West Palm Beach Kids Capture Fifth Annual William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup

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Aug 09, 2010, 05:43 ET

NEW LONDON, Conn., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Florida teenagers won the fifth biennial William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup, beating one of the largest fields ever for Sea Scouts' most coveted sailing trophy.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100809/CG48185)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100809/CG48185)

Cody Stansky, 16, of Jupiter, Florida and Andrew Britton, 16, of Palm Beach Gardens, FL were awarded the silver trophy at the closing ceremonies held at the Officers Club at the United States Coast Guard Academy, which hosted the week long event.

Stansky and Britton, members of Ship 777, West Palm Beach, FL, defeated Amanda Norris, 14, and Michael Anderson, 16, of Christ Church, New Zealand. Heidi Rittmeyer, 19, and Peter Bied, 14, of Chicago, IL, placed third.

Stansky and Britton have been sailing together since middle school. They recently placed 15th at the 420 North American Sailing Competition in Brant Beach, New Jersey last month. The two teenagers are entering their junior year at the Alexander Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.

Approximately 80 young men and women gathered at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London to compete in the week-long regatta. Sea Scouts from New Zealand, Australia, England, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago sailed against youth from across the United States. The winds were moderate most of the week, averaging 10 to 14 knots, blowing from the south off Long Island Sound before turning light on the final day.

The biennial event is underwritten by William I. Koch, the Palm Beach businessman who successfully defended the America's Cup in 1992. Other sponsors include West Marine and the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Sea Scouts are divided into two fleets: more experienced sailors compete for the Koch Cup, and a second fleet sails for the Kiwi Cup, a Maori carving donated by New Zealand Sea Scouts. Both trophies are displayed at the Boy Scout Museum in Irving, Texas. This year's Kiwi Cup was dedicated to former New Zealand Sea Scout and Koch Cup participant Benjamin Carson who was killed in the line of duty while serving in his country's Air Force.

Abby King, 16, and Barchan Rogers, 19, of St. Petersburg, Florida, won the Kiwi Cup.

"I enjoyed the event a lot," said Andrew Britton. "The races were well managed. The Coast Guard Academy did a great job."

Sea Scouts competing in the event selected Jonathan Hall and Jonathan Martin of England as well as Krista Chapin and Karissa Kasper of St. Petersburg, FL for the sportsmanship award.

The event venue, the Seamanship and Sailing Center at the United States Coast Guard Academy is located on the west bank of the Thames River in New London, CT. The center is responsible for the basic sail and seamanship training of the Corps of Cadets, and the coaching and management of the institution's competitive sailing program.

Sea Scouts is part of the Boy Scouts of America and is open to men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 who learn leadership skills through seamanship.

SOURCE Boy Scouts of America