LIHUE — How do you sail a boat — let alone a trimaran — inside the social hall of a church?
Leave it up to Boy Scout Kamalei Berg of Troop 148, sponsored by the Lihue Christian Church, and his crew of scout volunteers to host the Kauai District Regatta, Trimaran Series, Saturday at the Lihue Christian Church social hall.
“This event is normally done by adult parent volunteers,” said John Sizelove, an Order of the Arrow adult helper. “But no one stepped up, this year. The District Regatta was looking at not happening — until Kamalei said he would do it.”
Drawing on help from Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow brothers, Destrey Shibuya, Jaiden Ogata, Nick Koo, and Jonah Stein, adult Order of the Arrow volunteers Lyle Tabata, Mike Kano, and Sizelove converted the Lihue Christian Church into a three-course two-laned layout to handle the field of Cub Scouts representing Cub Packs from around the island.
“This was now, or never for the Regatta,” Sizelove said. “Our next big event is coming up April 7 when the Kauai District holds its annual Makahiki on the Kauai Community College campus, adjacent to the Garden Fair hosted by the Kauai County Farm Bureau. The Cub Scouts hold its Pinewood Derby finals at that event.”
Following the morning of cheering from excited fans, Dean Mockett of Cub Pack 270, Kalaheo, emerged at the top of the race heap, the young scout beating out Tech Langtad-Yadao to earn the District champion at the race where each trimaran skipper starts out with a standard packaged kit for its boat in the double elimination format regatta.
“The first thing to remember about sportsmanship is that everyone’s skills are a little different,” said Berg, the Star Scout. “Do your best. Your craft skills may be just developing while someone else may be more experienced. Parents have different skill levels, too. Whether or not you feel that you have good boat-building, or racing skills, remember, you and your friends are individuals first, racers second. This is called having respect for others.”
Mockett, drawing an opening round bye to the second tree, started his climb to the top, edging out Braden Sadamitsu to face Chasen Fujii.
Making his climb on the first tree, Langtad-Yadao started by getting past Ryan Peters, and after getting past Killian Paden, was poised to face Mockett.
During the back-to-back wins in the finals, Mockett prevailed, calling on his lungs to carry him past Langtad-Yadao in two heats.
“It’s a good thing I have good lungs,” Mockett said, drawing in deep breaths following the win. “I run long distance so that helps me develop my lungs, and breathing.”
Results
w Overall Race: Dean Mockett, Tech Langtad-Yadao, Killian Paden
w Fastest Looking: Lytron Shinno
w Most Seaworthy: Pono Tabian
w Best Worksmanship: Noah De La Pena
w Most Colorful: Braden Sadamitsu
w Most Unusual: Killian Paden
w Admiral’s Choice: Keanu Perreira-Inouye
w Least Likely to Capsize: Kalawika Belmodis
w Funniest Boat: Asher Baily
w Best Paint Job: Chasen Fujii
w Most Nautical: Tobias Spalding
w Most Artistic: Ethan Hunt
