The Sand Island shoreline is cleaner thanks to a collaborative effort led by members of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa sailing team.
Before the team dominated the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite, January 14–15, the UH Mānoa sailors hosted a harbor cleanup earlier in the week with two of the 14 teams participating in the competition—Stony Brook University from New York and Salve Regina University from Rhode Island. The teams spent an afternoon collecting a truckload full of trash.
“Having some of the other teams from the Rainbow Invite participate in the clean up is amazing,” said team captain Kelsie Grant. “As sailors, we spend so much time on the water, so taking care of our environment is very important. Doing this cleanup brought the teams together.”
Grant added that she wishes more cleanup efforts happened at Sand Island, the home of UH Mānoa’s sailing team.
“The clean up was very eye opening to see how much trash can enter our oceans—especially right where we practice at the public launch ramp,” Grant said. “It makes me sad to see the abundance of trash. It also makes me feel thankful that our team is giving back to the community by doing the cleanup. A lot of local kids paddle and play in the water there.”
The sailing team dominated the competition and captured the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite. It marked the seventh straight time the Rainbow sailors captured their home regatta. For more, see the UH Mānoa Athletics website.
