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Vol. 12, Issue 119 - Sunday, April 29, 2007 |
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Disney finalists lend a hand
THE Morning Light Project has attracted enough attention from our local media
that it's probably not necessary
to explain what it's all about. But in case some of you have been off sailing around the world, maybe
a bit of
background is warranted.
In anticipation of this year's Transpacific Yacht Race, veteran race competitor and movie producer Roy
E.
Disney began last year to assemble a crew of sailors to become "the youngest crew ever to sail
Transpac."
There was more to the project, however, than in just taking part in the historic 2,225-mile open ocean
race. The
entire process -- from the nationwide search that produced 538 volunteers and ended with 15 finalists,
to the
training for and eventual completion of the race -- will ultimately become a feature film.
Because the majority of the Transpac course is sailed "downhill" with the northeast tradewinds,
Disney has
made sure that his Morning Light crew has had plenty of practice here in Hawaii's wind-swept waters.
This has also meant that the crew has had enough time while on land to get involved with some of our
local
activities.
Fortunately, one of the Morning Light crew finalists was Punahou School graduate Mark Towill, who introduced
the crew to Polynesian Voyaging Society's Nainoa Thompson. This introduction paid off with a sail aboard
the
Hokule'a before it left on its epic voyage to the Far East.
Another example of the Morning Light's crew connecting with activities here was their involvement in
last
weekend's Ala Wai Harbor cleanup conducted by volunteers from the Waikiki Yacht Club and the Sierra
Club.
A team spokesperson said that the crew has been committed to giving its time and talents to the community
as a mahalo for the hospitality it has received while training in Hawaii.
So, equipped with scoop nets supplied by West Marine, the crewmembers fanned out around the Ala Wai's
docks Saturday and did what 18- year-old Towill said was called a "scavenger hunt" when
he was a junior
sailor in the area.
"We would sail down all the little boat slips and whoever found the most trash won, making it a
fun competition-
type thing, but still doing a good cause at the same time," Towill recalled.
As anyone who has taken part in any of the cleanups of the Ala Wai Harbor's floating debris can attest
to, it
can be both richly rewarding and deeply troubling.
The reward is, of course, in seeing a garbage-free marina. But the troubling part comes when you discover
that
far too soon the trash is back due to the unthinking actions of both residents and visitors who continue
to litter.
Nevertheless, the young Morning Light crew is to be congratulated for offering its time and energy to
a local
project of this kind.
And it's my guess their payback will come at the finish of Transpac when the aloha welcome for their
boat
becomes the biggest one seen in years.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based
in Honolulu. To reach him, e-mail raypendleton@mac.com.
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TRANSPAC RACE STATUS
