Kent Narrows Power Squadron provided escort services for the Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club’s Kent Island Cup Team Relay, a race of 35 miles around Kent Island held annually on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Led by Commander Ken Treadwell on his boat Key Largo, six boats from the squadron tracked 17 canoes around Kent Island. Also participating as escort boats were two boats from Kent Island Yacht Club, one from the local Coast Guard auxiliary and an inflatable from the Coast Guard.

The first teams started from KIYC at 7:30AM. Teams rotated paddlers at three sites along the course, a private home at the NW end of Kent Island, at Kentmorr and at Romancoke. For the first time this year, a paddle board participated in the race with four team members changing places about every 20 minutes. They were escorted by their own team boat provided by one of the KIYC club members. The race finished in record time, with the first canoe finishing the 35 mile race in less than 5 hours! Skippers of each escort boat received two tickets to the evening luau held at Kent Island Yacht Club…a great reward.

KIOCC’s home is Kent Island Yacht Club. They invite experienced and novice paddlers of all ages to join in the great sport of Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing. The team travels around the country, and sometimes as far as Hawaii, to participate in racing events. This year, the racers took donations to help the family of 10 year old boy, Noah, who had heart surgery just before the race. Noah is the nephew of one of their members. To see pictures of the race, race results and to learn more about the club, visit their website at KIOCC.com.