NAWILIWILI — Sea Scout Commodore Larry Richardson said without the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, there are no advocates for boating safety at Nawiliwili.
“The Coast Guard Auxiliary shut down,” Richardson said. “I’d like to see the Sea Scouts become the new advocates for boating safety.”
A passing user of the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor paused to see the activity taking place at the life jacket loaner station.
“This is a good thing,” the motorist said on learning that the Sea Scouts, with the appearance of Mayor Derek Kawakami, and the USCG Station Kaua‘i were dedicating the newly cleaned up and restocked life jacket station.
“It’s good for the people who go out and don’t have enough life jackets for everyone on board, especially the young people. This life jacket loaner program is really good. The Nawiliwili Yacht Club started this a long time ago.”
Richardson said the yacht club installed a stainless steel rack, which houses life jackets, so people would have the equipment before going out on the water.
“Sea Scout Tessa Ramsey, working as a quartermaster project, got help from the Sea Tow Foundation to upgrade what was there,” Richardson said. “She built the shelter to protect the life jackets from the weather, and Sea Tow Foundation helped her stock the rack so we have everything in sizes from infants to the big guys.”
The Sea Scout quartermaster rank is similar to the Scouts’ Eagle rank.
Following Ramsey’s graduation from high school and with the COVID-19 pandemic, the station was not tended to until Richardson’s Sea Scouts took on the project of getting everything shipshape with the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions.
“We gave it a new coat of paint, cleaned up the jackets that were not tended to, and now, with the help of Sea Tow, have everything stocked,” Richardson said. “We’ll continue to have the help of Sea Tow to ensure that the supply is properly maintained and all the sizes are available.”
He said Sea Tow is impressed the project is continuing, and not just here and gone.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
