Captain Cecilio Raiukiulipiy and Tasi To Table students participate in last year’s Student Mini Derby.
Boat Captain Masaki Kitami, far right, and crew member Kalama Fernandez, far left, take a group photo with TTT students at last year’s Mini Derby.
THE 3rd Tasi To Table’s Student Mini Derby, which was originally set for May 6, will be held this Saturday, June 3.
The Student Mini Derby is an annual fishing event for students who have been with the TTT program for two years. During the event, students will be paired with experienced boat captains.
Benni Gonzalez is one of the captains at this year’s Student Mini Derby. He said he’s going to take the opportunity to teach the students about boating safety, how to handle fishing equipment, what lures to use, and how to target specific fish species for harvest.
“I want to show students what I’ve learned from my past experiences,” Gonzalez said. He added that the event will help students when they decide to buy a boat in the future or “when they go out with family or friends they’ll [be familiar with] safety [measures] and the ways of dealing with obstacles in the ocean.”
Rita Iglesias, TTT office manager, said the captains will meet on June 2 at the Smiling Cove Marina from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The next day, on June 3, the captains and their TTT students will depart Smiling Cove Marina for fishing from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The derby winner will be the team that lands the heaviest fish via trolling.
According to a TTT release, there are 40 students and 10 boats participating in this year’s contest.
