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KAT WADE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii’s sailing team is trying to defend its title at the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite.
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The University of Hawaii sailing team opened its 5oth season at the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite at Keehi Lagoon on Saturday.
The program began in Oct. 1969 when UH graduate student Ted Livingston put signs around campus asking students interested in joining a sailing team to drop a note at the history department. He initially got a response from more than 35 interested students and three months later Les Vasconcellos, Greg Booth and Tim Quinn teamed up to win the school’s first race at Newport Beach, Calif.
A half century later, the program is one of only two at the university to win a national title as a team, along with the women’s volleyball team. The program has participated in 61 national championship events and produced 34 All-America citations and five Olympians.
All three of the program’s head coaches, Livingston, Charlie Dole and current boss Andy Johnson, are in the College Sailing Hall of Fame.
The final day of the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite begins at 10 a.m. today at Keehi Lagoon (weather permitting) with 14 schools trying to prevent the Rainbows from defending their title.