Florida Sea Scouts win coveted sailing trophy

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Two teenagers from Florida out-sailed one of the largest fields ever to win the William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup last week in New London, Conn.

The event, held every two years, brought together 80 young men and women for "an international sailing regatta that provides competition between U.S. Sea Scouts and international Scouts," according to the competition Web site.

The winning tandem was Cody Stansky (holding trophy on the left), a 16-year-old Sea Scout from Jupiter, Fla., and Andrew Britton (holding trophy on the right), also 16, from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

They're pictured above with, from left, Retired Admiral Charles Wurster, the current Sea Scouting Commodore; Bill Koch, the event's underwriter and winner of the 1992 America's Cup; and BSA Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca.

Cody and Andrew sailed as part of Ship 777, based in West Palm Beach, Fla. A team from New Zealand placed second, and Heidi Rittmeyer and Peter Bied of Chicago finished third.

The competition was truly a global one, with competitors traveling from New Zealand, Australia, England, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago. Sponsorships from West Marine and the United States Coast Guard Academy helped fund the event.

For more information about Sea Scouting, check out the official Web site.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.