Mark Bellino of Middlesex County has established a regional chapter of Sea Scouts in Deltaville. The chapter is open for anyone aged 14 to 21 throughout the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck and as far west as Richmond.

Bellino, who serves as skipper for the scouts, said the parent company sponsoring the chapter is Forward Sailing, a family-based nonprofit corporation he started in 2018.

The newly-formed chapter will largely focus on hands-on training, said Bellino, with up to three hours of practical seafaring training for every hour of classroom instruction. Six 33-foot boats will be available for the scouts’ use, he said, along with seven or eight Lasers, a Bight, and five C-420s.

“They’re great boats,” said Eric Perkins, who will be assisting Bellino as a technician.

The chapter met once in July, with the next meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 1 via Zoom. It will be a meet-and-greet to find out what scouts want from sailing, said Bellino. The fundamentals of camar...