I am pleased to introduce and welcome you to the Noble Odyssey Foundation.
The NOF was conceived as a way to insure the future of a very successful volunteer program which, for over 30 years, has brought maritime skills, knowledge and experience to young men and women of the Naval Sea Cadet Program, Great Lakes Division. Along the way our program has also made important contributions to exploration, research and education related to the natural history of the Great Lakes.
Since 1977 our Sea Cadets have cruised some 75,000 miles of our inland seas in former U. S. Naval vessels. However, the Sea Cadet Corps has only nominal sponsorship from the Navy League and receives no funding from the U. S. Government. Rather, the Corps is a non-profit, volunteer-supported program which encourages the development of youth into good citizens through experience with Navy-style training, discipline and activities in a seagoing environment.
Unlike most other Sea Cadet groups, ours has always operated its own vessels. The first was our namesake, the 80-foot "yard vessel", Noble Odyssey. Currently we navigate a similar ship, the Pride of Michigan. Both vessels have always been operated and maintained largely by Sea Cadets of middle to high school age, under the supervision of experienced volunteer staff.
In the course of many training classes and research cruises over the years hundreds of Cadets have learned about engineering, science, leadership, teamwork and seamanship -- in very realistic situations. With expert guidance from our dedicated staff they operate boats, SCUBA dive, service equipment, and assist visiting scientists with their research projects. All of the Cadets' training and practice, while valuable in itself, has a higher purpose: to build character, responsibility and maturity as they learn together how to accomplish real-world goals.
Incidentally, we all manage to have plenty of fun and adventure along the way! Recent missions on the Pride of Michigan have included collecting plants and reptiles from Great Lakes islands, underwater studies of zebra mussels, investigation of an ancient drowned forest, and diving explorations for prehistoric archaeological sites. All of these projects have involved field work with scientists, educators and cinematographers. This year we plan to continue our studies of ancient submerged shorelines in the Great Lakes. And, somehow, we also find time each year to show the Pride at harbor festivals around the Great Lakes. For the Cadets these are all challenging, hands-on experiences that could never be duplicated in a classroom.
Naturally, all of this enterprise costs money -- for the ships, for fuel, equipment, food, maintenance, dockage, and so on. The selfless support of our volunteer staff, parents and friends can carry us only so far. To keep it going, and especially to grow, we also need and depend on donations from "believers" like you. That's where the NOF comes in. Through memberships the Foundation now enables us to accept and wisely manage your tax-exempt contributions to support this well-tested program. I do hope you will take a moment to visit our MEMBERS page and consider joining our worthy and exciting mission of youth development and maritime discovery.
Welcome aboard, and many thanks to all of our present volunteers and members for your loyal support!
Captain Luke Clyburn, USMM
President, Noble Odyssey Foundation
