HONOLULU – Peter McGonigle Wenner, a member of the University of Hawai'i coed sailing team, died Nov. 11 as a result of injuries sustained in a boating accident three days earlier.

Wenner, 19, was recreationally sailing with several team members on a private high performance skiff off of Waikiki and was admitted to Straub Hospital in critical condition early evening on Nov. 8.

 

“My heartfelt condolences go out to P.J.'s family and friends,” Jim Donovan, UH Athletics Director said. “P.J. was a loved member of the UH Athletics Department 'ohana. He touched so many lives at such a young age and we will miss him dearly.”

 

“Peter represented everything good about being an athlete, sailor, and student here at the University of Hawai'i,” said Andy Johnson, UH sailing head coach. “He was the heart and soul of our team and we will all miss him immensely.”

 

A memorial service was held on Nov. 12 at the Newman Center on the UH-Manoa campus. The service attracted more than 200, which included Wenner's parents Peter and Susan, three brothers, the coed and women's sailing teams, UH administrators, and sailing community.

A family service will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

 

Wenner, a sophomore, was a 2007 graduate of Loyola High School in Los Angeles. In September, he competed for the UH coed team at the Pacific Coast Conference Sailing Men's Singlehanded Championships in San Diego, Calif., and took sixth place.

 

Last season, Wenner participated in several regattas including a fifth place showing at the Pacific Coast Conference Sailing Men's Singlehanded Championships. He also competed on the UH team which placed sixth at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Sloop National Championship in Fort Worth, Texas last November.

 

Peter's brother, Matthew Wenner, is a freshman on the coed team. Peter Wenner was supposed to compete with the coed team this weekend at the PCCSC Fall Dinghy Championships in Santa Barbara, Calif.