He's speaking of the Sea Scouts, a program that may just be the best-kept secret in the Boy Scouts of America.

As a division of the Boy Scouts, the Sea Scouts was founded in 1912 to offer girls and boys an aquatic alternative to the outdoor experience. So while its land-lubber big brother has its troops hiking up and down mountain trails and streams, pitching makeshift tents and starting campfires, its water-borne offshoot gives seafaring children an opportunity to cruise the blue Pacific to the Farallon Islands and up local rivers to Sacramento and Napa.

"In Boy Scouts, basically we'd load everything into a backpack, hike 2 miles into the woods and then it would rain," says Sea Scout and eighth-grader Cassidy Cannizzaro. He's been with the ship nine months.

"We do a lot of the same planning that the Boy Scouts do," says Bray, who had spent more than four years as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout. "But our training focuses on knowing what to do in water-related accidents and in learning how to run a boat."

They even take command of their own 82-foot ship, the SSS Challenger.

Parents, however, needn't worry. Although the children generally run the show, adults are always there to supervise. An adult skipper, in fact—Layne Davis, a sergeant with the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Department—is always on hand and everything is under control.

Davis has been running the ship since 1994. He's been involved in Sea Scouts since 1978.

"On the first day, my parents were a little iffy, but they came and met our skipper and after that they were very comfortable," says San Jose resident Kyle Northend. "They love it."

Sea Scouts learn not only to safely navigate and maintain the SSS Challenger, but also to operate sailboats, powerboats and other small watercraft as well. No boating background is required to join, just a strong desire to learn and a willingness to operate as a team. Everything else is taught.

"I'm totally into it," Bray says.

Bray became involved with the Sea Scouts after his mother told him a year and a half ago about a little-known nautical program that she'd recently learned about.

Because he has always been interested in the sea and ships, he says, participating in the Sea Scouts was a chance he didn't want to pass up.

Since then, his calendar year has been filled with training, boat repairs, mini-cruises and regattas—meets at which different crews and their boats are pitted against one another in friendly competition.

"But I like the Yerba Buena Island event best," he says, referring to the annual Safety at Sea weekend last October. "It's like a practice regatta, except you learn how to put out fires, and how to use boat flares, fire hoses, water pumps and all kinds of other things."

The SSS Challenger, a former U.S. Coast Guard and Navy vessel, carried its crew to the Coast Guard station at Yerba Buena Island.

The Scouts set sail from their berth in Redwood City during the late evening, arriving at 2 a.m. The weekend was stunning—unusually warm, but crystal clear, with a beautiful view from the shadow of the Bay Bridge.

One of the first activities was a water-rescue exercise where the Scouts got into what's called a "gumby suit," designed to prevent drowning by keeping someone afloat and on their back in the event they are unconscious when falling into the water.

"It's a little constricting when you jump into the water—all the pressure gets sucked out," says Sunnyvale resident Grant Hendricks.

Getting out proved just as difficult. Most landed like beached whales, and they were greeted with laughter and cheers.

It's easy to lose sight of the serious nature of boating, but the October event sought to reinforce the idea of safety through training.

Sea Scout and high school graduate Brad Laeigue, for example, assisted the younger crewmembers during a hypothermia demonstration. Laeigue, who's been with the ship for two years, is a graduate of Leigh High School who intends to join the U.S. Coast Guard in January. He led the crew in an exercise that involved sticking one's hand in a bucket of ice water and grabbing pennies from the bottom. It wasn't easy, and the Scouts learned just how incapacitating cold water can be. The expressions on their faces said it all.

The program is similar to that of the Boy Scouts in hierarchy, as well. Sea Scouts work through the various ranks, such as apprentice, ordinary, able and, ultimately, quartermaster, the highest rank and the equivalent to Eagle Scout.

The older boys are responsible for the younger ones.

Matt Hendricks, for example, is the ship's boatswain, comparable to being president, and is in charge of all the youth on the ship. He is a senior at San Jose's Oak Grove High School and will be joining the Coast Guard after graduation. Hendricks often has 16 to 20 youths under his command.

"They are so young and don't know a lot of the stuff, so they need someone to guide them, " he says.

He keeps an eye on the group, as there's a tendency for them to goof off a bit, he says.

"Some kids my age do whatever they want and don't care about the rules or other people, but I credit the program with giving me a sense of responsibility," Hendricks says.

Bray says he views such an authority figure's presence as necessary.

"We have life rails on the boat [permanent rails set up around the deck to prevent falls], but we don't use life jackets," Bray says. "That's OK, though, as long as officers are there and we don't do anything foolish, like running on the deck."

The October weekend's activities also included a damage-control drainage exercise involving a leaky boat filling up with water. An assortment of rags, wedges and wooden plugs was available for crew members to stop the leaks.

"It's fun, like a sinking boat," says 13-year-old Alex Gillette, who quickly learned that rags weren't all that effective and stoppers were the way to go. "If you don't work as a team, nothing works, because we had to ask some people to hammer and others to hold the stoppers."

Although the boys have never encountered any real-life threats to the ship, it can get a little blustery on the Bay, and the ship can get knocked around some, Sea Scout Andrew Alexander says.

"We've encountered a lot of wind. Sometimes it's a little crazy, but you get your sea legs and balance yourself out," he adds. It can get pretty cold, too, especially while on watch at night, but Alexander enjoys cruising and going places.

Bray also couldn't be happier. Besides learning to tie even more knots—adding to the encyclopedia of knots he's already learned as a Boy Scout—he lists a number of other skills he's picked up as a Sea Scout: manning the engines, navigation, engineering and cooking.

"Before I joined Sea Scouts, I'd never ridden on a boat," he says. "Here I am, learning to run one."

For more information, contact Skipper Layne Davis at 408.264.9240. Those interested can also visit the ship's website at http://www.kmacorp.com/ship145.html or they can email wardenj@kmacorp.com. Meetings are held every Wednesday night in Los Gatos, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 41 Miles Ave.