In Other News

"Thank you, Sheila. More on that at seven.

Elsewhere, in the world of maritime exploration it's 'anchors away!' as the Coastal Provinces' SCS Sea Scout is set to return home late tomorrow evening.

If you've been following this incredible story, then you already know that the Sea Scout departed just over a month ago and began its homeward-bound journey after spending a week in port on the second of this month.

Commissioned by the private investment fund MacMathieu and Co., the 500-ton full-rigged packet ship is, as far as we have been able to independently confirm, the only ship currently suiting this purpose in the world. Though other administrations both at home and abroad are watching closely - eager to study the results.

Returning home with a traditional cargo of cane sugar, molasses, and rum, the venture is expected to turn a minor profit, all of which is contractually guaranteed to the youth organization. A MacMathieu and Co. spokesperson informed CFN News via email once the calculations were done, quote:

'This windfall for the organization is really the result of a series of carefully laid out plans, and it will directly assist the organization. In order to best facilitate that, we insisted on setting clear rules surrounding what to do with any surplus monies.

Sea Scout's mission was never intended to turn a profit for the company, and any net negatives were guaranteed by the established trust. So, when the numbers were run just after cargo confirmation and the ship left port, we were shocked to find the potential net positive.

Luckily, we did not need to rush into any negotiations or consultations because we had already laid down the rules governing this sort of thing. Many sheepish faces were in the office, mine included, since we'd all assumed that the time spent of that part of the contract was wasted.'

Lucky indeed.

Involved parents had this to say about the expected result.

"Well, if it helps the organization and makes sure this program continues, then I'm all for it."

"Gonna be honest, don't love the idea of my son importing rum at his age. But when we have our check-in calls, he's having a great time so I can't be too upset."

"Newsletter said that after the kids get home, there's going to be a meeting to talk about it. Apparently, they have plans for distribution. Going to be interesting if nothing else."

"Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!"

Joining me in the studio is Gary Chapman here to discuss speculation on what exactly that 'windfall' will be and how it will be used. Gary, welcome."

"Thanks for having me."

"Happy to have you here in the studio with us today. First, I want to ask about what you predict the windfall for the organization will be."

"It all starts with the trust set up by MacMathieu and Co. to sustainably fund this kind of adventure. All costs were carefully tallied before Sea Scout ever left port or even welcomed this first cohort of sailors. A cargo was proposed and finalized long before the ship hit the water and was always intended to be sold as a fundraiser for future sailings - but it was only ever supposed to supplement the funding from the Trust.

No one is, I think, going to complain about that. Most interesting from the statement given by the spokesperson is the 'net positive' which means that all costs associated with the sailing have been met and exceeded by the expected revenue. Current estimates put it at about a five percent profit; relatively unimpressive when compared against other imports, but massive for the circumstance."

"Do we know how that profit will be used?"

"It's going straight back into the organization for future sailings and other events. The costs of building and housing the ship itself are not included in this calculation, because they are completely guaranteed by the company. So, while we don't know exactly how the funds will be used, we do know that it will remain in the organization's coffers and will be applied to future events."

"Can we expect any amount of that money to be used for non-sailing events? SC owns, rents, or operates across the country and those have been struggling in recent years."

"As to that, I can't say. I haven't been in the meetings where all of that is decided, but I don't think it will go into general revenue. Most likely, in my opinion, the funds will be held aside as an added kind of insurance against future sailings."

"And the rum itself? What can you tell us?"

"The sale of the rum, and the other sugar products, has been a key element of the event from the beginning. Depending on uptake from the sale of rum, I could see this growing into a tradition for SC. In the future, the molasses could even be refined into rum here at home and add a more consistent revenue stream."

"Ethical concerns run rampant when minors and alcohol mix, what safeguards are in place to keep things legal and controversy-free?"

"You'd have to ask the company and the organization those questions. All I know is that the bottles will be available for preorder soon and should be shipping across the country."

"Do you believe it will be popular?"

"Following the initial hype and novelty, I can't say. Representatives from the organization and the company who spent months hunting for the right product have said that it's delicious and likely to sell well, but we'll have to wait for it to actually hit people's bar carts or liquor store shelves before we can answer that with any certainty."

"That is all the time we have with Mr. Chapman today, thank you so much for joining us."

"Thank you."

"After the break Carlos Wright, lead designer for the Sea Scout, tells CFN News's own Abby Grant about the potential for more ships hitting the water. Here is a quick teaser."

"We knew that this would be a popular program with the kids, but what we did not expect was the national interest. Communities across the country are clamouring for more ships, and we are more than happy to build them. MacMathieu and Co. are open to commissioning more vessels both here and on the west coast, but we don't yet know how many or when they can be expected.

It's not a small undertaking, building something like this, and we won't know if it's a good idea until after Sea Scout comes home. Thus far there have been no reports of injuries or equipment failures onboard, but we'll only know the full extent of the success or failure once we get in there to do a full inspection.

My personal belief is that we can expect more to be built; and my hope is that this will become an enduring legacy for the organization. I don't know what the future holds, but I think it'll be anchors away for a good long time."

"Until then, this has been Desmond Proctor for CFN News."