By Laura Craciun
Two Cambridge Rindge & Latin School students took home first prize in the prestigious
Sea Scout 2018 Koch Cup international sailing race this past week at Sea Star Base in Galveston, Texas. After 42 races in 4 days, First Place Koch Cup Winners were skipper Max Katz-Christy and crewman Thomas Craciun, both Cambridge residents. Max and Thomas were one of 32 teams from 10 countries. They were one of 2 teams that qualified from Cambridge, MA. The rest of the 22 USA teams were from all around the US. There were qualifying Sea Scouts from Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, and South Africa participating this year.
The William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup is a biennial sailing regatta hosted by Sea Scouting. The Event was founded by Bill Koch in 2002 in order to allow Sea Scouts from around the world to compete. The original National Sea Scout Sailing Championship began in the 1930s but went dormant when Sea Scouts left the program to serve in World War II.
Teams qualify on the first few days of the cup. Sea Scouts in the top half of the fleet qualify for the Koch Fleet and the rest qualify for the Kiwi Fleet.
The Koch Cup is a $250,000 sterling silver cup donated by William Koch. Thomas and Max took turns holding up the prestigious cup as they were celebrated and awarded on July 12, 2018. Thomas Craciun was originally a Cape Cod Sea Scout, Harwich Ship 76 before joining the Cambridge chapter in 2016. They both return to their Cambridge Sea Scout Ship 131 with their sailing trophies and medallions for a job well done! Their names will be etched in silver as the 2018 winners.
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Photo above: © Sea Scout