Special to the News-Herald

Several months ago this column looked at the William I. Koch (WIK) Sea Scout cup and the planning that had been ongoing for this event, which will be held at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy from June 20 – 26.

The event will feature Sea Scouts (14-20 Boy Scout Venture Scouts) competing on one of the most enjoyable racing sailboats made – the 420.

The event will feature 32 teams from all around the country. Eight crews from each of the four scout regions will receive formal invitations. The teams will be determined April 15.

Sea Scout Ship (SSS) 16, located in the Driver section of Suffolk, is now positioned to receive a possible invitation. The reason: the first Hampton Roads WIK Cup Qualifying Regatta was held last weekend and Ship 16 didn’t do badly at all.

Hosted last weekend by Sea Scout Ship 16 and Christopher Newport University (CNU) Sailing Center, the event was a resounding success.

Despite extremely gray skies and variable winds, sea scouts from Ship 16 and visiting ships from all over the region participated in the four race series. The results boded well for Suffolk.

The top two crews were recommended for invitation to the Buzzards Bay event, top three finishers were:

n1st Ship 98 (Atlantic Beach, NC) Nicholas Zahradka and Isaac Nissen

n2nd Ship 16 (Suffolk, VA) Brian Whayland and William Evans

n3rd Ship 16 (Suffolk, VA) Amanda Evans and Erin MacCord

Congratulations to Amanda, Erin, Brian and William! Sea Scouting is a wonderful program for young adults. For more information, contact Skipper Jim MacCord at 538-8869.