In response to the suicide of transgender teenager Kailani “Kai” Hoenig in October 2024, friends and family rallied to raise approximately $32,000 for non-profit organizations that support transgender rights. Fundraising was done in two waves: one through a multi-day sailing regatta across Lake Superior, and the other via a new race hosted by the Duluth Yacht Club called The Kai Cup.

“None of us would have been able to be as verbal or strong of an ally as we are if Kai was still here,” said Kai’s mother, Kelly Hoenig. “Kai was very private and shy—did not like to be the center of attention, did not like to be in the spotlight, but their background was theater, being behind the scenes carrying the entire show. So, in death it’s kind of beautiful how she’s actually carrying this show now, too. She ran the spotlight, she didn’t want to be in it.”

Steering towards Kai

Kai grew up in Duluth, MN with parents who were both avid sailors and members of the Duluth Yacht Club. She was known in the local sailing community for her enthusiasm: volunteering to climb the mast for repairs, getting sails on deck, etc.

“I had sailed with Kai for a few years. Last season, in particular, we did a lot of racing together. So, I’ve known Kai for a while and she was honestly the most experienced and most responsible crew member on board, despite being the youngest. Just such a great knowledge base, willing to jump in anywhere, always did all the little things that weren’t even on other people’s radar,” said Nicky Kumerow, another Duluth Yacht Club member.

Upon graduating from the Marshall School in 2024, Kai went on to attend the University of North Carolina School of Arts in hopes of obtaining a degree in Theatrical Technical Production. According to her mother, “when Kai went away to college and moved out of state, she finally let herself be known as ‘she’ everywhere…to all her high school friends and all her college friends.” However, Kai still struggled with her transgender identity and depression, despite being open about it with those close to her.

The plan was for Kai to continue participating as a member of the Duluth Yacht Club when home on breaks from college. Unfortunately, only about six weeks into attending art school it was discovered that Kai had committed suicide. The incident deeply weighed on Kai’s friends and family. “My sense since I lost her is I just not only want to open people’s minds, but I want to open their hearts and their eyes. In today’s political climate, it’s so much more important than ever,” said Kai’s mother.

 “Trans” Trans Superior Yacht Race

For avid sailors in the Midwest, it can be viewed as a rite of passage to participate in one of the many races that actually take place across a Great Lakes’ expanse. There are a variety of multi-day challenges like these including one that goes across Lake Michigan from Chicago, IL, to Mackinac Island, MI. For members of the Duluth Yacht Club, participating in the Trans Superior Yacht Race, one of the races that goes across Lake Superior, is a popular choice. In fact, Kai’s parents met via her mom’s participation in this race years earlier when she was a member of the race’s Planning Committee and his father was on a participating boat originating from Lake Ontario.

The Trans Superior Yacht Race has been held every other year since 1969 and takes place over 350 statute miles, as opposed to nautical miles. It can take sailors anywhere from two to five days depending on both how modern one’s boat is and how experienced the sailors are.

For the August 2025 race, friends and family of Kai decided to participate in this longstanding event and bring something new to it: an opportunity to fundraise for The Trevor Project, whose “mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.” In doing so, they aptly referred to their quest as the “Trans Trans Superior Yacht Race.” Historically, participants of this race did not fundraise for any social causes, but only occasionally to raise money for sailing supplies.

According to the crew’s mission statement posted on their Facebook page, “We’re not just racing for speed—we’re sailing for visibility, love, and belonging. In honor of one of our crewmates’ child who we lost to suicide last fall after they courageously came out as transgender, we’re dedicating this race to raising awareness and support for LGBTQ+ youth.

Follow our journey as we celebrate women, transgender inclusion, fierce friendship, and the freedom of the open water on our greatest freshwater lake—Lake Superior.”

Ultimately, nine women made up the crew including Kai’s mom, Kai’s “Bonus Grandma,” Heidi Halker (her grandfather’s partner), and Kumerow. The team referred to themselves as “Blondie and the Beneateau Babes” because the boat was named Blondie and Beneteau is the type of boat they were using— “and of course, we’re all babes or bad asses,” explained 57-year-old Halker. The ship itself sailed with a variety of flags include a pride flag, transgender flag, and a Mama Bears flag, which is an organization the sailors had reached out to which empowers moms of LGBTQ+ children.

“All the boats take a little bit different time but I want to say mostly anywhere between two-and-a-half all the way to maybe four-and-a-half or five days—it can really vary. Some boats are really designed for racing…Our boat is not designed for racing; it was like we took a Winnebago on the racetrack,” said Halker, laughing. “But it was really comfortable…It was more the challenge of crossing the lake…and then in honor of Kai.”

Overall, the team succeeded in completing the race on August 5, 2025 at 9:05 p.m. after racing for 3 days, 8 hours, 53 minutes, and 32 seconds, and bringing in over $7,000 for The Trevor Project.

The Kai Cup

Kai’s former teammate Kumerow also felt inspired to create an annual memorial sailboat race. Despite having never taken on such a large-scale project, Kumerow dove headfirst into putting a regatta together soon after Kai’s passing. It eventually became an official Duluth Yacht Club event and a fundraiser for Trans Northland, a non-profit organization based in Duluth that is dedicated to “rebuilding a community that is safe, inclusive, and interconnected for folks who are transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, two spirit, genderqueer, gender diverse, and gender expansive.”

A community social event was held the night before the local race took place at Earth Rider Brewing in Duluth with about 85 people in attendance; this was sponsored by the Duluth Yacht Club, Free Mom Hugs, Trans Northland, and the YWCA Duluth. Additionally, a raffle took place with prizes from over 20 organizations raising $2,000.

Kumerow also allowed boats to improve their sailing handicap rating via fundraising, which brought in $23,000. “A lot of boats took it pretty competitively: They reached out to family and friends, and they would have people sending in money under their boat’s name, and then we would count it towards their handicap rating for the race. These boats…ended up with absolutely ridiculous handicap ratings because we were able to raise so much money.”

The race itself took place on  September 13, 2025, with 41 registered boats. However, at least 10 of those were registered in spirit with no intent to race—they had simply paid the $50 registration fee as a donation. Ultimately, the Kai cup brought in over $25,000 for Trans Northland.

“Trans Northland is beyond grateful for the donation and to be asked to participate in such a meaningful event. Losing a member of our community is never easy and the way Kai’s family and friends have turned their grief into positive action is truly remarkable. The times we live in are challenging for many reasons and we believe strengthening our community by offering meaningful connection is one way we can support each other through those challenges. The funds we received will enable us to continue to offer support to members of the gender-diverse community as well as expand our capacity to respond to emerging needs,” said Heather Thonvold, the organization’s Board Chair.