Trying for ‘Clipper’

HANAPEPE — Sea Scouts from the ships Decisive and Kia‘iokekai will leave Thursday to compete in The Ancient Mariner Sea Scout Regatta in California on May 26 through 29.

“This is my fourth trip to the Ancient Mariner,” said Chandler Martiney, the youth leader for Kia‘iokekai, the Sea Scout program for Kauai’s west side. “I went the first year as a tag-along because my brother was competing. This will be the third year I’m competing.”

The Ancient Mariner is one of the largest Sea Scout regattas in the United States with nearly 500 Sea Scouts participating in events geared to demonstrate the scouts’ knowledge of maritime knowledge and skill.

“We only have four Sea Scouts registered with the Kia‘iokekai,” Martiney said. “My brother is coming down from Oregon, and we’ll combine with a ship from Dana Point to make up the required number of scouts needed to compete.”

Martiney and the scouts from Kia‘iokekai will be joined by Sea Scout Commodore Larry Richardson and scouts from the Decisive of Nawiliwili, including Quartermaster Tessa Ramsey who was recently promoted to Western Region Sea Scout Boatswain, the top Sea Scout youth leader in the western United States.

The Decisive was named to the National Flagship Fleet for the second straight year, recognizing “excellence in program quality, youth achievement and adult commitment.”

“This means our Kauai Sea Scout program is among the top five in the country,” Richardson said. “Tessa, as the Western Region Sea Scout Boatswain, is the top youth Sea Scout leader for everything west of the Mississippi River.”

Martiney said during The Ancient Mariner the Sea Scouts always aim for the Clipper award — the highest award available at the regatta.

“We’ll go in aiming for Resolute Mariner, which is to participate in every event available,” Martiney said. “If we get the Clipper award, it will be a bonus. We just want to be a Resolute Mariner.”