The Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite is a highlight for the team every year. It is a celebratory event the Tritons send some of their seniors to: members who have sailed with passion and done what they could to give back to the team.

This regatta is thrown in honor of Peter Wenner, a University of Hawaii student who died tragically in a sailing accident during his time in undergrad. The team learned a little about him from the UH coach; he was apparently full of energy and always up to some mischief, connecting with and inspiring people along the way. This event was really about connection; the Tritons got the chance to race against and chat with teams from all over the US, and even two teams from Canada.

Day 1 served up some challenging conditions for the sailors. Wind was heavy, around 20 knots for some of the day, but that wasn't the only challenge. There were frequent wind shifts that made navigating the course tricky. Around the windward mark, there was also significant current from the outflow of the river, which tripped up many sailors trying to make the lay line. Still, sailing was fun, and the day was wrapped up with a barbecue, much to the delight of the tired sailors.

Sunday, the second day, saw much lighter wind. There was still enough to run a few races, but around 2:30pm, the wind started dying to the point where moving, much less racing, was becoming difficult. Race committee decided to call it a day and helped tow boats in to the dock. After a brief awards ceremony, the sailors headed out to get packed up and fly home!

The chance to sail in Hawaii is such an honor, and the Triton sailors took advantage of every hour they had on the island, sailing and exploring as much as time would allow. They are already excited for next year!