Ads by Google Ads by Google

Pago Junior Sailing Team ends season with Fealofani Cup win

[Photo: Gregory Bridges]

10 sailors, 2 coaches, and their family and supporters traveled to Apia over Thanksgiving weekend to race in the second leg of the Feaolofani Cup regatta series.

The team’s solid racing performance cemented the winning score and custody of the perpetual Fealofani Cup.

The standings were as follows:

Optimist 11& under Division — Luke Bridges in 2nd place and Carneal Satele in 3rd place

Laser Open Division — Victor Chen placed 3rd

Optimist Open Division — Seamus Cleary placed 3rd

Pago Junior Sailing holds the Cup until the Apia and Pago sailors face off again next year.

The Feaolofani (also known Junior Samoa) Cup was established in 1998 and was held as an annual competition between the Apia Yacht Club and Pago Pago Yacht Club junior sailors. The race was last held in 2008. 

The tsunami of 2009 followed by the Pago Pago Yacht Club eviction in 2010, postponed this competition until the recent rebuild of the local junior sailing program in 2016.

Racing was initiated this year after an entire season of learn-to-sail in 2016.

The original cup trophy, 20 years old next year, has long since deteriorated but Apia Yacht Club has had it replaced with an original wood carving by Beau Rasmussen attached to the original base.

Coach Matt Erickson stated, “I am extremely proud of the entire team for their contributions to gaining the Fealofani cup!  The conditions in Apia were extremely light to no wind and variable with the squalls rolling through and are not what our sailors are used to at all but they all sailed a solid competition.”

Pago Junior Sailing thanks the following for their support:  Accords Collision & Towing, Crux Diving And Salvage Inc., Dateline Industries, GHC Reid & Co, Ltd., Harbor Maritime & Stevedoring Co., Industrial Gases, Island Cargo Support, Manua’s, Samoa Maritime, The Tool Shop, Tropik Traders, and Tutuila Store Inc.

Coach Matt Erickson can be reached at tipsea35@gmail.com for any inquiries regarding the 2018 sailing season.