Koa Bowls In Store For Pacific Cup Yachts

The competition may be coming in from California, but the prizes are all homegrown.

As the winners of the 18th biannual Pacific Cub yacht race are honored at 5 p.m. this Friday at Kaneohe Yacht Club, they will be awarded with little pieces of Windward Oahu.

The ships left port starting July 6, and the earliest finishers began trickling in July 18. KYC has hosted the finish line and festivities since 1988. The race features 55 boats traveling 2,070 miles from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay.

Kaneohe resident and master woodworker Bob Butts is creating koa plaques for every race participant.

The plaques are laser-etched by Daniel Young, an Enchanted Lake resident who is best-known for his custom skateboards and high-grossing Kickstarter project.

Butts is also the craftsman behind the koa bowl used as the perpetual Carl Schumacher Trophy, which is awarded to the first Carl Schumacher-designed yacht to finish on corrected time. He will make more koa bowls for the special award winners this year — in categories such as Best Family Yacht and for sailors in the non-competitive Cruising division.

The ceremony costs $50, and features a happy hour starting at 4 p.m. and a performance by Hooligans Harp at 8. Reserved seats can be purchased for an additional $25.

For race updates and ceremony tickets, visit pacificcup.org.