
