First Mate Academy teaches young anglers boating skills and life lessons

While many children spend their summers staring at screens, a Palm Harbor captain is getting them outdoors and putting their learning into high gear on the open water.Captain Andy Benedict founded First Mate Academy to introduce young people to boating, fishing and the natural resources found throughout the Tampa Bay area.Tampa Bay maritime academyFirst Mate Academy operates from Speckled Trout Marina in Palm Harbor and offers seasonal camps along with a year-round, curriculum-based academy.During First Mate Camp, students work alongside a charter captain and professional first mate to learn what it takes to become second in command aboard a fishing boat.The lessons begin before the boat ever reaches the water. Students learn boat-launching procedures, marine terminology and basic safety practices. Once underway, they receive hands-on instruction in operating a trolling motor and power pole, catching bait, throwing cast nets, rigging tackle and tying fishing line to hooks.The children