HYANNIS, Mass – This past weekend the Buccaneer off-shore sailing team competed in the 48^th Annual Figawi Race presented by Southern Tide. The Figawi, established in 1972, is a weekend long event over Memorial Day weekend. Friday is registration and a banquet to welcome the many teams who compete. Saturday is race day which begins in the morning in Hyannis and ends in Nantucket harbor in the late afternoon. On Sunday, the teams enjoy various events in the Figawi tents, walking the docks of Nantucket Boat Basin to take in all the activity, joining other spectators at a parade to honor fallen soldiers and another banquet to close out the festivities. Monday Morning, the teams all head back to Hyannis to cap off the weekend.

The History of the race is that in 1972 a few friends began a challenge to see who could get from Hyannis Harbor to Nantucket harbor the quickest on their sailboats. Now, the race expects over 190 boats annually with over 2,500 competitors in 13 classes. Boats begin between 1000 and 1200 in Hyannis and ends at the entrance to Nantucket harbor where the boats proceed as a parade into the Nantucket Boat Basic. The race totals approximately 25 miles.

The Buccaneer boat, the 48'9" long Morris design named the Kismet, competed in Division E with 10 other boats. The boat, which was manned by seniors McKenna Jarvis, Frank Reeg, and Matthew Schaefer as well as freshman Olivia Benoit and Jake Burwell, accompanied by director of sailing Twice Tougas, finished the race at approximately 1535 with a total race time of 5:34:47. The time was not only good enough for second place in their division but good for second place out of the entire field of 194 boats! They came in four minutes slower than the boat Boondoggle that finished first in Division E and overall and were two minutes faster than the boat Kaos which finished third.

Director of Sailing Twice Tougas said of the race, "Our Cadets works very hard for this finish. Their determination and passion is what earned them this incredible 2 out of 194 finish!"

Off-shore sailing will compete in one more race this season as they will enter an all-women boat in the Mattapoisett Around the Bay Race on June 8^th at Mattapoisett Yacht Club. This is the first time that Massa Maritime Sailing has ever entered an all-women team in to a race.