Race to Alaska: Recent Episodes
Race to Alaska
Let’s start with the facts.
Forty-four teams started with dreams of glory and sea spray, fears of the rugged places, and pedaling-induced injuries. Of those, 32 aimed for the whole enchilada: the 750-mile gut-punch to Ketchikan. And to start the thing off, the Proving Ground didn’t disappoint. A perfect blend of (almost) Coast Guard-free waters and just enough mayhem to give racers some pucker. The Proving Ground was crafted as a filter, a big bad piece of water to cross with big decisions to be made. Sometimes (like 2023), it takes a nap. Sometimes (like 2022), it has a vendetta and is, perhaps, even a little spicier than required for our purposes. But this year? A threatening gale and large sloppy seas created The Fear—thanks, Poseidon.
After the traditional Victoria holdover, where the anticipation swells to a fever pitch, they were off; a starting cannon and a blast from the French horn of Dan from Team Hornblower sent over 100 racers sprinting to their vessels and out of the harbor mouth. The early days of this race packed little punch—Mother Nature took her chill pills, and the infamous Johnstone Strait was more kitten than lion. Logs weren’t the big bad wolf this year, but pedal drive breakages kept teams on their toes, or rather, on their knees, puzzling over makeshift repairs. Shoutout to Team Mr. X, who discovered cod liver oil as a surprisingly effective gear lubricant. When life gives you lemons, make fishy lemonade.
It was clear from the jump that unless yet another water-bound tree attacked, the race was Team Malolo’s to lose. And lose they didn’t. After several attempts, Duncan Gladman and his white horse Dragon finally clinched the win, the $10,000, and perhaps the ability to follow through with his oft-repeated words: “Never Again.” With a strong second-place finish, Team Brio is now the proud owner of the 8th set of knives, and we think it’s time to get knife-winning teams together for a steak dinner.
Another few records came this year. A Hobie 16 finally made the finish line. With Team Tips Up’s nine-day run, they’ve firmly embedded themselves in R2AK lore—taking a full 3 ½ feet and 13 days off of Team Ravenous’s 2018 Hobie-finish. With that time, they easily became the 2024 Duckworks 20’ and Under Prize winners. Congrats. Team Wicked Wily Wildcat also grabbed some fame, and in a Marshall Sanderling Catboat nonetheless. With a finish time of just under 11 days, Adam Cove is now the fastest solo monohull ever to finish.
Fan favorites abound, and we’re not going to write about them all here. Why? Because you were there. You—the fans—have been along every step of the way, and I happen to know that your support, your love, and your kind words were as much a driving force as anything. As Race Boss, I get the inside scoop—and more than one racer told me in confidence that they were on the verge of quitting before a well-timed piece of encouragement from the race world gave them the boost they needed to carry on.
Also in line for massive thanks are some of the R2AK sponsors without whom this thing doesn’t happen. Huge shout-out to Fisheries Supply in Seattle: our go-to gear gods. Without their deep discounts and last-minute saves, half the fleet would still be duct-taping their boats together. Alaska Fish House and Baranof Fishing Excursions, our ever-gracious hosts in Ketchikan, allow us to turn every finish into a personalized celebration. The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, our social glue and pedal-drive lubricant, keeps us connected and thriving in town. Chateau Victoria, Shearwater Resort, and Cape Fox Lodge all provided accommodations for our media team—each so comfortable that we had trouble getting the videographers out of bed to do their jobs.
Next year, we switch gears and head into a new paradigm where R2AK is a biennial affair. I know—you’re already wondering what you’ll do to fill the void next June. Well here’s what you’ll do: become a WA360 fan. Don’t know what that’s about? Read up.
As for me, being Race Boss has always been an honor and a privilege. Supporting this event and community has been the adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for being part of it, for your passion, your resilience, and your unyielding spirit. See you in 2026, with more stories, more madness, and more heart than ever before.
Until then: get out there, get soaked, get scared. Live a little.
Race Boss out.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
R2Ak Playlist
Photos by Taylor Bayly, Ryder Booth, & Adam Cove
The post Day Done: A Letter From Race Boss appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Upon the news of the final finish, a sad foghorn was heard somewhere north of Bella Bella as the Grim Sweeper gave up its chase.
Yesterday, two incredible solo teams etched their names into the R2AK annals with finishes that exemplified tenacity.
Ohad of Team Spirit of Nevetz, on his XCAT (which received its share of side-eye in the pre-race times), sailed into 24th place just after 10 AM. As the skies opened up and the rain turned into a downpour, Ohad docked, eyes shining bright. He shared words of inspiration that resonated across continents. His R2AK journey was one of self-reflection, dogged persistence, and sheer willpower. Grateful to a few newfound friends in Port Townsend for making him wear a dry suit for the race and practically doing cartwheels at the thought of a shower and laundry, Ohad’s message was clear: The race is against our own doubts, and every effort drags us closer to the finish line. Online, a massive crowd in Israel went wild, proving that you don’t need to be on the dock to celebrate like a maniac.
14 hours later, Team Mr. X, who claimed the 25th spot, became this year’s final finisher. Sharing many of Ohad’s qualities, Mr. X had been putting in marathon days, with the last stretch clocking in at an epic 22 hours. Since leaving Bella Bella, Xia Huang hadn’t set foot on land—not for a walk on the beach, not for anything. His dedication was rewarded with a hero’s welcome. Fans, both on the dock and online, gathered to celebrate his journey.
Ohad and Xia were the perfect duo to mop up the 2024 race course, and leave us wanting more.
R2AK 8 is done, and there won’t be another until 2026—so savor every moment. We’re doing the same, so expect a few more highlights in your inbox over the next few days. Don’t tune out just yet.
Header photo by Garret Weintrob
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 19: Spirit of X appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The good folks of Bella Bella are advised to keep off the water as the Grim Sweeper passes through sometime this afternoon.
Team Outtaspace arrived in Ketchikan last night at the precise hour of “We’re not tired; you’re tired.” The trio of Caleb (son), Carlin (mom), and Olin (other guy), hit the finish line with cheers from the Canadian contingent (Team Victory Oar Duff and Team Fairly Fleabag), the usual suspects (various Ketchikanians), and Race Command.
Two teams remain out there: Team Spirit of Nevetz and Team Mr. X. These legends aren’t just racing, they’re on a relentless odyssey, pushing harder and longer than anyone else. Both are solo—their only companions are whales and intrusive food-thoughts. We can only imagine their condition, so we’re standing by with blister cream, dry underwear, a couple of Bic razors, and a palanquin.
Our pencils are down to nubs, and Race Command is looking a bit bleary-eyed from non-stop tracker-watching (just like you). Today keeping it short and sweet. Eyes on the prize, folks. Done is nearby.
R2AK out.
Photos by Garret Weintrob
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 18: Hold Your Breath appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The Grim Sweeper will pass near Port Hardy around noon today. We hear it’s been blasting Norwegian Black Metal on its unholy sound system.
Day 17 of R2AK 2024, and the race continues. Yesterday, Team Victory Oar Duff rowed their way into Ketchikan, grabbing the 22nd finishing spot with a time of 16 days, 10 hours, and 8 minutes. These six active-duty Royal Canadian Navy servicemen weren’t just racing; they were on the job. Their journey was an officially sanctioned training exercise, making their effort as official as it gets—perhaps medals await them, though it’s unclear if the Navy gives awards for extreme dampness.
Rowing their 28-foot Montague Whaler fast past the finish line breakwater, they were serenaded by the Canadian National Anthem. It was a fitting soundtrack for a team that took the challenge by the horns and rowed it into submission.
When they finally hit the dock, it was clear that “wet” was the word of the day. They were wet. Their boat was wet. Their gear was wet. In fact, the word “wet” might have just taken on new, undiscovered dimensions. Asked about their trip, they summed it up succinctly: “wet.”
But wet or not, they didn’t waste time celebrating. After the traditional finish line beers and a dense chocolate cake provided by the fine folks of Ketchikan, they hopped back in the whaler and headed up Tongass Narrows to the US Coast Guard base. There, they flashed their Navy credentials and secured some cots for the night—because even the toughest need a good night’s sleep.
Next on their agenda is getting the boat back south, and they’ve made it no secret that they’d happily accept a tow to Prince Rupert. So if you’ve got a spare tugboat and a sense of adventure, give these guys a lift. They’ve earned it.
Only three left out there in the wilds.
R2AK out.
Photos by Garret Weintrob
The post Stage 2, Day 17: Whaling in the Rain appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From the depths of the R2Archives, we present a Daily Update written in 2018, updated for modern times. (Hey, you’ve read Siddhartha a half dozen times, perhaps you may not have squeezed all the juice out of our written words.)
—
We’re keeping busy, thanks for asking. The following is an excerpt from a fictitious interview we just had with ourselves about the only thing left to talk to ourselves about: the sweep boat, the hotly contested subject of race fans worldwide.
R2AK: Tell us about the sweep boat.
R2AK: The first rule about the sweep boat is, “Don’t talk about the sweep boat.”
R2AK: Hahahaha, good one. No really, does it exist?
R2AK: Of course it does, it left Port Townsend three days ago.
R2AK: Really, no one can see it on the tracker map.
R2AK: Of course not, it’s not a race boat.
R2AK: That’s pretty weak. Some of the racers left their trackers on and we could see them going to the store in Reno and well, other places… It seems like if we could watch that then you could spare one for the central antagonist of the back of the race.
R2AK: Fair point.
R2AK: So, where is it?
R2AK: Theoretically, it’s right around Kelsey Bay.
R2AK: And actually?
R2AK: Actually that’s none of your business. The chief weapon of the sweep boat is surprise…
R2AK: Spare me.
R2AK: OK, what if I told you that the sweep boat is a little green motor boat that has been cruising around the course for weeks? That’s how I’d do it, wouldn’t you? I mean, no one is going to drop out before Ketchikan anyway, so why wouldn’t you just go cruising when you felt like it, and then just Rosie Ruiz back in whenever the theoretical miles catch up to you? What if I told you that the sweep boat position isn’t much more accurate than the Santa Tracker that all of the weathermen put on the green screen on Christmas Eve?
R2AK: But they use satellites and stuff...
R2AK: Right, same satellites. We just clear out the Command Bunker when Santa NORAD needs to take it over.
R2AK: I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me right now. But given the inverse seasonality, it seems like it would work great. You wouldn’t need two sets of computers, redundant tunneling machines, and we could pool for maintenance and janitorial staff…
At that point, we walked away. The conversation was starting to alternately drift and get redundant. We lost interest. As far as we know, those two parts of our subconscious are still talking about the finer points of low altitude radar on reindeer fertility, and whether or not the crew on the sweep boat have the same health plan as Santa’s elves (“Last I heard they were on an HSA…”).
Back to the point. Global warming, peer pressure, Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet: just because you can’t see a thing doesn’t mean it’s not real. And the tracker-less sweep boat is making ominous and theoretical progress up the coast, fangs out and a bone in her teeth. At 75 miles a day, the line of disqualification is at Kelsey Bay today, Port Hardy by Saturday, continuing on until it’s all over on the 5th. At their current rate, all four remaining teams seem to be clear of the scythe, but all eyes are on Team Mr. X, who yesterday reported some level of pedal drive failure. Details are thin, but he’s been at it all night with a southerly blowing. Keep that up, and he’ll keep the hook off him.
—
And a quick report on Team Fairly Fleabag. Liam Pareis soloed his Contessa 26 to the finish line yesterday claiming a world record: “Fastest Wood Stove.” This was the award that Liam was pushing so hard for, even having a countdown timer set to the previous record holder’s time (Team Ziska: Sail Like A Luddite). Liam had put in a nearly uninterrupted 50 hours underway.
More tomorrow, until then:
R2AK out.
Header photo by Garret Weintrob
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 16: Talking To Ourselves, a Wood Stove Finish appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Grim Sweeper Update: By noon today (June 27), the nasty fumes of the GS will reach Comox.
Yesterday in Ketchikan was the first 24-hour stretch with no racer arrivals since Team Malolo rolled into town. The lull sent everybody’s minds and tracker screens back down the course to check in on the five remaining teams:
Team Fairly Fleabag
At press time, Liam has now traveled solo for 45 hours straight. Now back in the loving embrace of cell coverage, the Race Boss and Team Fairly Fleabag exchanged some texts this morning:
TFF: “Current status: pedaling against current, no wind…”
RB: “Ugh. Tuck in for a nap?”
TFF: “Screw tucking in, it’s an hour pedal to shore at this speed. Might just drop sails and sleep”
At last knowledge, Liam was asleep, drifting around hoping fishing charters and cruise ships dodge him.
Team Victory Oar Duff
Also reaching out via the sacred connection of a cell tower near Prince Rupert yesterday was Team Victory Oar Duff. A good thing, too—after the previous day they went incognito on the tracker, and the fans revolted. Reminder: don’t drop your tracker in the bilge.
TVOD: “Currently in Ogden Channel heading for Prince Rupert for a water top-up. All is good on Harpoon.”
Sent with several photos of soaked, yet very happy-looking Canadian servicemen.
Team Outtaspace
Last direct contact with this team was several days ago, after they experienced an episode where their mast may or may not have developed a crack. Upon further inspection:
TO: “Nothing cracking, including our will.”
Outtaspace on their Alien 21 is now tucked in with exactly 100 miles remaining.
Team Mr. X
Some big news from the course yesterday as a Garmin message lit the R2AK fan page aflame—Mr. X’s pedal drive has at least one foot in the grave.
TMX: “I will try to use these two broken drive, every step I press, they sound like a metal spoon scratching metal sheet, sharp sound, the resistance is also 3x time high”
Team Spirit of Nevetz
Sorry folks, no quotes from Ohad. He’s the strong and silent type. But we’d like you all to remember how excited you were when Team Tips Up finished—and then have a look at the X CAT if you haven’t already. Just as wild an idea as the Hobie 16, and he’s rolling solo.
Keep your eyes out folks, the endgame is near—and the real grit is showing.
R2AK out.
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 15: Metal on Metal, Mid-channel Napping appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Greetings, race viewers and tracker fans! Brianna, from Team Sail Like A Mother, here for a friendly Daily Update takeover. We thought you might like to see a snapshot of the finish line from a racer’s perspective.
First, let’s set the scene: the home stretch. Racers have been crammed together aboard a small vessel for days on end. The cabin emanates suspicious and foul odors. Our bodies are dotted in a kaleidoscope of weird rashes, bumps, bruises, and calluses. Our clothes and bunks are damp at best, wring-outtable at worst. The bilge is full of lost trinkets including cell phones, forks, and important bits of hardware. Our brains are working at one-third of normal capacity due to sleep deprivation. Usually, the crew still likes each other. Collectively, we comprise one mostly functional human.
As we exit the grueling ocean swell in Dixon Entrance and enter Nichol’s Passage toward Ketchikan, racers pop a beer and celebrate. Until we realized the last 20 miles of the course might actually take F O R E V E R (and three more sail changes), especially if you’re fighting an ebb current at a spring tide when the wind dies (luckily, we were not).
Aboard Wild Card, our team decided to push hard for the last 100 miles. Perhaps it was because we “smelled the barn,” as Team Tips Up described that so-close-yet-so-far feeling of having the finish line in (relative) sight. We slept only two of the final 40 hours, and arm-wrestled the tiller until our arms were jelly to keep from accidentally jibing in following seas with 20+ knots of wind. By Dixon Entrance, we were too tired to haul out a new water jug to slake our thirst and lacked motivation to make yet another tasteless yet spicy dehydrated meal. The result? A bunch of dehydrated and hangry zombies careening precariously toward the finish line.
As the light faded on Day 10 of our voyage, the three of us took turns accidentally nodding off. Katie slumped over the tiller, Melissa snoozed while on the pedal drive, and I passed out spread-eagled on the pile of sails atop the bow, oblivious to the cold rain on my face.
It seemed nothing could rouse us from our stupor…until, finally, we heard faint cheers emanating from the dark night.
We struggled to contain our mainsail with slippery sail ties, then blindly pointed the boat toward the cheerful sounds onshore. Like dolphins homing in on prey using echolocation, we nosed up to a small dock where dark shapes were huddled under raincoats. I stumbled off with a bowline, squinting into a burst of cell phone flashlights as the crowd clapped.
It was overwhelming and completely amazing to discover 30 people waiting for us in the post-midnight drizzle. What valiant and steadfast fans! What dedicated and caring fellow racers! We hugged people. They hugged us back.
Then we noticed all the cameras and microphones. Eek! But the owners of the cameras handed us delicious beverages, so we fortified ourselves with malt and sugar then reluctantly ponied up to the stage. We tried desperately to remember how to talk to humans other than ourselves, but mostly failed: our answers for the media team were as fuzzy as our brains, and about as scintillating as the bottom of our bilge.
Encouraged by the Race Boss to “complete our last official task,” we wobbled on unsteady legs to ring the R2AK gas-canister-turned bell. Then we wobbled back aboard to move our boat to an overnight moorage before gobbling down warm-ish burritos. Katie fell asleep standing up at the hotel’s reception desk. I peeled off several stick-on warming pads that still covered my body like ticks, then fell asleep in a miraculously dry and comfy bed.
Until leaping out of bed a few hours later, convinced we had to swap the genoa for the jib because the mattress was heeling too much. Ahhh, the joys of reacclimatizing to land.
The next day, we pawed through mildewed mounds of clothes in search of an outfit that wasn’t rank—why didn’t we pack an extra pair of jeans? We wandered wide-eyed into town, fumbling for money to buy coffee—where did the credit card get stashed? We startled at loud noises in the busy street—where did all these combustion engines come from?
Fueled by food and caffeine, we finally took stock of our boat. Yup: very, very (very) smelly. We disemboweled ropes and socks, boat cushions and stray bowls, wet sails, and bits of discarded meat sticks. Foulies and underwear decorated the boom. Sodden hats and salty boots were strewn along the dock. It looked like Wild Card got seasick and vomited all over herself. The only redemption? Our neighboring race boats looked just as shit-showy.
Once we got things kind of ship-shape again, we hit the town. Or tried to. But we were blocked in every direction by thousands of cruise ship passengers taking selfies with dead salmon or orca-shaped crepes. The massive ships that docked a football field from us were jarring, their gigantic motors and poolside chaise lounges the exact opposite vibe of the R2AK. Ketchikan’s daily tourist bedlam definitely made the transition back to reality more surreal.
Luckily, we could easily retreat to swap sailing tales with our fellow racers in their colorful and (slightly) less stinky boats. Plus, there was always another racers’ arrival to look forward to. The best part of completing this race? Welcoming the next teams to the finish line in Alaska. Camaraderie is prioritized over competition among the R2AK participants, which is a big chunk of what makes this crazy race so special.
On that note, let’s give a big hip-hip-hurrah for Team Bonesaw’s Revengeance Rising, which exacted their revenge on the course by finishing it. Bonesaw arrived yesterday afternoon to receive pie from Team Loose Screw and a few primal screams from Team Norepinephrine.
Five teams are still chugging along toward their own R2AK finale. And while the details of their transition from seapeople to landlubbers will be unique to each racer, one thing is shared by all: an appreciation for the warm welcome and energizing hugs at the finish line, cameras and all.
Header photo by Amy Arntson
R2Ak PlaylistDespite early race urges to flee to the USA, Texas romantic and R2AK Cowboy Laureate Wayne Tater is having second thoughts about returning home.
Photos by Taylor Bayly
The post Stage 2, Day 14: SLAM Takeover appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Ketchikan.
The city where “done” lives isn’t just a place; it’s a whole freakin’ vibe. Equal parts Wild West and Disney Funland, it’s a town where summers are measured in numbers of tourists (1.5 million a year), pounds of salmon candied (a bunch), First Nation totem poles (over 80), and amount of rain—measured in feet (13 a year). Over the years of R2AK, Ketchikan has been a stalwart partner, the locals coming out rain or shine to celebrate the victors day in and day out during the multi-week finishing period.
Then there’s the people. Hunter and Deb, the dynamic duo of finish line fame, have graced us with their presence for at least 70% of all R2AK finishes ever. And then there’s Liz, the behind-the-scenes hero, filming finishes, lending vehicles, and providing crash pads to those too weary to find one themselves. The Ketchikan Daily News, KRDB radio, and KPUtv have been our cheerleaders, cranking out good vibes and getting Ketchikanians fired up every year.
Sponsors. They make the world go round. The Alaska Fish House/Baranof Fishing Excursions has provided our finish line since 2015. It’s also where we dish out the cash and knives each year, much to the bewilderment of tourists who just came for the fish and chips. Ketchikan Visitors Bureau has always been with us, flinging Ketchikan’s doors open wide to the world and embracing the R2AKness of it all. New to our sponsor crew this year is Cape Fox Lodge, where the mattresses are comfy enough to make you consider moving in.
Emily, captain of Team Loose Screw, is no stranger to Ketchikan. So when she and her comrades hit the dock yesterday just after noon to secure the coveted 19th place, it was more of a return than a finish line. TLS arrived in one piece, although some of those pieces were not the ones they started out with. Somewhere back on the seafloor below the Proving Ground lies their original pedal drive. The replacement? Cobbled together from the goodwill and spare parts of past racers.
Things broke, things got fixed, and along the way, they even became heroes. Just outside of Bella Bella, TLS found themselves with an unexpected passenger—a handsome dog they rescued, along with its owner, from a kayak capsize. It’s a saga of grit, camaraderie, and occasionally, impromptu canine rescues.
Up next on the hit parade will be Team Bonesaw’s Revengeance Rising, before a probable gap in arrivals for a day or two. Take this time to hydrate, people
R2AK out.
Header photo by Amy Arnston**
R2AK 2024 Playlist
From around ketchikaNPhotos by Amy Arnston**
The post Stage 2, Day 13: City of Fish and the Glory of 19th appeared first on Race to Alaska.
R2AK and the Pacific Crest Trail are two grueling endurance events where ambition defies comfort, and participants trade soft beds for whatever flat surface they can find. Both start with a spark of inspiration, a mess of logistics, and the struggle to fit big dreams into small lives. Gear is bought, plans are shuffled, and then comes the First Day, stepping into the wild.
From that first step, racers and hikers begin to transform into beings fueled by willpower, energy bars, and a hint of masochism. They’re easy to spot: disheveled, sunburned, and smelling like a mix of fear, joy, sweat, and fulfilled dreams.
Like long-distance hikers, R2AK-ers stay connected, forming loose packs bound by similar paces and mutual respect for the madness of their quests. They leapfrog each other, sharing tales of close calls and tough decisions along the way.
The racers arriving yesterday are one of those loose packs.
- The duo of Team Only Lubbers Left Alive showed up a little before 9 AM, Mark and Chelsea arriving asleep on their feet, but full of life. Out of the four Santa Cruz 27s to cross the start and finish this year, Lubbers were the only ones to do it with less than three crew. Kudos.
- Forty-five minutes after Spitting Kisses(Lubbers’ boat) touched the dock, the first R2AK soloist of 2024, Adam Cove of Team Wicked Wily Wildcat doused his single sail just inside the breakwater of Thomas Basin and took the time to make his gear shipshape before rowing the last few meters to the dock. Imagine this: rowing a vessel more oval than arrow-shaped, 18-feet long and 8’ 6” wide. Compare that to a boat built to be rowed—the MAAS single rower: 24-feet long and 22” wide. And yes, he did row that sucker. A LOT.
- A five-hour gap ensued before Team Knot So Fast, aboard their never-before-having-touched-saltwater vessel brought their Idahoan feet to the dock. Admitting to some level of withholding their true experience level from the R2AK Vetting Team, these guys made it nonetheless, now with a much greater respect for tidal currents.
- The last arrival of the day was several years in the making. Team Norepinephrine’s origin story goes way back. Father/son duo Lionel and Randy first competed in the 2019 edition as Team R2ACHE, making it as far as Port McNeill before equipment failure knocked them out. In 2020 and 2021, they were ready to go, but COVID had other plans. Randy and Lionel took to the water once more in 2022, but after a gnarly Proving Ground, they had to call it quits. Now, a full five years after that first attempt, they stood on the dock in Ketchikan, finally. Looks like they got smart and brought aboard some ringers—new team members Ted and James seem to have made the difference.
20’ and Under Award
As racers tend to do in the land of Ketchikan, a gathering was had last night at the Alaska Fish House, to the dulcet tones of a local open-mic-ing some passable Lady Gaga tunes. Amid this throng, the Duckworks 20’ and Under Award was brought forth, and recipients John and Kaila of Team Tips Up were presented the ceremonial box containing their prize: a set of tactical sporks in a custom carrying case designed and built by Turn Point Designsin Port Townsend. John and Kaila are walking around with hero status in Ketchikan as other arrived racers continue to rethink the level of their own badassery.
They’re still out there.
Remaining on the course are seven teams—ranging from 9 to 253 miles distant. Communication with these teams is sparse—they’re focused on getting here, not on all the glory. But what we have heard is this: Team Mr. X and Team Spirit of Nevetz got together in Shearwater for some well-deserved R&R, and Liam of Team Fairly Fleabag was the recipient of a racer-crowdsourced hotel room for the night in that same spot. As for the others, their icons seem to be moving, and we can’t wait for the stories.
R2AK-out.
Header photo by Amy Arnston**
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 12: Sun-Squinting; Soloing an Oval appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Halfway point, folks. The moment where some next level magic happens, or the gremlins in the gears start dancing. It’s at this point minds begin to wander back to the start in Port Townsend, even as their eyes stay glued to the Ketchikan finish line. Sitting somewhere in a dark corner, perhaps an old woodshed or an oily engine room, a figure sharpens a scythe. Whispers and questions about this phantom and its plans have made their way to Race High Command in the form of comments, emails, phone calls—perhaps prayers.
Enter: The Grim Sweeper.
Departing Port Townsend at High Noon on June 25, it’s a relentless 75-miles per day march to Ketchikan, scythe swinging at the finish line dock at noon on July 5.
The R2AK juice gains some more subtle notes now. Like a vintage wine hitting peak flavor or a sunset’s best hues popping only as the sun dips below the horizon, Race to Alaska hits its stride in the middle.
Eleven days ago thirty-two bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teams buzzed with excitement at Victoria’s docks, amped up and ready to launch into the unknown. Now they’ve all aged—grayer hairs and new wrinkles have appeared. Perhaps they’ve discovered things about themselves, their boats, their pedal drives. Maybe they’ve learned to sail. Out of those 32 teams, seven have thrown in the towel—many already plotting their 2026 revenge. Fourteen teams have savored the sweet taste of victory and the unique aroma of Ketchikan (think wood chips and fish). Eleven (fewer by now) teams are still slugging it out on the course. Team Outtaspace is the farthest flung, with over 350 miles to go. Pull out your abacus, do math.
Last night the tracker promised a flurry of arrivals every two hours starting at 10 pm, and the Finish Line Faithful braced for a long night of hollering into the Alaskan darkness. But only one team emerged–: Team Sail Like A Mother. Having wrestled with the 8-foot swells of the Hecate Rodeo on their final push, they arrived in matching yellow drysuits, drained but triumphant. Exhausted and elated, only hot burritos and cold beers–courtesy of Melissa’s husband–provided respite.
Ketchikan is about to get lively again. Teams Only Lubbers Left Alive and Wicked Wily Wildcat are just miles from the finish, fighting the current and wrong-way winds at the time of this writing. Not far behind are Teams Knot So Fast and Norepinephrine. A bit more distant, having lost some time rescuing a stranded kayaker and his dog near Bella Bella, is Team Loose Screw.
So here we are, race fans. Drink a Red Bull, roll down the driver’s side window to keep awake. We’ve still got a long way to go.
R2AK—out.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
R2AK 2024 Playlist
The post Stage 2, Day 11: Phantom whispers of the Grim Sweeper, eau de Ketchikan and some magic. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
[record scratch]
Here on Day 10, the sequitur-less stylings of the masked scrivener of R2AK must give way to my far less metaphorically-driven reportage. Notice a shift: less meandering BS, more facts. And maybe a couple hundred fewer words. —Race Boss
[resume play]
The happenings on day nine of this Alaska Race provide a punctuative note to the frenetic, punk rock pace of the first days of team finishes. A steady blues soundtrack echoes from the next racers down-course, still over a hundred miles distant. Across the line came two teams: Team Guardian Sailing in the early hours, and miracle mad-people Team Tips Up, arriving mid-afternoon—both to howls, cheers, and jaw-drops from the dock and across the R2AKosphere.
*New Finish Line Guardians*
6:16 am in Alaska, and a bass-slapping groove pulsed from Team Guardian Sailing’s J24 as it appeared around the Ketchikan breakwater to fishing boat horn-blasts and cheers from the dock. Fans, friends, and recently-arrived and sleep-deprived racers roused themselves for the TGS victory.
The J24 is on loan from a friend, and is decked out with one of the most bomb-proof pedal drives on the course. It was built by team member Eric who said “I’ve never built anything like it, but it worked pretty good.” The boat is colorfully tattooed like an old wrinkled sailor—each new image an homage to a completed adventure, and TGS has yet to settle on what their next addition will be.
The traditional bell ring (now played on a quickly fabricated gas-canister-turned-instrument) was, for Captain Michael, a bell-toll ceremony for fallen friends, as he called out five names to be remembered. Guardian Sailing is his brainchild— cooked up when he was on deployment in Afghanistan. It came to life not only as an R2AK team, but as a non-profit with a mission to create healing experiences for veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD.
There’s a lot to be processed in the first few minutes on the dock. The team was getting their legs back and starting to relearn how to talk to anyone but themselves. Before long, team member Emily was able to sum it up well: “It was the best experience of my life.”
Meanwhile:
Down course, the hopeful crowd was thinned by two. As a birthday present to himself, beloved aussie Derek, of Team SKOFTIG, tossed the towel, gave his knees a break, and decided to join Team Barely Heumann on the C2PT (Cruise to Port Townsend). Derek shared some highlights:
“Going together through Seymour Narrows at a very uneventful 5 knots peak. Seeing my first humpback whale passing at 15 meters just outside of Browns Bay. Dolphins swimming with me in Johnstone Strait. Watching whales breach from the boardwalks in Kelsey Bay. But mostly sailing together with some remarkable human beings.”
A few hours later Kayleen and Sylvia of Team Orca made the same call:“The Johnstone Strait humbled us quickly as reality set in that we are at the mercy of the current and the strong NW wind against ebb that creates harrowing seas. We soon fully accepted this while belting Celine Dion at anchor waiting out the winds.” SKOFTIG, ORCA and nearby still-racing Team Hornblower all got together for Derek’s birthday in Port McNeill.
*They kept their tips up.*
After the early morning arrival of TGS, the Ketchikan crowd largely put themselves to bed for midday naps—resting easy in the knowledge that Team Tips Up couldn’t possibly arrive before 9pm. They had been sailing for 70 hours or so with one 4-hour catnap.
Wrong.
A casual 3pm tracker glance was followed by an adrenaline shot as Race Boss himself jumped back into pants and down to the finish line as the 9pm prediction evaporated, and beer needed handing out.
At 3:44 pm Team Tips Up became the first to complete the Race to Alaska aboard a Hobie 16—a boat so small and exposed that calling it a “vessel” is generous. John Ped and Kaila Pfrang, the duo comprising TTU, arrived in great style, with sail changes inside the breakwater and only one small bump into the dock.
Members of several teams still remaining in Ketchikan: Rock the Boat, Juvenile Delinquents, Sailor Swift, Spare Parts, Guardian Sailing, Roscoe Pickle Train—all had a simultaneous re-think of how hardcore they were. Gasps. Literal, audible gasps, were heard. “Wait.. what?!” “How the f%k?!” “Where do they keep everything?” Immediately, accusations of performance enhancing drugs. There’s just no damned way that two people on a boat so small and exposed it might as well not exist could have done the same trip they’d just completed.
And what was the sum total assessment of the race from John and Kaila? “That was fun!”
The words “full send” barely capture their journey. They became the first team to complete R2AK in a Hobie beach cat, a feat most deemed impossible—or certainly inadvisable. Their final run of well over 100 miles included a seventy-mile stretch where the wind died and their pedal drive took over. This pedal drive, engineered by the MIT grads themselves, propelled their boat to speeds upwards of three knots. Sure, the master link in the drive chain broke on day three, but they fixed it with chewing gum and dreams and it worked.
John’s folks greeted them on the dock and whisked the couple—who seemed either oblivious to their exhaustion or operating on another level of endurance—up to Cape Fox Lodge for some much-needed sleep. We fully expect them to go for a daysail in the rain tomorrow.
And as we marvel at their achievement we’re putting out a call for dynamite technicians and stone masons: the Mount Rushmore of R2AK legends needs some additions.
R2AK—out.
Header photo by Amy Arnston
R2AK 2024 Playlist
R2AK Greatest Hits: Gloria and the gang laid down a track to dance off the grossness of the last few teams to finish R2AK. The bassline is full stank- enjoy!
The post Stage 2, day 10: Racing because of things; Dynamite Required. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Like the difference in the water between calms and storms, R2AK can be drastically different experiences—even in the same year, even in teams finishing close to one another. Day Eight’s finish line proved a study in stark contrasts. We can’t make this stuff up.
The Kids.
In the three hours between 06:00 and 09:00 local time, the three teams that skipped school to make up the R2AK’s Junior Achievement League crossed the line and ended one of the most epic battles in R2AK history. Three teams of teens, recent teens, and Chris, finished in Ketchikan after eight days and 700+ miles of hard-fought racing. It was an epic moment for the race, the racers, and families.
Before we glow up the racers, shout out to their parents who were at the finish line, at least an hour early. They were on the dock seven days before in Victoria; nervous, proud, nervous, and nervous, and proud. After a hard swallow and as many last hugs as would be tolerated, they sent off their children into an unsupported race on a remote coast. The next week was inevitably spent ping-ponging between bottomless worry and unfathomed pride. As the honorary funcle of the fleet, we were the same. Those kids did great.
By 5 AM and change, the PTA of the R2AK was on the dock, early but ready to shower their children in support. As each team crossed the finish line their parents went from expectant adults to “OH MY GOD THEY’RE HEEEEERE!” fan girls. Enthusiasm and relief poured out in simultaneous enthusiasm. This was a big day. Teams Rock the Boat, Juvenile Delinquents, and Roscoe Pickle Train had graduated. Some of them for the second time, one for the third. and some of them weren’t old enough to drive.
What were/are you doing at 15?
It’s impossible to overstate that the teams’ finish marked a transition. Regardless of their age, the teams went from ambitious sailors to R2AK veterans, a rare honor for anyone, but especially for the U-25 set (and Chris). They had just done something incredible; they were the same people they were a week ago, but different.
First across the line was Team Rock the Boat, followed two hours later by Team Juvenile Delinquents. Both teams were met with hugs, cheers, and well-earned adulations. They were also met with parentally driven caloric love: freshly baked cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, 6 AM hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, grilled fresh on a dockside hibachi. Also, there were cookies. Everyone ate everything, but on brand as ever, Henry from TRTB ate cookies, almost exclusively. This time he did leave some for the rest of them.
The surprise dockside consumption: carrots.
Indulgence is relative, and Team Juvenile Delinquents had eaten so much “mush food” that they craved something with crunch. It was as fair a request as it was odd to see teens with carrots hanging out of their mouths like congratulatory cigars. Kids these days with their vices. In contrast, Team Roscoe Pickle Train hit the dock and drank pickle juice, straight from the jar.
Beyond the food at the finish, a few things were obvious to onlookers:
This had been a race. Since the start in Victoria, these three teams were race-on, covering each other’s tacks, swapping leads, for 700 miles. Some of the best racing in this year’s R2AK, complete with juice boxes.
They were as collaborative as they were competitive. In the last night of racing, competition was fierce, but Rock The Boat and Juvenile Delinquents traded snacks as they crossed tacks. When Roscoe Pickle Train’s captain lost a game of “Boom vs Head,” Rock the Boat ducked in and made sure they were ok. Classy. Team Rock the Boat hatched a plan to swap boats with the Pickles, just to confuse people. It never materialized. “This was a post-concussion plan.”
These folks were racers first and young people second. During the debriefs on the dock, reliving past tactics amongst the teams, teens blended with previous finishers who were genuinely curious, respectful, and proud to have shared a race with them. From the curiosity of tactics to the good-natured ribbing, these were peers—not children.
Three stories worth sharing:
- Generation Dougherty: The family’s two kids raced together as Team Rite of Passage in 2022. This year they diversified their risk profile and put their fertilized eggs in two baskets. Francesca skippered the high school summer camp that was Team Rock the Boat, and Enzo stocked up on sanitizer and braved the floating carnie convention of Team Roscoe Pickle Train. The Boat Rockers outpaced the Pickles by hours, but only after TRPT spent 16 hours in Bella Bella recovering from Odin’s boom-related concussion. We truly look forward to facilitating future years of sibling rivalry/bonding in the future.
- Krüger Family Dynasty: For days, Dagny Krüger had been leading Team Juvenile Delinquents and absolutely destroying the competition, overtaking the rest of the youth fleet only to lose position in an overnight tacking duel in light air. “We lose to them pedaling.” There was also a crack in the hull that showed up in the last couple of days, and Team Juvy had six inches of water in the bilge. “It was wet.”
The last time we saw Dagny at the finish line was in 2017. She was a 9-year old, hugging her dad who had just spent a little under two weeks racing unsupported to Alaska on a paddleboard—a feat that has yet to be approximated let alone replicated. Today, Karl is a steak-knife-winning member of Team Brio who finished a few days ago, and a proud dad whose daughter had just led a youth team to Race to Alaska glory. Today’s hug was no less intense, only today, they were both family and peers.
We’re not crying, you’re crying. 3. Team Roscoe Pickle Train: It saddens us to only have a few more paragraphs to make fun of Team Roscoe Pickle Train—the most likely of these three teams to be cast as “After” for R2AK’s forthcoming stay in school/don’t do drugs ad campaign.
Port Townsend’s own, we’ve watched their progress for years, but especially the skipper Odin Smith. We’ve known Odin since he was a small person in the programs of Northwest Maritime, R2AK’s parent non-profit that supports maritime school and summer programs in western Washington. R2AK met Odin as the cocky 16-year-old who talked his way aboard Team Ziska in 2019. Today, he’s a cocky 21-year-old who can actually back it up. Sailing ruffian and talented member of PT’s storied marine trades community, in the rare moments he’s not talking, you can recognize Odin by his double-winged neck tattoo. If you meet a blonde guy with a nose ring who looks like he is smuggling a tiny Viking in his shirt, make sure to congratulate him on his third R2AK.
R2AK’s love language is a good-natured roast, but we have to pause to give respect where respect is due. At 21, this was his third Race to Alaska, and his first as captain. He and his crew spent the year fixing up a boat to make it bomb proof then sailed the shit out of it. As talented as they are ridiculous, they donned sauna hats they picked up in Victoria for the finish. Why? Our guess is that it was dumb, loud, and functional—R2AK source code. “They are literally the only dry things we have.”
Like the teams that sailed in before them, the Pickles also had a fair amount of water in the bilge. Was it salty? “Yes.” Like urine? “No.” See you when you get back home, you crazy diamonds.
As easy as it is to make caricatures of these teams, they all had one thing in common, their cabins smelled absolutely disgusting—all sharing the seven-day olfactory funk that can only be described as the sum total of bad ventilation, musty humans, and at least one lost game of “Where’s that sandwich?” The sole boards were covered in a sporadic and non-specific paste of sand, soggy trail mix, and errant body hair. No screen time until you clean your respective rooms. That goes for you too, Chris.
While age and stench were the “We are the World” factors that brought the young teams together, the two other teams who sailed in today couldn’t have been more different than their approach to the race. Team Spare Parts arrived in high spirits, and hands down has the honor of being the hardest core team to make it to Ketchikan this, and potentially any, year. Their Peterson 27 was designed for daysailing but they took it to Alaska. Their R2AK box score reads like a series of one-star reviews.
Wet. There’s no cabin. There’s barely a semi-protected forward hatch area that they could sleep in if it wasn’t too rough. When it was rough, they just slept in the cockpit, waves crashing over them until they woke up.
Cold. Without a way to get out of the elements, they were always cold, and mildly hypothermic at least some times. They wore everything. “12 layers, I was wearing all the clothes” They also discovered a non-standard clothing order. “I ended up with light layers under my drysuit, then my thick pants over the dry suit, then my foulies over that.” They just slept in their drysuits, in all the clothes, which helped cushion them from the bumps and deck hardware they were sleeping on because they didn’t seem to have sleeping pads. “My ass has issues now.”
Sleep deprivation. They started Stage One with two hours of sleep, and it didn’t get better. Their boat is an active sailer and takes at least two but often three to make it move, and they got worn down. Halfway in, they instituted better sleeping schedules. “We were getting three-hour naps at least once a day.” That’s right, three hours a night was an improvement. It still wasn’t enough, so when fatigue hit, all of them would spell each other for micro naps. “They’d say ‘Take 10 minutes,’ and I’d just fall asleep right there.” The benefit of being that tired is that you can fall asleep anywhere. The risk of being that tired is that you can fall asleep anywhere. One night, both the person pedaling and the person steering simultaneously fell asleep. No idea how long, but they left a figure eight on their track before they woke up. “We didn’t run into anything!”
They were so sleep-deprived that they hallucinated they saw people on the shore that turned out to be bushes, so tired that they fell asleep mid-chew and woke up an unknown amount of time later with uneaten food in their mouths.
Food. It was such active sailing that rather than meals they just ate handfuls of whatever. Peanuts, frosted mini wheats, “We were eating sour candies for breakfast.”
Poop. Blame it on sleep deprivation, but there was a lot of talk about poop. With no head and no way to go below, it was an on-deck, community bonding affair, with diminishing accuracy as conditions deteriorated and fatigue mounted. “Yesterday, I got it all over the oars…” Gross, but a problem that solved itself with all the water that was washing over them.
Would they do it again?
“No.” But one of them is sailing it back.
“It’s pretty cool going surfing in all your camping gear”
There was a much different vibe as the Instagram grillathon that is Team Sailor Swift arrived at the dock four hours later in matching shirts and custom team red Fluevogs. Their Ross 930 had a cabin, a head, a heater, a galley, enough bunks below that they didn’t have to share, and enough food left over from the third grilled chicken they made underway to have chicken salad for lunch, on plates. They had enough power left over that they played music on their stereo as they approached (“We listened to music the whole time!”) and enough beer left over that they donated a few to the stash we hand out to racers on the finish line. There was a collective jawdrop that extended from Team Juvenile Delinquents to Team Spare Parts, who seemed to be both jealous and just realizing that they could have done it differently. Not necessarily faster, but differently.
Would Team Sailor Swift trade their 11th-place finish in comfort for the 10th place, sleep wet, and poop on the oar experience of Team Spare Parts? “Absolutely not.”
Team Guardian Sailing finished at 06:16 on Day 9, minutes after the cutoff for the written update. You can hear about them a little later down the line.
R2AK—out.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
Malolo approaches Seymour Narrows
Watch videoTeam Natural Disaster thought about pulling a Moitessier
Watch video“Welcome to glamping R2AK style” – a boat tour with Team Norepinephrine.
Watch videoDon’t take candy from strangers, unless you’re Team Stranger Danger and you just completed R2AK
Watch videoview more shorts on youtubeThe post Stage 2, Day 9: The Kids, the Stench, and the Comfort appeared first on Race to Alaska.
2024 Women's R2AK Racer panel recorded at The Ruckus, June 8. Stina Booth, Janice Mason, Jo Barley, Lillian Kuehl, and Katy Stewart.
The finish line was active for roughly the last 36 hours between Team Stranger Danger’s Day 6 finish and the early morning finishes of the High School Armada. (They got in too late to make the press deadline, more on them tomorrow.)
Working backward from time of arrival, here are the rest:
Day 7, 22:43, Team Narrows Minded.
The three Frenchmen of Team Narrows Minded finished in the late-night dusk that happens at 10:43 in Alaska on the eve of the summer solstice. Backlit and perfectly framed by the full moon, they bicyclette-ed to the dock singing an excellent rendition of the French national anthem. The crowd on the dock did their best to “Nanaa, nananaa” back, then showered them with baguettes, macarons, wine, and rolls du cinnamon from the finest of Ketcikan’s French bakeries. “We’re never leaving!” They were out of cheese and were down to their last sausage. No word on the silver see saws.
The biggest question at the tip of everyone’s curiosity: what was up with “that move”?
If you haven’t memorized the tracker, scroll back to 21:30 on the 16th and let it run. There’s a quizzical 360 on the backside of Aristazabal, then a right turn, then four hours wandering around Hecate Strait before returning to Principe Channel. People wanted answers, even us. We assumed that they were seeking answers to the greatest of French questions: Où est la bibliothèque? It apparently was not in Hecate Strait.
In truth, Hecate was wild and dangerous and it was midnight. They were worried about their boat breaking in seas that seemed to build in the darkness. After hours of trying, they turned around. C’est la vie.
Damage during the trip was minimal. They rewilded a floating VHF radio that is now free in the waters of the BC coast. Thirty miles to the finish, the masthead shackle that held up their screecher decided it had functioned long enough, parted, and sent the sail into the water. Within minutes of a jury-rigged harness, they were up the mast, swapped it out, and were sailing again. Operationally, like at least one other team in this update, power was an issue. For most of the race, they didn’t have navigation instruments. Relying on the hope and a prayer of cell service and the existing charge on their iPhone, they finished the race at 1%.
Despite the lack of power and cheese, they could have spent another week just sailing. “It was so beautiful.” They saw humpbacks, gray whales, bears, porpoises, but ironically never saw the narrows for which they named their team. “It was pitch black when we crossed Seymour Narrows. We could literally see nothing!”
Talk quickly shifted to the two teams of les enfants—for how incredible they were accomplishing the Race, that they were only hours behind them, and because in a small world coincidence, one of their daughters is on a sailing team with crew aboard Team Rock the Boat.“She’s very passionate about sailing. She cried when I left, not because I was leaving but because she was not aboard.” Dry your eyes, 2026 is just around the corner.
Day 7, 17:14, Team Natural Disaster
Speed metal, hakas, Wagner: the soundtrack for the extreme conditions for most of the Races to Alaska tends towards the dramatic. Team Natural Disaster’s Day 7 finish looked a little closer to ironic yacht rock as they sailed into Thomas Basin in 8 knots of sun-filled breeze, then stepped off their boat in good spirits, all smiles in matching team shirts. True, one admitted to not changing it since leaving Victoria. “At one point I put on long underwear underneath, but yeah, I’ve worn it for seven days. I’m pretty smelly.” We congratulated them from an upwind position.
Visible stench aside, Team Natural Disaster’s run for Ketchikan was one defined by low-key, good-natured intensity from the 30-something, oldest cousins at R2AK’s unofficial kids’ table. But it almost wasn’t.
24 hours in they had snapped the forestay on their Olson 30, itself an R2AK veteran (Team Monkey Fist, 2023). They pulled into Nanaimo and spent 12 hours finding, then installing a new one and regaining mental reserves. “Racers had told us that even a two-hour shore stop would be a reset for us mentally, and it totally was.” They had lost ground on their race pack and had thoughts of just cruising from there. Race fans got them back in action. “People were like: ‘These are your conditions, get back out there!’” They did, throttled down on a downwind kite run to and through Seymour Narrows, then proceeded to make up 30 miles, eventually mowing down 10 teams, including some faster boats. Well done, Tracker Nation. Good pep talk.
The next days were spent duking it out and then walking away from Teams Roscoe Pickle Train, Juvenile Delinquents, and Rock the Boat who they had been battling since Stage One. “We came in literally 10 feet ahead of them in Stage One, but they beat us in the customs race for sure.”Competitive even in paperwork, once they were back in it, Team Natural Disaster wasn’t going to give up easily.
What was their clutch move? Was it their gamble on the outside route to Bella Bella? Was it their near-shore route in Hecate Strait? Was it that their twin pedal drives gave them the edge in their estimated 40 hours of pedaling in Stage Two? Was it that they had years more experience, a faster boat, and were effectively playing dodgeball with kindergarteners? At least some of those, and at least a little bit that they had sailed the route to Ketchikan not two weeks before, in their house.
Seattle sailboat liveaboards, one of their crew had delivered their house to Ketchikan, flown home, then started the race a week later. More than that, the delivery crew included two members of two different winning teams; Teams We Brake for Whales and Sail Like a Girl. R2AK dojo run with the pros.
It’s a rare team that sails 750 miles to meet up with their house. Now that they are here, and hopefully after they shower, their plan is to sail their house around Alaska, another crew cruising their race boat south. We’ll leave it to the Tracker Nation to convince them to keep tracking their vacations. After Nanaimo, we think you deserve it.
Day 6, 17:36, Team Stranger Danger
Team Loose Screw keeps losing pedal dives, Team Natural Disaster organically lost a forestay, Team Mr X still lives in mystery. 24 hours earlier than everything else in this update, the first monohull/first prophetically named team, Team Stranger Danger crossed the finish line in downwind sunshine.
They were lured to the bell with a trail of Skittles, offered the beers, and were greeted by the usual cast of Ketchikan irregulars and the three teams that had already finished. They were thankful to be done, in more ways than one. There were cracks in their underpinnings and they white-knuckled it to Ketchikan on a number of fronts.
“If anything is going to happen, it’s going to happen out there” – Captain Ron
Team Stranger Danger was born of enthusiasm for the race from a collection of newcomers and R2AK’s most seasoned veteran. This was her 6th. The team found each other through the magic of the internet and met in person for the first time just days before the race. On the docks in Port Townsend, they appeared to have the optimistic energy of newly minted college freshmen—traveling in groups, swapping get-to-know-you stories, jello shots, the whole thing.
Their boat, a Schock 40: a fabled oddity that propelled itself to R2AK legend as it carried Team Angry Beavers to victory in 2019, besting Team Malolo’s foiling trimaran, and vindicating an internet full of multihull haters. It’s a monohull, but it’s a weird one. It’s the only boat we’ve ever seen with fore and aft rudders. You read that right, one’s in the front and one’s in the back. Its canting keel is controlled by a hydraulic ram that allows you to crank it out and up windward—effectively creating a 1,800-pound lever that keeps your boat flatter and allows you to sail faster and closer to the wind than conventional sailboats. This particular boat was a barn find that the team found a year ago at an estate sale for $11,000. A great deal, but a cheap boat often proves the most costly. (foreshadowing)
Hopes were high.
Time-lapse forward to the last days of racing. There were cracks, worries, and differences of opinion. The most visible issue was the crack that opened in the mast. It’s likely that it was there before, but the ravages of the race opened up a 12’ vertical crack that had gone unnoticed. A previous owner had “fixed” it with some wonder goo that was stronger than chewing gum but not strong enough. Cosmetic for the sale, but not adequate for sailing. The reduction in strength from a crack that big was unknown, but real, and kicked off a train of worries that left the station at full speed.
There was also the pedal drive. First, it was beautiful. The best designed and built four-person system we have ever seen. Early in the race, they were the envy of all and the talk of the town. Then they broke one of their belts, taking out one of the two drives. After checking pants pockets and couch cushions, twice, they realized they lacked a spare. Even shaking down a passing megayacht’s massive inventory failed to produce a belt that would work. They spent the rest of the race half-strength and worried that the last belt would break too.
There was also the rudder. The forward rudder worked fine, both for directional ability and also as an A-1 kelp catcher that was impossible to clear from the deck. The designers of the Schock 40 saw clear to build in a viewing port so you could see what was caught on the rudder, but not a way to clear it. The crew stopped looking because it was effectively just a single-channel television featuring a 24/7 broadcast of Frustration TV.
There was also the other rudder. The after rudder developed a groaning sound on port tacks, likely the bearings. “It groaned. Super unnerving.” Other than hauling out or only sailing with the wind on the starboard side, not much to do other than earplugs and fret.
There was also the keel. Start with the fact that of the10 of these vessels that were made, so far two had the keel fall off. 20%. So far.“When the boat is banging, and the keel is canted out, you can feel the keel bounce.” 1,800 pounds at an extreme angle and held in by a single pin that seems to grow smaller as worry increases. What would it take for them to be the 30%? You can unclench, you’re not onboard. Breathe.
Their keel didn’t fall off before they finished (“We think we should be sponsored by Boeing!”), but it was a source of nagging worry. To sail optimally, the boat was only really designed to perform upwind with the keel canted out to windward. This requires an electrically powered hydraulic ram, which drains a ton of battery power each time. Not a problem with enough electrons in the tank, but no power? Can’t cant. (See what we did there?) But this isn’t a problem unless the batteries run down.
There was also the power. They had calculated their battery needs for the use case of Johnstone Strait: a classic slog through an upwind wave canyon where they knew they would need to tack and cant the keel every mile or so. They built their power storage system against that model, assuming they would have longer tacks in open waters for the rest of the trip. Maybe due to worries of, say, the keel falling off, they chose the more inside routes inside of Banks and Aristazabal Islands. “We ran out of power three days ago.”The solar would keep them up with nav lights and instruments during the day, but little else.
There was also the water. They didn’t run out, but almost. A strategic choice was made before they left to rely solely on the boat’s internal tanks for drinking water and leave the additional portable tanks behind. They had a power-hungry watermaker, that worked—until they ran out of power. Then it didn’t. At Cape Caution, they traded a passing powerboat a bottle of wine for five gallons, and by the time they arrived in Ketchikan, they were low. Like low low. They weren’t quite to the point where they were spitting into cups and passing it around, but they were close.
There was also the crew. Winning with strangers is fun, stressing with strangers is a pressure cooker. Added to that was the lack of water, fear of breaking the boat, one crew down for days with some unknown sickness, and a growing backpack full of “I told you sos” that lurked just under the surface with every new problem. “This is like reality TV, Real World R2AK: seven strangers thrown together with no hope for escape.”All of the tension and drama, but no sex, and no cameras—their GoPros had run out of batteries too.
Add it all up and Team Stranger Danger’s last days on the course were far from idyllic. Concern for the boat set the team to sailing conservatively to make sure the boat didn’t break itself apart, a choice that risked breaking the team.
From the long view, they were successful—a fourth-place finish is respectable for any team, but by most accounts, at least some of them were simply done.
The moral of the story? Who knows.
As much as Team Stranger Danger is an example of how well you can do with a boat full of randos, it is at least also a cautionary tale of double-checking assumptions, and running the calcs through alternate scenarios. That, and at least this year, teams of strangers are even odds of success or failure. Regardless of how you did it or what it feels like: welcome to done.
Bits from the Back
This Russian novel of a dispatch is too long already, but we’d feel bad if we didn’t zoom our spotlight a few horizons to the south and share at least a little from farther back on the course, a few bits from the back:
Team Tips Up completed a near two-day sleepless run on their Hobie 16 and are crashed out on McCauley Island.
Team Let’s Wing It withdrew from the race. He had spent a few days ashore with an ill-timed illness. The combination of not being 100% and the ticking clock of the Grim Sweeper caused the towel to be thrown. He was the last human-powered team in the race, so the bag of 1,000 Canadian Loonies (one dollar coins to you Americans) for the Team Oracle Blister prize will go unclaimed, living somewhere between the Race Boss’s desk and the nearest Canadian slot machine. Sounds like the sponsors are going to let it ride, and put in another 1,000 next time. Paddle in 2026 and double your money.
Team Forget-Me-Knot. When Jo pulled her bid to be R2AK’s first solo female finisher she said simply this: “Unfortunately, due to some equipment malfunctions, I’m done.” The issues:
- The boat was sinking at a more concerning rate than usual—unsure as to why.
- One of her amas ended up warped for unknown reasons.
- She was wet, and water got into the bivy bag soaking her down sleeping bag.
- Her drysuit was a drysuit in name only.
- Every article of clothing she owned was soaked.
“I had a great time overall except for the times that I didn’t. I will be back to complete it someday!” We hope she does, her mettle was apparent and welcome. See you down the road.
OK, that only scratched the surface, but it’s enough for today. News from the kids tomorrow.
R2AK—out.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
R2AK 2024 PlaylistThe post Stage 2, Day 8: French, Non-disasters, the Danger of Strangers, and We Use All the Words appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Hey, you with the screen.
Before you plunge brains deep into this latest update, think about this: this update and this race, are created by a team of Top Ramen and coffee-fueled humans who work long into the night to keep the racers safe and the story factory churning. There’s no paywall because we love you, we hate paywalls, and truthfully we couldn’t figure it out.
If you love this race and want to support it and the other good work of our parent non-profit, Northwest Maritime, become a Top Ramen fairy and click on the button below.
Only you can prevent forest fires.
DONATE
TL;DR: Three teams worth of stories from the front of the pack finished today and we gave out prizes. Buckle up and stay hydrated—this is a long one. Sorry, and you’re welcome.
Since R2AK1, the Alaska Fish House in downtown Ketchikan has served as landing pad for finishing racers, waiting room for loved ones and expectant fans, and supplier of camaraderie and “Welcome to Done” sustenance with some of the hands-down best fish and chips we have ever eaten. On the night of Day 6, the Fish House hosted the 8th edition of the only official finish line awards party possible for a race whose finishers stagger in over a three-week period. But tonight, for a fleeting moment, the top four finishers were in the same room before scattering to the winds in the coming days. Team Malolo was given their first-place winnings in the traditional form—100 crisp Benjamin Franklins nailed to a piece of firewood with an outlandishly large spike.
Why is this a tradition? Why is this firewood different from all other firewoods?
From the Book of R2AK, 1:15:
Race Boss said onto the masses, “We shall nail $10,000 to a tree in Alaska and see who gettest it.” And lo, they did race. Racers could not come to the tree, for there was much difficulty, and it was brought to them. And so it is written, and so it shall be.
Or something.
Less holy and closer to true, someone thought it was funny and it stuck. Eight years in and there’s $80K in US currency floating around with an R2AK-sized hole in Franklin’s nose.
In front of Ketchikan, god, and everyone, Team Malolo got the log and the money, Team Brio got the steak knives. Teams Hullabaloo and Stranger Danger (the latter landed within minutes of the party starting) both held the impressive, empty honor of being the first teams to not win anything. To commemorate this, they were awarded with a bucket of nothing. An actual empty bucket. R2AK AF.
Insult to injury, they had to give the bucket back at the end of the night. It was on loan from the Fish House. Malolo got to keep the firewood. To the victors go the spoils.
It was a night of revelry between teams, families of teams finishing soon, local news, local fans, and at least a few members of the R2AK’s Tracker Nation who had flown in specifically to bask in Ketchikan’s finish line glory. And. It. Was. Glorious.
In the hours (minutes) that happened prior to their Fish House log/knife/bucket ascension, Teams Brio, Hullabaloo, and Stranger Danger had hit the dock, rang the “bell,” and started unpacking—first their stories, then their boats in the dockside boat belch of all the gear below on to the dock that seems de rigueur in the process of shifting from racing machine back to the real world. Stories piled out with similar frequency, all day:
05:19. Team Brio’s second-place finish can only be described as equal parts improbable, well-earned, and righteous. Team Brio was a pickup crew, built off of R2AK veterans Doug Walker (Team Swan Song, 2018) and Karl Krüger (Team Heart of Gold, 2017), the only person to successfully SUP the R2AK. The two had been planning a joint effort for years, and found willing collaborators in wooden boat sailor turned nav software rep Daniel Joram and Great Lakes multihull technician Matt Scharl. Experience, talent, brains, and skill—a solid portfolio for your R2AK fantasy league draft. One catch: they’d never met.
That’s a lie. They did meet. It was Wednesday, two weeks ago. “The first time we were all in the same place was four days before the Port Townsend start.” To be fair, they did have a Zoom call prior to that. One. We’re told that in the world of professional sailing, this might not be weird. Game recognizes game, and we’re told that for the grown dogs of the America’s Cup puppy mills, this type of assignment is some portion of normal. The jobs onboard pro-race boats are more or less known, there’s a common language, culture, and sets of expectations. You’re Cog Six, get to work.
To a person, Team Brio’s crew of mutts lacked both the pedigree and the training to muscle memory R2AK’s off-leash area, let alone any chance at Best in Show. Riding this metaphor until we have to have it fixed, when Team Brio shoved off for Stage One they didn’t even know if everyone onboard was housebroken, let alone if/how they would hang together when they were four days in, sleep-deprived in rough conditions (foreshadowing).
Then there was the boat. Doug and Team Swan Song Raced to Alaska on the same Corsair F-28CR in 2018, then put the boat on the trailer and hadn’t touched it since.
Mothballed boat, untested crew, what could go wrong?
Turns out, not much.
It could have been disastrous. Alchemists spent centuries trying to turn lead into gold, TikTok spent weeks turning Mentos and Diet Coke into face eruptions; there’s a rap sheet a mile long of failed experiments of thrusting dissimilar elements together in the quest for fame and fortune—especially in the R2AK. This thing is a proven accelerator for friendships. But also divorce.
Team Brio’s come-from-behind second-place finish is a testament to the fact that while you can’t conjure gold out of a sow’s ear, with the right attitude you can turn Spam into Musubi. Over their Race to Alaska, Team Brio didn’t just avoid self-destruction but learned, gelled, and musubied themselves from an also-ran anecdote to second place steak knives with authority. Their philosopher’s stone: trust in each other.
You can track their learning curve in their progress, catching then overtaking teams in the past few days. Seriously run it back, it’s fun to watch. Early in the race, still figuring it out. By the end, they were a well-honed machine, each crew member realizing which cog they were and turning in unison. Their words on the dock were for appreciation of each other.“I spent 5 days and 14 hours learning what these sails were supposed to do.” By their accounts, Matt is a trimaran whisperer and a natural coach who tweaked and taught the rest of them.“No question, I’m a better sailor because of him. I just had a Clinic to Alaska.”A mathematically slower boat to several, they won on the strength of their crew
Team Brio’s hidden story is as vulnerable to tell as it is important. In 2018, Doug sailed as Team Swan Song as a 74-year-old with a fresh and aggressive cancer diagnosis. Swan Song wasn’t a hyperbole, it could have been his last. Five years later and he’s cancer-free, almost 80, and still able to rock the oars. “I rowed at Syracuse, so I have the technique.” Doug is our oldest participant by years, and our oldest steak knife winner by 14. Seeing the spectrum of exhausted, much younger faces cross the finish line over the years, Doug’s near-octogenarian energy and joy, was palpable and inspiring. His quote from the finish line: “I haven’t really slept in 36 hours, but couldn’t possibly go to sleep now. I’m too wound up!”
09:11. Just hours later, Team Hullabaloo’s finish line was a markedly different scene. They finished, belled, beered, then the world fell away as they began a measuredly frenzied debrief with Team Brio about all the tacks and tactics that brought them to the finish line—and with good reason: these were teams in the tightest hand-to-hand combat to hit the beach this side of Normandy, but especially in this year’s race to date.
A day or so before, from Aristazabal Island to Dixon Entrance, Hullabaloo and Brio had locked horns in a tacking battle that was every bit as close in reality as it looked on the tracker. 37 tacks in 100 miles, they counted. Tack, bait, cover, sail change, tack, cover, etc, for a full eight-hour night shift of upwind sailing. It was a close-quarter fight for the knives that is/will be discussed ad nauseam in the sailing world’s online forums for weeks. The difference between the armchair online chat and the docks yesterday—these guys were there.
On the dock, at the finish, the fusion of sleep-deprived adrenaline plus fresh memory recency yielded the kind of sailor-to-sailor chatter rarely experienced unless you were in the race. It was like hearing a debrief of the intricacies of D-Day, but no one died and it was just sailing.
To be dockside at 9 AM and change arrival of *Team Hullabaloo’s finish was to be inside of a tactician’s waking wet dream. If you love the details of sail trim, backstay tension, wind shift math, and helm positions, who should have beat whom if we used the standard racing handicaps, how those handicaps don’t matter in a sailing race that doesn’t care about them—especially in a year where teams biked for 20% of the course (150 miles!), you would have liked to be on the Ketchikan dock for the 57 conceptual minutes between Team Hullabaloo* finish and breakfast. It was like Comicon for sailors, a bleary-eyed collaborative TED Talk in foul weather gear for the most informed. Our livestream cut out before the juiciest dry bits, but if this turns your crank, you should demand a subject-matter-specific podcast from the two of them. #passingthebuck #neverstoplearning
17:36. Team Stranger Danger
If you’re still reading, consider us impressed. That was a lot, clearly you’re reading at or above grade level. Gold star.
You are out of attention, our keyboard is out of keys, and rather than lure you into the windowless van’s worth of Team Stranger Danger’s R2AK, we’re going to cliffhanger their part until tomorrow when they will likely share the written stage with Team Natural Disaster and possibly Team Narrows Minded. At time of writing both are rocketing north at the speed of stoned Tai Chi—1.8 knots. Team Natty D should be in sometime this evening, Narrows Minded sometime in the oui hours Thursday.
Sorry, and you’re welcome.
R2AK—out.
R2AK 2024 PlaylistHeader photo by Team Wicked Wily Wildcats. Video by Tori Lee.
The post Stage 2, Day 7: Cash, Knives, and Two Buckets of Nothing appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The world of media coverage needs things simple. Life is complicated. Depending on how you tilt your head, today’s top story was both. After somewhere between five days and nine years of hard-fought effort, Team Malolo crossed the line and rang in their rightful place in the annals of R2AK.
It would be easy to chalk up Team Malolo’s early afternoon 5 day, 3 hour, and whatever minute victory of this year’s R2AK as a moment in isolation; yes they rang the bell, yes they only officially joined forces in a “You in? Sure!” moment just weeks before the race’s April 15 application cutoff. Truth is, the bell ringing moment on the dock that we’ll get to a few paragraphs down was parbaked in 2016 when a wet and bedraggled Duncan Gladman hit the dock after a 5th-place finish with Team MOB Mentality. Whether he knew it or not in the moment, after riding a southerly gale up Hecate Strait, he looked up, exhausted from his waterlogged dry suit, and set his sights on something more.
Not long after he had warmed up and showered off the adrenaline, he and a syndicate found a boat halfway across the globe they thought would be the ultimate R2AK steed to ride to glory. They brought it to the PNW, then raced it to almost-glory in 2019 when a log strike at 20 knots in Hecate cost them the lead and was the difference between first and steak knives. In 2022’s year of record logs, they stove in a hull and were forced to tap out in Comox, less than 100 miles from where they started.
Any normal person would swear loudly, drink heavily, sell the boat, walk inland, and find a new hobby. Rather than taking up crochet, golf, or model trainery, Duncan and crew kept grinding, working out the kinks—years of training, maintenance, and running the trapline of local races. For years, a pandemic, and then some.
Today, after five days and change, 15-hour stretches on the bike, and some of the most violent seas they’ve ever sailed in, Team Malolo found themselves 90 miles ahead of the closest competitor, sailing downwind, in the sun on one of Ketchikan’s allotted four non-rainy days a year—as close to an R2AK Triple Crown as one can get. The only thing between them and Ketchikan was the fleet of Baranof Fishing guide boats (R2AK sponsor since day one, and the best fishing guide service in town) that deviated their course to offer cheers of adulation, the Dubai oligarch megayacht who denied claims of being a support boat, a humpback whale, and two deer swimming to Metlakatla. Alaska AF. Through it all, Team Malolo was full send, flying their 1.5 spinnaker, “White Death,” at 13+ knots in Nichols Passage, then rounded the corner into the finish line at Thomas Basin.
The scene in Ketchikan was expectant, if sometimes surprised. If you haven’t been, K-Town is filled with two types of people:
- The 13,000 residents
- The daily load of 13,000+ bumbling, slow-walking, selfie-sticked tourists who offload and reload daily from the cruise ships.
The 50+ people who greeted Team Malolo’s finish on the docks ran the gamut. Long time R2AK race fans, R2AK family and friends (including several R2AK alumni from the class of 2016), and the enthusiastic newcomers who learned of the race and became instant fans within the previous 15 minutes. “This is so dope!!” acclaimed a new-found fan and cruise ship excursion bus driver who was dragged down by his friend and became an instant groupie. “I got to go on their boat, my coworkers are going to be so jealous!’‘ exclaimed another KTN seasonal who went from“My mom told me to come” to superfan within 50–100 nanoseconds of the finish.
There were the fish guides, the longtime fans, and the one partially drunk guy who bombed the photo shoot to hand out drink tokens to a local bar in a supportive, but light slur: “I followed you all the way from Port Townshend.”
Malolo greased the landing, rang the “bell,” and downshifted from five days of being an insular race crew focused on one single thing to Ketchikan’s newest public figures. So much media, so many fans, so many questions.
How was the race?
A lot of biking. A ridiculous amount and in a bad way. There was so little wind that they biked for 15 hours straight around Cape Caution. Unheard of, as it’s known for its storms and seas. This year: Peloton de Mar. They switched out every 30 minutes, for 15 hours, and their knees are feeling it.
While their last two attempts were stopped by logs, this race they were more fortunate: “Dodged a few, took a couple between the hull and the amas, but never hit one.”
Last time you raced you had three people, now you have four. Why, and how did you make up for the weight?
Their team motto: “Every ounce counts and light is right.” Trimarans are as weight-sensitive as small planes—every pound is crucial. Serious tri sailors will saw the handles off their toothbrushes to save weight and pack perforated toilet paper. Team Malolo made a conscious choice to support human fatigue by adding a full human’s worth of weight, bold move. Adding another person doesn’t just add the +/- 150 pounds of the meat of a fit human and their allotted half of a toothbrush, but also the rest of their gear, food, and water to support them for a five-day trip. Around the buoys, Team Malolo races with three people, four water bottles, and (if possible) a cabin filled with helium balloon animals. Swap the balloons for an extra human and all their stuff for five days, and the added weight detracts from the designed performance of Dragon dramatically. At their weight, Team Malolo was not only going to sail 15% slower, but the added weight loaded up the rig and hulls beyond design specifications. Long story short: they were going to go slower, and more likely to break, but they would have the benefit of more crew to spread the load.
They had calculated food and water weights, but not for the biking they ended up doing. Cycling burns more calories and sweats more water, and they ran through most of their water by the time they got to Campbell River. As much as one can take advantage of something they hoped to avoid, they watered up when they missed the tide gate at Seymour.
How was Dixon Entrance? Why were you going so slow? Were you pedaling?
Bad, waves, no. Dixon Entrance funnels the worst of the North Pacific swells against the outflow of several river systems, and the effect is bad on its best days, and boat-breaky/blow-chunky on its worst. On Team Malolo’s last night, it manifested in 8 to 12-foot, short-period seas. Winds astern, Malolo was dropping into troughs and stuffing their bows. It was so gnarly they throttled back to increase survivability. It was nasty, they were ahead, they knew they had to get the boat back to Victoria after and it would be for sale. With a horizon or two of lead between them and Team Brio, they made the prudent choice and sailed slowly through the moguls (the skiing kind, not the jackass on the mega yacht).
What about this boat? What’s its story?
Dragon is the best kind of New Zealand idea. A Kiwi Frankenboat of the highest order. Built in 1997 with a custom set of Steve Cochrane hulls that utilize a canting adaptation of an f-31 mast, lifting foils, and a cabin made from a sailing skiff turned upside down and glassed in. It’s the pinnacle of G’day mate innovative utilitarianism (and yes, Facebook, we did know “G’day mate” is an Aussie, not New Zealander phrase; we just thought we’d get a rise out of you. Fair dinkum).
Why do the race at all? What will you do with the prize money?
Other than “unfinished business,” Team Malolo never offered more to the “Why R2AK?” than a fancy tapdance amounting to: because it’s there. Save one, which is unlike any we have ever heard. Beyond the boat expenses, Duncan has a dog named Oscar, who, after several expensive processes from X-rays to CT scans, was recently diagnosed with elbow dysplasia in both front elbows. While it wasn’t expressed to the public beforehand, this race was a self-described “Race for Oscar,” and as of this afternoon, there are two of Oscar’s elbows that have the budget to be undisplasia-ed.
What are their plans now?
Team Malolo’s initial plans were to eat some Fish House fish and chips, drink a beer, then sleep—and that was all before 6 PM. Civilized and well deserved. They looked tired enough to sleep all the way to the finish line party 24 hours later, but they were up at 4 AM to welcome Team Brio across the line.
When was the last time you spent seven years and several massive, public disappointments to reach a goal? As much as it was to skill and boat speed, Team Malolo’s win was a testament to tenacity. It was also a win for the people who “should” win on at least three fronts:
- They are great sailors, with day jobs. Despite the fancy veneer of their boat,it’s 30 years old. The members of Team Malolo grind out a living like most of us, so much so that Becky took a couple of work calls on the approach to Campbell River to keep her customers at Raven Marine Services happy and her 15 or so employees in paychecks despite her racing to Alaska. Like most of us, these are folks who find time to sail in the margins.
- They are legit nice people. In the history of this race, we’ve only met three assholes, and these folks aren’t among them. Standing invitation to Sunday dinner as far as we’re concerned. People on the docks kept coming to talk to them, and they kept interacting—bone tired as they were. Even the dog that peed on their hulls (not joking) was met with pets and ear rubs. Nicest set of winners you could hope for.
- They are Canadians. We called this thing Race to Alaska because “Race Through Canada” seemed as rude as it was accurate. The fact is that a conceptual 85% (don’t check our math) of the R2AK is Canadian, yet we have never had a single one stand in glory as the hands-down winner. Today we have four in an all-Canadian team. Pretty cool and about time. We’re voting for another national holiday.
At time of writing, it’s 0-Dark-Thirty and the Team Brio pickup team just hit the dock in Ketchikan and ascended into the warm glow of steak knives. The 4 AM coffee is wearing off, and they deserve their day in the sun. More on Team Brio and the rest of the Day 6 finishers later. For now, bask in National Malolo Day.
R2AK—out.
**We know the phrase is “Third time’s THE charm” but when have we ever followed the rules?
Header photo by Rachel Bradley
R2AK 2024 Playlist
In honor of her fellow Canadian’s victory, Canadian rap artist, Solstice, cameoed in R2AK’s virtual studio to lend her voice to the celebration.
The post Stage 2, Day 6: Third Time’s a Charm for an Overnight Success 9 Years in the Making. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s a big day for the Santa’s elves in Race to Alaska’s High Command. In all likelihood, today is the day when the tidal wave of racer energy washes onto Ketchikan shores and the first teams cross the finish line, ring the bell, and flop exhausted into the warm embrace of the 49th’s first city. We’re madly hanging banners with care, in hopes it’s ready ‘fore the finishing teams will be here.
There is of course news from the course. There is so much racing, in so many races, and all in the same race. At the fore is the tip of the spear, Team Malolo who punched into the U S of A sometime in the wee hours of Day 6; Wayne Tater would be proud. The wind is filling in and doesn’t look like it’s going to let up until they are well inside of their approach to KTN. But then there are logs, torn sails, and any number of other issues that have turned presumptive winners into steak knives over the years. Even with 100 miles to go, it’s too early to lock in your offshore bets for the winner, despite whatever the tracker inaccurately claims (yes we know, and yes we’re working on it).
Whoever finishes first, sometime today teams will start hitting the dock at the Alaska Fish House finish line with the frequency of the kicks to our seat from the 6-year-old behind us on the plane. Pretty soon, the finish line will be filled with this year’s winner, knife people, and the rest of the triumphant masses that pile onto the docks in a gloriously exhausted pile.
When will it be? Today. Probably.
Rather than give you our flawed lens on the news, rather than wax apologetic to all of the teams seeming to bear the retribution of us calling out Johnstone Strait as half-strength just to have it wake up with the vengeance and show us it’s still got it (Team Boogie Barge seems to be making the most of it, taking the first offramp from the Johnstone firehose and claiming a first ascent race route around Cracroft Island). Instead of all of that, today we’re going to invite you to imagine yourself in the reality of the teams at the front.
Let’s get centered. Close your eyes. Put your feet flat on the floor. Now take a deep cleansing breath. In—two, three. And out—two, three.
If you’re reading this you clearly failed the “eyes closed” part. Moving on. Put yourself in their shoes.
In one way or another, this is Team Malolo’s boat’s third run at R2AK glory—more if you include that Duncan has been a part of the R2AK’s racer family since 2016. The last two bids for KTN were thwarted by driftwood. Imagine the joy in finally sailing in clear air and sea room while at the same time knowing it can all end in a boat ending log strike as the sun sets. What does it feel like to take another roll at the R2AK craps table if your dice have come up sevens two years in a row?
What does it feel like to be duking it out behind them? At time of writing, Teams Brio and Hullabaloo are trading tacks so close to each other that they look like the same vessel on the tracker until you zoom in so close you can almost see individual waves. What does it feel like to be five days in, tired, and on top of each other? How would you feel? Exhilarated? Exhausted? Both? How do you think about the next 24 hours?
More than all of that, what does it feel like to be at the end of a sometimes years-long process to get ready, to focus on the finish line so intently, for years only to have it all over in less than 24 hours? What next?
Rather than tap dancing our keyboard around the fleet, today we invite you to imagine, to live one more day in liquid suspense.
More tomorrow.
R2AK—out.
Header photo by Garret Weintrob
Today’s sonic amuse bouche comes straight from Denmark’s hottest new underground virtual dance club, Fløøøte, where last night EDM darling du jour, Portia Del Mar spun an R2AK-inspired set and dropped this new single: “Back in the Wind.” We think it sounds great even if you’re not on MDMA.
The post Stage 2, Day 5: Just Live in Liquid Suspense appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Either this is the most wind-starved Race to Alaska in recent memory or we’re suffering from early onset whatever it’s called.
Seriously though, it’s like the wind was cut off because we forgot to pay the bill. Not a great look for a race that bills itself as “the most hardcore, go if you dare, ‘there will be dragons,’ bronco-busting boat rodeo.” With a normal year’s wind, R2AK goes through places so terrifying that they are the scary bedtime stories for the monsters that live under your bed.
The monsters in the R2AK are many. The deadly currents of Seymour Narrows. Oooh! The notorious headwinds and massive seas of Johnstone Strait. Ahhhh! The exposed crossing to Cape Caution, and the Cape itself; the anvil the Pacific hammers into storm after ferocious storm. Gasp! Hecate Strait, the punching bag of the Pacific that routinely passes on the abuse to whatever vessel dares venture into it. Poop!
Except for this year.
This year our monsters were inflatable, our wolves were labradoodles. It’s like the entire BC coast forgot to put in its dentures, did a crossword, then went back to bed.
The only minor adversity that it could muster: intermittent rain. An inconvenience that ranks somewhere between mosquito and fruit fly in the weighted ranking of R2AK monsters. That’s all we got to try to amp up the adventure of this thing. Here it goes (and we think this works best if you say it in a monster truck commercial voice):
It’s crazy out there! Some hardcore teams got hardcore wet, hardcore occasionally! You didn’t know if they were going to sail and then pedal, or pedal then sail! But it’s raining! Sometimes!
We tried.
There wasn’t no wind today, just not Bond villain wind, and not for long enough for bikes not to be a factor. Do you know who’s not sad that the big winds this race is known for never showed up? Our insurance guy, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the loved ones of everyone on the course. Happy Father’s Day.
Weather pity party over, here’s what is happening:
Things keep breaking. Given the sail/pedal ratio of this race, pedal-drive-fatigue-failure makes sense, especially high twitch, high horsepower custom jobs like the ones designed, built, and now broken by Team Stranger Danger. At last report they were still hunting for a passing yacht they could scavenge from. Team Loose Screw continues its on-brand relationship with its pedal drive, and is currently in search of a pedal after it lost itself then failed to float. Paradoxically, at least Teams Bonesaw and Sail Like a Mother have tears in their sail; seemingly caused more by boredom than being strained by the elements. If you just opened a sail/pedal repair shop in the greater Telegraph Cove Metropolitan area, you can put your family’s worries to rest. You’ve made a smart choice after all. This is your week.
The run for the money. As of the morning of Day Four, Team Malolo and the chase pack have punched into clear air and sea room of Hecate Strait. The forecast is, let’s all say it together: light; 5-10 knots, but then building to 10-15 later in the afternoon. Wind, real wind. Our check must have finally cleared.
For what it’s worth, in terms of miles, Bella Bella is R2AK’s hump day. In terms of elapsed time to finish, for the teams heading offshore Bella Bella this is the first page of their final chapter. Tight quarters and tidal, the rest of the course is intricate, nuanced, subtle. Calm or storms, Hecate Strait is about as subtle as a rhino playing piano.
Team Malolo punched into Hecate around 4 am, Team Hulabaloo a couple hours later. Team Brio’s gamble to go outside of Calvert and Hunter Islands paid off. Taking advantage of cleaner air they successfully dodged the rocks in Bella Bella’s southern approach, and outpaced Team Stranger Danger’s diminished pedal driven horsepower to slide into a well-earned 3rd place. In a two-year-old quote that 48° North Editor Joe Cline definitely won’t remember saying: “Schock 40s point to the moon.” With 300 miles of upwind sailing ahead of them, Team Stranger Danger has a chance of regaining ground before the wind dies north of Dixon Entrance. It’s still anyone’s race, but as of now it’s looking like Team Malolo’s race to lose for the money, Team Hulabaloo for the knives, and Team Brio for the dubious honor of first team not to win anything.
The kids table. Behind the lead pack is the fleet of SC27s that is the closest we have ever come to a one design race. A day or so behind the lead pack, this four-boat, cage match/food fight is some of the best racing in the whole fleet and metaphorical kids table of the R2AK. They are still a part of things, but off to the side and in the other room at the folding table.
Team Stranger Danger is giving some “adult cousin ‘Why are we still here in our 30s?’ vibes” and is taking the route to the outside of Calvert Island looking for clear air leaving the younger teams who are heading up the inside route. “Stop copying me!” is written all over course choice.
The high achieving teens on Team Rock the Boat duking it out with Stinky Cousin Roscoe continue to elbow each other over dinner rolls when mom isn’t looking in what continues to be the closest contest of the race. They’ve traded leads a number of times since Johnstone Strait rounded Cape Caution and remain within sight of each other on the Bella Bella approach. Lapping at their heels is the impressive performance of Team Juvenile Delinquents, who, under the leadership of 16-year-old captain, Dagny Kruger, have regained serious miles over the last day and remain very much in the race. Their choice at Calvert is their next big strategy choice, our hunch is that they go outside and brave the rocky minefield of the southern approach to make up time on the rest. This is still very much anyone’s race.
R2AK’s clickbait news of the day:
MOTHERS SLEEP WITH CANADIAN NAVY On the morning of Day 3 Teams Sail Like a Mother and Victory Oar Duff were both found asleep on the dock in Nanaimo. We spotted the Duffers crashed out on the dock in matching camouflage sleeping bags. Paradoxically, the Mothers were harder to spot inside their uncamouflaged boat.
DAY DRINKING Jim from Team Barely Heumann had two margaritas (plus fish and chips) during day two of his tour of duty at Nanaimo’s Dinghy Dock Bar. No word on when karaoke starts.
FOREIGN TEAMS POUR INTO R2AK Beyond the diversity of boats, in the last 48 hours we’ve posted interviews conducted in three languages (four if you count American) and the race has teams from five countries. When we started this thing we were thrilled when we had representation from both parts of North America. Now look at us, as international as a house of pancakes.
**
Day 4 and the race is still racing. We’re as bad at what we’re about to do as we are confident, but our well-licked Ouija board is telling us that the finish will be sometime during daylight Monday; a safe bet considering it doesn’t get dark until 11 pm in Ketchikan.
300 upwind miles to go, but at least there’s wind.
R2AK out.
CORRECTION: In yesterday’s update we incorrectly reported that Team Sailor Swift did not barbecue on Day Three. They did. All are safe, and well, and grilling. We are sorry for any undue stress our false reporting caused for their loved ones.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
The post Stage 2, Day 4: More Biking–Now with Rain appeared first on Race to Alaska.
By all accounts Seymour Narrows is one of the few made guys in the R2AK mafia. There’s never been enough evidence to convict, but Seymour has a well earned reputation as a tidal maelstrom with a rap sheet a mile long that includes massive whirlpools that suck under humans and small boats alike. When all of that current runs against the winds that funnel down its steep canyon walls, we’ve seen boat-breaking waves and complex and confused current that send engined and engineless boats alike into its rocky shores. The biggest man-made, non-nuclear explosion in history might have taken it down a notch or two, but it’s still worthy of Don level respect.
Except for today.
As dawn broke on R2AK’s second day, it became clear to everyone on both sides of our application that we had very little of either. Better luck next year.
Weak tides of the mid-lunar cycle combined with a break in the weather, and Seymour Narrows was downgraded from mafia hitman to water park lazy river. Max current today? A yawning 4 knots. Not nothing, especially for teams trying to pedal against it (BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WIND), but far from the 15 knots of current against 20 knots of wind “adult diapers and a dry suit” Seymour shotgun blasts we’ve seen in most years.
“I don’t even have to use Slow Mo,” remarked the sole member of the R2AK video crew not prone to heckling. (Yes, we have one. One.)
They were right—it was a lot of nothing, for hours. Today, Seymour was neither a shower nor a grower, and suffered from the kind of narrows performance anxiety that happens to all narrows at some time in their life. It’s ok, we can try again later.
Seymour was a non-story, and as of sunset on Day 3, 13 teams had successfully awheemowet-ed past Seymour’s sleeping lion, with another eight ready to pounce at the next opportunity.
Trash-talking nature with dated musical references notwithstanding, Team Malolo is still in front, and at time of writing had regained ground to establish a 15+ mile lead over the closest team. But 400 miles and an unknown number of logs still stand in the way of the New York Times calling it a presumptive victory. We’ve been here before and no one is resting easy.
While nature may have taken another mental health day to work on itself, R2AK ‘24 is dripping with excitement as teams are finding their own races inside of the race.
The fastest is the trail pack of Teams Hulabaloo, Stranger Danger, Brio, and Narrows Minded, whose tight competition is pushing themselves collectively north. After the restart at Seymour’s tidal gate, the four-way threat to victory and steak knives continue to duke it out and swap leads from Seymour Narrows to Queen Charlotte Sound. At time of posting Team Hulabaloo leads Team Stranger Danger by a couple of miles, but had lost, won, lost, and then led again over the course of the last 24 hours. Images and reports get scarcer and scarcer the more they punch into the wilds of the BC coast and cell service goes from annoyingly slow to goddammit zero, but this is the group to sporadically watch as the spotty reports come in. Three tris and a Shock 40 monohull whose canting-keel, showroom model, won the whole damned thing against Team Malolo in 2022. Conventional wisdom is that the monohull is better upwind and offers ⅓ of the exposure to logs. In light air, Team Stranger Danger’s advantage should come from motor sailing with its pedal system, which has at this point lost a crucial drive belt. Amongst their crew is six-time R2AK veteran and professional mariner, Katy Stewart, who has been haranguing everyone she can call via radio and general shouting—from the Alaska State Ferry system to passing mega yacht—to secure a belt drop as they pass. Totally legal in the rules as it wasn’t prearranged. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming days, but so far everyone she has contacted has given her some version of “New boat, who dis?”
Only slightly behind is the clangity-clang sword fight between two versions of R2AK’s rising generation: Teams Rock the Boat and Roscoe Pickle Train. If you take away their high-caliber sailing chops, we couldn’t imagine two more different sets of humans on such similar boats, sailing this competitively with each other, for this long.Both are on SC-27s, both are absolutely crushing it, but that’s largely where the similarities end. One team is obsessed with eating cookies, the other might just as predictably crush them up and rub them in their junk to see what would happen, like some Animal House frat party at Lord of the Flies University. (And no, we don’t want to see the video.)
But there they are, racing together, tack on tack, for dozens of miles. Team Rock the Boat somehow unable to escape the gravitational pull of the sheer density of crusty human funk that is Team Roscoe Pickle Train. Our advice to the Boat Rockers: stay upwind, and if you see them in the trapeze, look away.
On top of all that there were at least a few clickbait headlines worth reporting on:
- NUDITY: Team Not So Fast had a repair that needed diving on, and we all saw their bum.
- VOMITING: Team Boogie Barge had a sick crew, hopefully getting better. Hopes, prayers, and socialized medicine.
- BBQ: Just kidding, apparently Team Sailor Swift let one day go by without firing up the grill on Instagram. #lazy
- BEER: At the tail end of this tiger, Team Barely Heumann looks to havespent 12 hours and counting at Nanaimo’s Dinghy Dock Pub—a cruising boat staple that is only accessible by dinghy, most of which are longer than TBH’s pedaled craft. We assume he was refueling his 6,000 calorie daily need with beer, burgers and fries, but have an as yet unrealised fear that his boat was mistaken for a floating takeout container.
By the time you read this Team Malolo should have made the one right turn of the entire course, rounding Cape Caution and setting its taser to “North.” It’s 400 miles to go for Malolo, the trail pack nipping at their heels and hoping for logs, and Team Barely Heumann presumably hanging on for last call at the Dinghy Dock Pub’s karaoke night. For what it’s worth, we request Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” , or anything from the Wayne Tater discography, live streamed for the masses. Give the people what they want.
Whatever the truth actually is, at least for the first whack finishers we’re about to downshift into the homestretch of R2AK 8. Strap in, and don’t stop believing.
R2AK out.
While we can’t speak for Wayne himself, we have heard from a few of you who took offense at Mr. Tater’s song “Sayonara Victoria.” It seems that Canada and Wayne have had a bit of a falling out, and he’s trying to make amends. We give you today’s R2AK soundtrack: “Canada, Take Me Back.” For our fans stateside, you’ll need to understand a base level of the cultural significance of Tim Horton’s. Do the work.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
The post Stage 2, day 3: Seymour yawned, everyone finds their race, Team Barely Heumann allegedly sang karaoke. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Not that we had a solid bid to begin with, but whatever chance there was for the Race to Alaska to be inducted into the Society of Normal Sailing Races may just have been destroyed during the course of Day 2. Our inside source said that given the heavy weather and safe resolution of the few incidents we had during the Proving Grounds, they might be able to overlook our few transgressions, including the fact that not everyone is sailing, but most of the boats are, at least on paper, sailboats. It seemed to satisfy them that we only had three human power boats in the fleet, less than 10%. They’re trying to be more inclusive.
We were informed that Normal Sailing Races need at least two things to be considered for membership and the sport coat:
- Wind
- Boats that don’t mostly pedal.
As dawn broke on R2AK’s second day, it became clear to everyone on both sides of our application that we had very little of either. Better luck next year.
Light winds that might have seemed both impossible and welcome during the wind-powered washing machine that was the Proving Grounds became somewhere between the norm and aspirational during the second day of Stage 2. Just two days after full-on gales there were pockets of wind, but like women’s pants—the pockets were barely there and not that useful.
Pedaling was the fanny pack solution of Day 2’s low-to-no-wind reality; practical but not attractive.
Yes, we’re talking about the sailboats. The human-powered set were thrilled, or at least less miserable. For a large part of the day Team Boogie Barge had muscled their way into the front third of the field, in front of a number of “sail”boats. They had broken into shifts, pedaling, rowing, and living with their life choices. Specifically the reality of pedaling to Alaska, on purpose, and on a boat whose only sleeping quarters is inches away from the constant whir of human powered machinery. Flat calm in protected waters, this was their day. They even saw whales.
For the majority it was another day of sink-washed underwear. If Stage One was a test of how safe you could be in the harshest conditions, so far Stage Two has been a test of how to move when the wind isn’t blowing. How did it go? Solid C.
- Team Malolo’s wind rocket lacked rocket fuel for takeoff and pedaled for most of the way to get to Seymour Narrows. Nothing broken, but it was like pushing a Lamborghini down the Autobahn and saying “Vrooom.”
- Team Skofitig had drive issues, likely damaged bearings. He made a stop near Nanaimo to inspect. No news on resolution.
- Team Stranger Danger’s custom-printed drive system threw a belt, fix status unknown.
- Team Outtaspace is outta pedal drives. Proving crime doesn’t pay, the one they stole from Team Loose Screws in Victoria no longer is functional.
- Team Only Lubbers broke both drives, fixed them, then promptly went for a swim in celebration. Because racing.
- Team Roscoe Pickle Train’s drive broke and was fixed. Twice. They also broke whatever hope and innocence was left in R2AK’s high command. See below:
Let us set the scene: the final embers of a gorgeous sunset, in one of the most stunning bits of scenery on the planet. Sailing along and out on the trapeze, the talented armpit fart that is Team Rosco Pickle Train decided to enter themselves in the record books with three simultaneous firsts:
- Take a crap while in the trapeze.
- Film it.
- Send it to us.
It started ok, a well composed shot of someone’s silhouette backlit by the sunset. Then the silhouette grew a silhouetted tail, then the tail fell off, and then we vomited.
It was the best executed version of The Worst Thing. Simultaneously innovative and reductive, it required a level of teamwork that until this point had never been considered possible. Someone had to sail, someone had to do it, and another had to film. Say what you will about Gen Z, but they are collaborative. And no, we are not sharing that video. Absolutely not. We’re throwing ourselves on that like it’s a grenade. We’re pretty sure we got pinkeye just from watching.
Outside of bicycle adjacent calamity and scatalogical concept art (yes, we’re being generous), we know of a few other things that went wrong today:
- The torpedo test area “Whiskey Golf” was active, causing teams to avoid the exact right spot to travel to avoid being arrested/torpedoed.
- With a broken forestay and 600-miles to go, Team Natural Disaster faced a choice: press on and have their mast fall over naturally, or make a four-hour pit stop to fix it. They chose Option B, betraying their name but averting disaster.
- Team Sailor Swift barbecued, again, and broke the record for number of barbecues in the first two days of the R2AK. (Two, if math isn’t your thing.)
In news from the front: the tidal traffic light to the northern ¾’s of the course that is Seymour Narrows shined red for Team Malolo, who were seen sailing downwind, and occasionally backwards as the wind died and the current built on the approach to Seymour Narrows. With flashbacks to 2022, the Malolos pedaled the last miles only to wait in the anchorage that serves as the Narrows’ awkward waiting room.
As it did two years ago, this allowed the four boat chase pack to close the lead from 20+ miles to five before the tidal gate opened again. Malolo went through around midnight, Teams Hulabaloo and Narrows Minded were through an hour later, Stranger Danger and Brio shortly after that. At time of writing Malolo has opened up the gap again down Johnstone, but not from fancy sailing or top end boat speed. In a moment that’s as head scratchy as any, the notorious blow hole that is Johnstone Strait is flat calm. Teams are pedaling through.
Johnstone’s typically strong winds, violent seas, and raging current has been the lion just inside of the gates of Seymour; broken masts, smashed boats, and over the years more than a few teams have been consumed in Johnstone, but today the lion slept. Nice kitty.
At the start of R2AK’s third day the top five teams are only separated by 15-miles. 400+ miles to go, this is still anyone’s race.
R2AK out.
The Admirals of Disco are back! This time with a fresh track about Seymour Narrows tidal gate. We dare you not to dance!
Header photo by Shelley Lipke
The post Stage 2, Day 2: The bikiest sailing race on the planet appeared first on Race to Alaska.
If you were to have invented, patented, then produced a new geiger counter that measured the levels of nervous energy instead of radiation, then deploy that device on the docks in Victoria for the 24-hours between noon on Tuesday and noon on Wednesday at least two things would be true:
- You would have spent a lot of time and resources inventing something of marginal value.
- We could have just told you. Saved you your life savings, your marriage, and all of VC money for R&D.
Until the yet to be developed field of Nervemetry catches up with your dreams, we can tell you on good authority that the energy reading on the docks was drastically different between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
Tuesday was a 2.3.
Noon Tuesday was the international dateline between whatever hangovers were ebbing out of racers after the party the night before, the remaining items on their checklist, and the balance of introvert/extrovert emotions for interacting with the public about the R2AK during the open docks in Victoria (which went great, thanks for asking).
Hundreds of fans from all over came down to meet the teams they’ll be rooting for/swearing at for the next few weeks. Sure there were holes being drilled into the tops of masts, and sure, there were multiple runs to multiple hardware stores, but all in all a pretty low reading, and well inside of tolerance compared to the data gathered in previous years.
Even the biggest issues of Stage 1 were being systematically resolved. Team Boogie Barge’sexistential structural problem? Sorted, and stronger than ever. Team Loose Screws losing their pedal drive? A call to R2AK nation for help had produced not just one replacement (“It’s even better than our first one!”) but an additional one that got incorporated into Team Outtaspace. Now Outtaspace has both oars AND pedals. Never waste a crisis.
Wednesday was 4.6 (and remember, this is a logarithmic scale).
The open house/shopping trip vibes of Tuesday transformed overnight into a hive swarm of low key frenetic activity. Last minute repairs, gear packed and repacked, loved ones milling on the dock to say goodbye and good luck, and goodbye and good luck, and yes, we’ll give you some space. Good luck.
With all of that activity, it’s hard to say who was most NervometricTM. Who was least? George, the 3-foot sock monkey that has inexplicably become a veteran of multiple teams’ multiple tours in the R2AK navy. George was stoic, unfazed. George was ready.
The Nerveometer hit 11 around 11:45 when the docks were cleared of teams and bystanders to make way for the most hilarious start of any. Families offered another last goodbye and good luck, and teams made their way to the top of the seawall; a Bohr Model holding cell for nervous energy ready to lose a fleet worth of free electrons towards the wilds of Alaska.
Racer free radicals were surrounded by more than a thousand members of the public who ringed the marina to see the teams off and/or wonder why the hell it was so hard to walk on the sidewalk right now. The already informed part of the crowd included at least one mother and son team who traveled from as far as Arizona just to see it themselves and dozens of R2AK alumni who came to see the latest crop launch to the moon and experience the intoxicating mix of “I wish it was/thank god it’s not me.”
At the nucleus of this running atomic model metaphor was the R2AK’s Class of ‘24; the hundred or so souls who were minutes away from fusing themselves with their northbound destiny. The class photo that wasn’t taken would have been one to remember, this is the last time that all of these teams, this community in motion would be in the same place at the same time. Nostalgia would come later. The air in the moments before was filled with an intoxicating culmination of adrenaline, XXX, and the “Oh my god we are actually doing this” realized and excited bewilderment. For some this had been years in the making. The future they had imagined was converging with their present. This was as cosmic as it was predictable.
Highs were fived, selfies were selfed, and all the vibes vibed to a nervous approximation of their particular frequency.
In terms of actual reality, more than a few teams had matching shirts, Team Sailor Swift wore their signature sets of matching red Fluevog prototypes, Team Stranger Danger leaned into the bit and donned mustaches and may or may not have offered candy to Teams Juvenile Delinquents and Rock the Boat; the two teams of high schoolers who “no thanks, mister-ed” their final moments of R2AK’s final pre-game. Raised ‘em right.
5
4
3
2
1
A horn was blown, a cannon was fired, and amongst the cacophony of R2AK Branded CowbellsTM a stream of humanity ran through the crowd and down the dock to unleash their dogs of war into this year’s main event.
The hustle was impressive. At least one team cut lines to save the crucial seven seconds in this race that lasts seven to 22 days. It’s a hard argument that seven seconds will ever matter, but as someone is about to write, victory is built seven seconds at a time, and Team Roscoe Pickle Train wasn’t going to cede defeat before things had even started. It paid off immediately. TRPT was the first to cut lines, first off the dock, first to pass at least 5 teams, and first place overall for at least 5 minutes. Story for a lifetime and bragging rights for at least an hour.
If you’ve watched the movie but never been, the start of this year’s R2AK was like the movie, but surprisingly more lifelike. Thanks to float planes, Canada, and laws there is legally no sailing in Victoria’s inner harbor. This means that R2AK’s ragtag navy of sailboats, kayaks, and whatever Team Barely Heumann is, all had to human power, pell-mell themselves for a mile and a half until they could raise sails. It’s a circus of the absurd, definitely worth a watch of the videos. (Check our social media. Like, share, and subscribe.)
And then, they were gone… but gradually.
The winds that had raged in the days before had subsided to a pleasant/ frustrating 5 knot breeze from the west that curled around into a following breeze into the Greater Haro Strait Metropolitan area. Teams with sails popped their spinnakers as they made the right turn on either side of Trial Island’s left turn. Mostly. The notable exception was Team Barely Heumann’s decision to just keep pedaling despite his ability to deploy a sail in the following breeze: “It’s kind of a hassle, and I’m just getting started.”
Godspeed.
TBH’s pedaled course took him within a shank and a half of the manicured golf course of the links on Gonzales Point. On a good day he looks like a rich metaphor of can do, to the golfing farsightedness of the 12th fairway he may just look like the golf ball they lost on the last drive.
For the rest of the daylight hours of Day One, the rest of the fleet made the most of the least nature had to offer. Sails up until it doesn’t make sense, then to the oars and pedals. Then sails again, then back to the muscles. Then back again. And again. And again. Three hours into Stage One maintaining race speed called for humble flexibility.
If you’ve never rowed a racing sailboat, it’s a little like washing your only pair of underwear in your motel room’s bathroom sink: you can do it if you have to, but it feels like exposed failure, and at least a little shameful; especially when you go to brush your teeth. It’s necessary and practical, but no one wants it on their Instagram.
The exception to the rule might be Team Sailor Swift’s rare, but emerging practice of grilling while rowing. There aren’t many applications in competitive rowing where GrillrowingTM is possible, let alone practical, but it surprisingly is when you find yourself at the center of the Venn diagram of zero wind, on a Race to Alaska sailboat, before the chicken goes bad.
The rest of Day One is etched into the tracks of the tracker. As night fell on Day One, red and green bow lights weaved their way through the sleepy islands of the Gulf Islands, silently, slowly, steadily. Residents slept on, unaware that a monumental adventure was unfolding a golf ball’s drive off from their house—unless they were part of Tracker Nation, then they were glued to their screens and couldn’t sleep like the rest of us.
The question on everyone’s mind is when will the leaders get to Seymour Narrows? Depending on where you look, the weather forecast ranges between decent wind and another day of teams washing their underwear in the proverbial sink. Only time will tell.
We know that there’s a favorable tide in the Narrows at 4 pm, and then another 6-ish hours later. The actual answer is locked in the future, but we’re so desperate to know that we’re licking our Ouija Board. So far it hasn’t given us new answers, but it does pass the time.
So far our tongue is telling us that Team Malolo will likely hit the Narrows late today, or tomorrow, we’re still pulling bits of Oujia Board off our tongue-—we’re not going to put money on it. Not that we would. Probably. Trust in the multiverse. Five bucks.
Day One is in the bag, another bag’s worth tomorrow.
R2AK out.
Header photo by Taylor Amble
The post Stage 2, Day 1: Race Start, washing underwear in the sink, and somebody licks a Ouija Board. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Race to Alaska is a lot of things, but it’s at least a race. Yes to Alaska, but first prove you can get to Victoria.
To get there, you need to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We’re public school graduates here at Race Command, but we all agree that in addition to being well-named, WTF sounds classier in its original Spanish.
The Strait of JDF is 90 miles long and 30 miles across and is regularly assaulted by brutal weather. On top of that it’s an international border/highway that funnels a constant stream of 1,000-foot ships supplying the better part of two countries’ worth of Amazon doodads, the rest of the world with produce and petroleum, all lumbering at 30 miles an hour—two to ten times faster than any team on the course. If they could even be seen amongst the waves, small boats wouldn’t even register as a speed bump.
Ask any member of the collective BC/Washington boating public about crossing “the Straits” and their answer will invariably land somewhere between “Don’t” and “Only if.” Ask Race to Alaska and our answer is “Sunday or Monday, regardless.”
Why do we make it mandatory in a specific time window regardless of weather? Because this might be the safest part of the whole damned thing.
The Strait is R2AK’s intimidating and sporadically violent sorting hat. The Strait is Darwin’s bouncer; imperfect, brutal, and the best we got. Make it to Victoria and we’ll put you on the list, part the velvet ropes, and let you in. Don’t make it in time or get rescued, better luck next time.
To misquote Sinatra: If you can make it there, you might be able to make it anywhere.
On Day One, our bouncer was in fine form. Wind was crazy, waves were violent, and teams were forced to gamble: could they make it across before the gale descended in the afternoon, or could they get closer and hope for a window on Day Two? Teams with a self-assessed combo of fast, bold, and bulletproof made a play for Victoria on Day One. With only a couple of “Thank god you made it/Juan de Fuca were you thinking?” exceptions, the fleet safely separated itself into two groups, and the ones left on the far side of the gale made a go for it today.
Teams still out on Day Two were the small ones. None of them had more than 20 feet of length and, with the exception of Team Orca, all of them were solos: two Hobie Tandem Islands, two Angus Rowcruisers, one Santana 20’, a paddle board, a kayak, a 14-foot Laser, and 12 feet of whatever the hell Team Barely Heumann is (more on that later).
All of those understaffed Tonka toys facing the leftover slop on a slow-waning gale? Juan de Fuca.
Most of the Lil’ Fleet spent the night holed up in the socially distanced, shitty anchorage of opportunity that is Dungeness Spit. At low tide, the sandspit offers maybe ten feet of vertical protection from the 35-knot westerlies that roared all night. When the tide came up, it was seven feet less. At that point, it offered refuge from the massive swells rolling in from all the way from the Pacific, but waves in the anchorage made sleep wet and uncomfortable.
“I anchored off my stern, and waves sprayed where I slept.” In her 20-some years, Jolyn from Team Forget Me Knot has done most of the coast on a Hobie Tandem Island, but this was the worst she had seen. She departed with the rest around 4 AM to scoot across. It was hairy, but she passed the test and gained a new confidence in what her “team” was capable of. “It was bad, but after that, I was like ‘OK, I can handle that.”
While details of his trip and background remain shrouded in an eponymous mystery, Team Mr X had a similar experience in the trail pack’s other Tandem Island (Jo’s was orange, his was the red one). He was spotted in the middle of the straits in good spirits, helmet on his head, sailing, pedaling, in 5-foot seas, and consumed by whatever was on his phone at the time. Whether he was navigating or Netflixing, we’ll never know. He’s Mr X; an enigma wrapped in a riddle, inside of a drysuit. He hit the docks, rang the bell, then asked how to get a fishing license. His Tandem Island has a holder for a fishing pole, complete with downriggers. His plan is to Fish to Alaska “Rockfish, maybe halibut, maybe salmon. Sashimi.”
In 2015, BC’s own human-powered circumnavigator turned small boat designer, Colin Angus developed then R2AK’d an 18-foot trimaran that has since made multiple successful/unsuccessful Races to Alaska in the years that followed. Yesterday, Team Hornblower’s “maxi cabin” variant and Team Skoftig’s pedal-powered variant made it across from Dungeness. Derek from Skoftig spent his first night (ever!) on the boat he built and then shipped from Australia. How was it in the sleeping space? “Somewhere between a coffin and a womb. Pretty comfortable!” Amazing considering the rough anchorage
Team Occam’s Laser’s Death or Glory bid for Victoria glory rodeoed its almost 14 feet of open dinghy racer almost all the way to Victoria in Day One’s sporty to terrifying sea state. Alex is an experienced sailor but lacks the BMI to counterbalance his sail for upwind performance, and he had to take a less direct route given Sunday’s massive waves and a ripping current. He made his way to a customs dock in Oak Bay on the east side of Victoria. He returned to the course on Day Two, making it to Trial Island before he capsized, breaking his boom and a water-tight hatch in the process. A mariner, third-generation Victoria sailor, and member of the Canadian Navy he crawled onto the upside-down hull, called for a rescue, and was delivered to the finish with a broken boat but unbroken spirits. Harrowing, but none the worse for wear. Our guess is he’ll be back, maybe even on a boat that’s big enough to make it.
Then there were Teams SUP N Irish and Bowen Arrow who looked at the forecast, and given just one night braved R2AK’s northwest passage. Rather than turning left after the Port Townsend starting line, they went north, hit the beach at Whidbey Island, slapped wheels on their SUP and kayak, and pulled them and all their gear the three road miles to Penn Cove then paddled all day to avoid the worst of the slop in the Strait. We loved it.
Is it legal? Yes, human-powered all the way.
Was it smart? More complicated.
While they avoided the worst of the weather, they added tens of miles to their trip and eventually were too far to get anywhere near the Victoria finish line. When the 5 PM curtain closed on Stage One’s second day, the two of them had paddled over 65 miles to never get closer than 25 miles of the finish line. They started 32 miles from Victoria.
Gut punch.
Was it the right decision? Who knows, but it was a cool idea until it wasn’t. Both of them enter the R2AK annals as DNF (Did Not Finish) but enter our hearts as the rockstars who were first to try. In something that we definitely wrote ourselves, these guys took the road less traveled, and that made all the difference, but this time in a bad way.
This leaves us with Stage One’s final finisher: Team Barely Heumann; the can-do, human-powered anomaly that is rapidly rocketing into low-key fame as the hands-down, fan-favorite, best-version-of-slow amazing.
Let’s start with his boat. No way around it, it’s weird.
12 feet long, the production-built Nauticraft Escapade is a pedal craft that strikes the eye as a charismatic cross between a floating set of ski goggles and a human-powered suppository. We mean all of it, and especially the charismatic part. We don’t know how, but it looks like it’s smiling.
For people who care about the quaint and official, other versions of Team Barely Heumann’s self-contained capsule have delivered adventurers to the pedal-powered speed record across the English Channel.
Golf clap.
Call us gluten intolerant, but what Jim just did over the last 36 hours seems more impressive than the milk run between scones and croissants: 60 plus miles in five to six-foot waves in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, without support, nestled in everything he needs to exist for the next month or so. Sure he was last, more than a day later than the front of the pack. The Nauticraft toddles along at 3 knots, and only when you pedal. All of that wind in the Strait, and Jim’s 71-year-old frame just kept pushing. Waves were big, twice as tall as his boat, he’d disappear in the trough and pop back up on the other side. He’d surf down some, bash into others, and eventually learn that he needed to take them at 45-degree angles to keep it going and not roll over. After the trip to Dungeness’s relative protection, Jim spent hours (HOURS!) pedaling in mostly the wrong direction in order to keep the waves at a survivable angle.
When he hit the dock in Victoria, Team Barely Heumann got the largest cheer of them all.
Is he continuing? “I think I’ll keep going, but I’ll let you know.” All around him, teams were making repairs to everything. How did he fare on the smallest boat in the fleet? “I almost lost my hat.”
Open docks in Victoria today from 12 to 6 PM. Misquoting Sinatra again: if you can make it here, you should. Today is your last chance to rub elbows with the teams, shake hands with some incredible humans, and shake your head at what some people consider a good time.
Race starts tomorrow, high noon.
Race to Alaska, out.
No idea how he did it, but aspiring Juan de Fucan hip-hop icon, Lil’ Breezy somehow convinced Jazzy Dee to squash their decades-long beef and dropped this fresh new cut. Word to your mother.
Header photo by Taylor Amble
The post Stage 1, Day 2: The Little Ones Make It (Mostly), Thinly Veiled Plagiarism, and Human-Powered Suppositories. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
If you haven’t been, if you weren’t there, the Port Townsend start of the Race to Alaska is as magic a moment of early morning ridiculous as you could possibly imagine.
3 AM wake up? Ridiculous.
The thousand-fan community lining the docks in predawn camaraderie? Ridiculous.
The Unexpected Brass Band that shows up like clockwork for the 5th year in a row? Ironic, fantastic, ridiculous.
Even if it’s the same as last year, there is nothing normal about the R2AK.
Beyond the steadfastly random absurdity of the bleary-eyed hootenanny on the shore, imagine yourself on one of the 40-some boats trying to peel back your eyelids and claw your way to and across the starting line and into the Race to Alaska. 3 AM is early, but especially after an uncomfortable sleep, laden with anticipation.
At best you were expecting wind, and lots of it. Race Boss and all of the forecasts were calling for gales if you waited long enough; 35 knots, delivered straight on the nose from the business end of the Pacific Ocean against the massive river of the outgoing tide. Current going out, wind heading in; it’s the classic forecast that results in massive seas that shake loose whatever you didn’t lock down.
That happened, but later. The train of breaking waves left the station around 11 AM and sent teams and support boats alike into an “Are we ok?” Puckerfest to Alaska. Chunks would be blown, but that wouldn’t happen for hours. The first moments of R2AK’s 2024 launch sequence were a feel-good photo shoot; the shoreside and cheering masses at the starting line were treated with enough wind to fill the sails, music to fill their ears, and a prophetically red-hued “sailor take warning” sunrise.
It was as close to magic as science would allow.
Horns were blasted, cannons were fired, and the Race to Alaska 2024 was born.
By the time we wiped the starting line afterbirth from our eyes, the Proving Ground started living up to its name.
Teams that were ready made it in early. Team Malolo shrugged off a sub-5-hour romp back to their Canadian homeland, not a course record, but fast and safe so who cares. Handily done for the hands-down fastest boat in the race with a crack squad sailing in their own backyard. They were in the barn in time for high tea at the Empress (unconfirmed).
The fast and ready followed suit. Next and most notably, the sixteen feet of fury of Team Tips Up romped their Hobie 16 across for second, blasting past mathematical models of faster teams, and line honors by hours for the under 20 set. With big waves and no shelter, you can bet it was a wet one. At least prune hands, probably cold tips.
On the other side of the dialed-in divide, more than a few teams discovered the parts of their realities that weren’t quite as ready. If the late-night construction noises on Race Eve were any indication (spoiler alert: they were) more than a few teams found the flaws in their plan and prep:
- Team Knot So Fast made a quick pit stop within earshot of the starting line to deal with an issue that wasn’t covered in their new owner orientation. They bought their lake sailing Hobie 33 in April from a decade-long stint on a trailer from the “little old lady who only sailed it on Sundays.” They hadn’t noticed the hole in the hull that let water into the part of the boat that was supposed to be dry. Anchor, epoxy, pray. They made it, with epoxy that is apparently still curing.
- Team Loose Screw played amodified version of rock paper scissors with the ocean. Turns out “water beats metal” and a wave sheared the metal bracket holding their pedal drive together. It sheared off and sank like a stone. They limped in and have already mobilized the Racer Network for a replacement. Fingers crossed.
- Team Boogie Barge. Holy shit and thank god…
From the jump, Team Boogie Barge’s four-person, human-powered contraption-fest was either a Bad News Bears favorite or a WTF All-Star. The first of its kind, and a concept years in the making, Boogie Barge’s boiled-down algebra is roughly: muscle + concept = fate.
30-foot custom pedal/row catamaran, four people, no sails, self-built, big waves. What could go wrong?
Somewhere between the all-night construction leading up to the starting line and the 6-foot waves, a weld failed on the crossbeam that served as 50% of the hardware keeping the two hulls together. Six hours in and 15 miles from the nearest shore.
Curse words.
Waves were building, the tide was turning against them, and the weld wasn’t healing itself. Each wave flexed the boat, each one bringing them closer to breaking apart. How many more waves could they take before they transitioned from racer to rescue? Luckily it was at least one more, but it was dicey, for hours. We can’t speak for them, but we just unpuckered 15 minutes ago.
They made it, but barely, and are looking for a welder in the greater Victoria area. Forward a contact if you have one. It takes a village.
By mid-afternoon the fleet had separated into the teams that had rocketed/limped into Victoria before the full force of the predicted gale descended, the gaggle of wise and small vessels that buddied up in the wind-swept waiting room of Dungeness Spit (more on them tomorrow), and the three teams of pioneering yahoos who took the right turn to nowhere and spent all day walking/paddling to get just as far from the finish line as when they started. As of 5 AM of Stage One’s second day, Teams SUP N Irish, Bowen Arrow, and Hard On Port are all in various parts of the San Juan Islands, 30-ish upwind crow-flying miles between them and the 5 PM cutoff. (More on them tomorrow, too.)
As day one closed on the first day of R2AK, the proving ground had done its job of testing the limits of teams hoping to fling themselves into the unsupported wilds to the north. Limits were tested, survivable damage, bearable wetness, pucker weary, but bodies and souls intact. More teams are on the way in the first light of Day Two. We’re just getting started.
R2AK, out.
LATE BREAKING UPDATE: Team Hard On Port* has resigned from the race as of 0700 on 6/10. No details as of yet.
Disappointed for them, and slightly relieved for us. 750 miles of writing about a team with that name and trying to stay above even our low bar of classy? If their decision lasts more than four hours… Ok, we’re done. Hope all is ok for the Hard On Porters
LATER BREAKING UPDATE: Team Make Fetch Happen* has also resigned from the race. No news, and no Viagra jokes.
LATEST BREAKING NEWS: Team Occam’s Laser’s* boom broke but he and the boat are safely aboard a Canadian Coast Guard vessel heading into Victoria. Alex Webb was the only person aboard and is safe and sound.
Header photo by Taylor Bayly
R2ak playlistNiche legends, Admirals of Disco, took a break from their 13-week reunion tour of midwestern casino ballrooms to drop by the R2AK virtual recording booth. Gloria and the gang dropped an adaptation of their B-side “Electric Disco” just for you.
The post Stage 1, Day 1: Start, Gales, and the Right Turn to Nowhere appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Mic check, testing, one two, one two.
(Ahem)
Welcome to Race Day, you gender-non-specific and glorious bastards of the R2AK. Time to dust off the dopamine receptors, set your decoder rings to 11, and rise and frigging grind—it’s June and there’s a Ketchikan to catch.
It’s been a while: 364 agonizing sleeps since the last starting gun, three weeks less than near a year since you trackered the last team across into Ketchikan glory land. Better limber up, do a yoga, and get ready to Race Fan your ass off.
Have you been training like you promised? Have you been keto squat thrusting? Have you been doing epithet exercises, the “red leather, yellow f***cker” diction reps while you crank out the resistance click sets, tapping your touchscreen to build up your index/thumb calluses and carpal tunnels for the non-stop month of alternately refreshing the tracker and swearing at your screen when it crashes? Don’t worry, us either/too. You’re among friends.
Regardless of whatever the hell that meant, we’re T-minus less than ever between now and Sunday’s 5 AM lift-off, and couldn’t be more excited. Too much of the year is spent not Racing to Alaska. The deal is still the same: you promise to hoot and holler, we promise to shovel up a steaming pile of race news and pour it into your brain hole. Every. Single. Day.
What’s steaming today?
Today, the barrier between what might be and what will be is getting thinner by the minute. By the time you read this, R2AK’s class of 2024 will be waking up on Race Eve to some version of at least some of the following:
- Something they thought was finished actually isn’t (usually repairs, sometimes food, always catastrophic).
- The thing they focused on because it was definitely important really isn’t (usually food, sometimes repairs, rarely catastrophic).
- Something fundamental was overlooked entirely.
The truth is, Race to Alaska is a series of races, and the race to the starting line is the first one, that by tomorrow everyone will have lost at least a little. Better shoot for two out of three.
Reality is getting bigger by the minute, and the docks in Port Townsend are abuzz with the steady frenzy of last-minute preparations. People are up masts, in the bilge, rebuilding everything from pedal drives to toilets as the ticking clock of tomorrow gets louder. Through it all, the camaraderie of the racers is as palpable as it is bizarre. These are competitors through and through, but today teams are helping each other, pooling resources and expertise to get each other into fighting shape in time for race day. One set of oars went from one team to another, spare shackles made their way down the dock to save another one. At least from the binocular view from behind the blinds of R2AK’s command bunker, it looks like racers are swapping more parts than a swinger convention.
Today is the Eve of the R2AK, one more day, one more sleep, one more chance to dial it in before Sunday’s 5 AM, rude o’clock start. If you’re like everyone else who has talked to us in the last 24 to 240 hours, you’re wondering the same thing: “What does the weather look like for the start?” We look at various models, and we can safely say that the weather for the start looks like it’s 100% chance of inevitable.
Stage 1 is called the Proving Ground for the very reason that we don’t care about the weather, but the race teams better. Teams have to prove they can make it to Victoria in 36 hours, REGARDLESS OF WEATHER, to qualify to continue. Storm for days? Deal with it. Zero wind? Gentlemen start your blisters. The actual forecast looks like wind, a fair bit of it, for at least the first day, maybe the second. Batten down the hatches, freebase some Dramamine, and get ready to bash it out for 30 open water miles to Canada.
But that’s Sunday. Today is Saturday, Ruckus Day; Port Townsend Pride Fest’s adjacent R2AK celebration of bands, beer, and pharmaceutical-grade race enthusiasm. If you’re anywhere near you should come down. Check out the boats, meet other race fans, rub elbows with Race to Alaska veterans and rookies alike, bask in/shake your head at the 44 versions of good-natured hubris that will be heading north tomorrow morning. Today the barrier between “might be” and “will be” is intact and all there is is the camaraderie of R2AK Nation, and the hope and anxiety of tomorrow.
Ready or not, R2AK.
The post Pre-Race Update: Ruckus? You Hardly know us. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Join as the Race Boss, past racer Nikki, and Joey Mustache say words about the upcoming race, some of which are true.
This final episode of the 2024 pre-season heralds the return of Team Malolo - spurned by the logs of 2022 and looking for vengeance, as well as newcomer Mr. X - R2AKing in one of the toughest ways possible.
Team Brio rises from the ashes of Douglas's non-starter TRON-inspired Team Skywalker from 2022, and we check in with the sponsors of the 2024 Oaracle Blister Prize: Team Oaracle.
Here near the bottom of the 2024 R2AK teams barrel, we found three more gems and chatted them up.
More bios
Team members: Alex Webb & Aldyn Chwelos
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Race vessel: Laser Full Rig
LOA: 13’9″
Human propulsion: Row
The post Team Occam’s Laser appeared first on Race to Alaska.
And the hits keep on coming. Listen up this week as we quiz three more teams on prop choice, sleeping in coffins, and things that could derail the whole endeavor.
Boat lovers/addicts, a solo sailor with a lot of wet miles ahead of her, and a team manifested from an online sailing/dating scheme - all inside this week's tidy podcast package.
More bios
Team members: Richard Treadwell & Tim Duncan
Hometown: Inverness, CA, USA
Race vessel: Santa Cruz 27
LOA: 27′
Human propulsion: Row
The post Team Shaka appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Chelsea Meyers & Mark La Venture
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: Santa Cruz 27
LOA: 27′
Human propulsion: Pedal
Connect: instagram
The post Team Only Lubbers Left Alive appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Emily Dingwell, Anne McCormack, Julie Miller, Holly Fleming
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: San Juan 24
LOA: 24′
Human propulsion: Pedal
Connect: instagram
The post Team Loose Screw appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Settle in for the long haul folks, as the R2AK podcast heads into a series of three-interview episodes. In this week's chats, meet a trio of teams that each will require a blister-care technician.
There are perhaps no two different boats than those chosen for glory by this weeks' teams. Bask in the variety of R2AK in this week's episode.
This week, fill up your sound holes with the tale of Team Rock the Boat, and take note as the Race Boss gives some tips on how to follow the upcoming race.
This week, we'll introduce you to a trio of sailors, two of whom will meet face to face for the first time just days before the race start and an R2AK volunteer superstar making a solo bid aboard his liveaboard Contessa 26.
Two more teams for the your consumption this week - from Seattle it's Team Natural Disaster, here being quizzed by the one and only Nikki Henderson, and from San Francisco we have Team Hullabaloo, lightly grilled by Race Boss Jesse.
This week's episode starts with an extremely awesome update about R2AK's future from the Race Boss, and is followed by interviews with two extremely awesome teams. Go to www.nwmaritime.org/wa360-race
Two teams, both alike in reckless grace,On vast seas where we our race cast,Guardian Sailing and Wicked Wily Wildcat, fast,Through trials where bold choices embrace.If you want actual information and not nonsense words, hit play.
In this week's episode, revel in the clever team names and take a close look at two approaches to R2AK - father/daughter/guy-named-rob and roommate/roommate/roommate/friend/semi-stranger.
How are these two teams even in the same race? Oh right - it's R2AK. Get to know the soloist of Team SKOFTIG as they chat with Jake and the quad-ists Team Juvenile Delinquents who caught up with the Race Boss.
It's a big year for R2AK solo adventure artists. Meet Dan of Team Hornblower and Bruce of Team Bowen Arrow, and try to understand just what it is they're running away from.
R2AK creator and one-man hive-mind Jake Beattie joins the Race Boss this week. Meet Greg of Team Kuaka, the first OC-1 to attempt the full race, and Kayleen and Sylvia - who seem to make more reasonable choices - racing as Team Orca.
The week of dos jefes. Listen in as Race Boss Emeritus Daniel Evans chats with Hobie-hopefuls Tips Up and Race Boss Actual meets Sail Like a Mother.
R2AK is back for 2024, and with it a new batch of hopefuls. Get to know Team Narrows Minded as they chat with R2AK 2-time winner Nikki Henderson, followed up by a chat between 0-time R2AK winner Race Boss Jesse and Team Spirit of Nevetz.
Hokay race fans. Gather round and listen up. It has been a long, hard, sweaty, 23 days at Race High Command. We are living off the last crumbled bits of ramen noodles from Ruckus, we are willing the damn Weatherfax to stop its incessant beeping (does anyone know how to turn this thing off??), and
The post Day Done. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
As the final four teams wend their way through the eastern passages towards Ketchikan, and the storytelling engine begins to sputter due to lack of fuel, now might just be the time to gaze out over the landscape of our shared R2AK experience and take note of the foundations upon which it all stands. From
The post Stage 2, Day 19: Bedankt appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Another Record The walls of Race High Command are plastered with Post-it Notes indicating various R2AK World Records. In addition to things like “Fastest Finisher,” “Most Miles in a Day,” and “Most Human Days Spent R2AKing,” here are some less common superlatives: Most Face-Stitches Gained (7)Most Tubes of 5200 Marine Adhesive Consumed (6)Largest Surface Area
The post Stage 2, Day 18: Zen and the Art of Crushing It appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Wave Forager mic-drops. Hard. We’ve dusted off our old TI-84 graphing calculator from Ms. Johnson’s trigonometry class, double checked our work on our great-grandfather’s abacus, and have determined that Ken Deem has pulled on his oars around a quarter of a million times in the last 15 days. Don’t check our work. It’s correct. Ken
The post Stage 2, Day 17: Opposite Outcomes appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Legendary music producer Rick Rubin seems like a pretty cool guy. A fella with the flowingest beard-mane, an ear for chart topping hits, a profoundly chill vibe, and a legacy of successful genre-obliterating partnerships with the likes of the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and Johnny Cash…what’s not
The post Stage 2, Day 16: Adventure Artists appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The nine R2AK teams still on course continue to make way toward bell-ringing glory in Ketchikanian paradise, each carrying the unsnuffable torch of adventurous grit and perseverance. Most of these incredible humans make miles exclusively thanks to their own muscle and sinew—and apparent capacity to ignore or embrace physical pain—enacting feats of endurance that would
The post Stage 2, Day 15: A Human-Powered Kind of Day appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Folks who spend a lot of time on the water like to refer to those who make good decisions and well-considered preparations as “prudent mariners.” Team Monkey Fist are what you might call “prudent mariners,” and they indeed have gone through the crucial, years-long process of getting their asses whooped to earn the title. To
The post Stage 2, Day 14: Worthy of the Fist appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The “Baking and Spices” aisle of the Ketchikan Wal-Mart has limited options for acquiring salt in large quantities. And so High Command stood (yeah, High Command is embodied like that) and wondered whether “Pure” or “With Iodine” was the correct choice for the task at hand. Pure, it was. And so when Team Unsalted Nuts,
The post Stage 2 Day 13: Stay Salty appeared first on Race to Alaska.
As the wound-licking and boat repairs in Ketchikan turn to team departures—We Brake For Whales, Unfinished Business, Budgie Smugglers, and Dacron and Denim are already southbound—attentions begin to turn to the racers with the hardest-of-cores: the human-powered crowd. With the bulk of these teams traveling largely together, one team has maintained the role as front-runner
The post Stage 2, Day 12: A voice from the front-middle appeared first on Race to Alaska.
As Ketchikan fills up with ever more racers, Race Boss Jesse juggles a heavy in-person social schedule on top of the ever-present ringing of the all-important Race Boss Bat Phone. He sent us these telegrams from the field for your reading pleasure: Header photo by Ian Greenwood
The post Stage 2, Day 11: Race Boss’ Field Report appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Two thousand-plus years before St. Peter started gatekeeping the Pearly Gates, the ascension to afterlife in jolly old ancient Egypt was adjudicated by Maat. If you’ve ever heard of her (pronounced “/múʔʕa/” if that helps jog your memory) she was Kardashian-level, “hieroglyph famous” for side eye and judging your trip to whatever they called heaven.
The post Stage 2, Day 10: One, five, and five for 3rd, 4th, and 5th appeared first on Race to Alaska.
When Team Budgie Smugglers crossed the finish line, the rain- and wind-swept huddled welcome committee included R2AK faithful, KTN locals, a seemingly random guy in a superhero costume, and Team We Brake for Whales who showed up after 4 sleeps and 8 parties in the last 24 hours—all to wish them well. The sum total
The post Stage 2, Day 9: The Budgies Smuggle themselves to Alaska appeared first on Race to Alaska.
They say that the root cause of accidents extends beyond the moment it occurs; that when a ship sinks, a space shuttle explodes, or the US’s entry into the Miss Universe pageant wears a 30-pound/space-themed costume in front of, apparently, the universe—there is for sure a bucket of blame that will be splashed on the
The post Stage 2, Day 8: Team We Brake for Whales: A boat, a team, a disease appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team We Brake for Whales for the win: 5 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes!! TWBW sailed faster than our coverage, below is a teaser of more to come as the stories and footage catch up with their time—look for more in-depth video and writing tomorrow. Team We Brake for Whales crossed the finish line around
The post Stage 2, Day 7: And the winner is… appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Race to Alaska just closed out its fifth day since Victoria and here in the command bunker, we’re getting ready. We’re digging out the boxes of decorations, counting out the $10,000 prize money, finding the right piece of firewood, and sharpening some steak knives. Ketchikan is getting ready too. The newspaper is taking their typewriters
The post Stage 2, Day 6: Ketchikan drums its fingers appeared first on Race to Alaska.
(We think today’s update is best read if you imagine us in a smoking jacket, pipe in hand. A cross between R2AK-fueled masterpiece theater whatever and whatever this was. That established, read on..) Here’s a debate we just started with ourselves: Team We Brake for Whales’ current program of a walk away, outperform and outlast,
The post Stage 2, Day 5: Ian Farrier owes us money appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Let’s get this out of the way: we give up. Deep in the word mines of R2AK, we toil day and night to find the single narrative vein that can put all of this engineless calamity into context. Threads of truth that we can weave into a rope of content and use to rappel you
The post Stage 2, Day 4: Mon Dieu appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Compared to the rip roarin’ genesis of Stage 2’s start, most of what followed R2AK’s second dawn was exciting in the subtle nuances of the minimalist exuberances of a Japanese tea ceremony: intricate, practiced, methodical and slow. If the teams of R2AK hopefuls spent the moments after the Victoria start hitching their wagons to Juan
The post Stage 2, Day 3: Adventure’s sloggy accordion side appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Jump to: Off to Stage 2 Gallery Anyone who’s ever gotten married, taken the SATs, or gone to court knows that there is a big difference between the night before and the morning of. The night before there is a sleep buffer between you and the big uncertain. Day of? It’s right there, clock ticking
The post Stage 2, Day 2: Questionable Speedos and Sailing Jedis appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Jump to: R2AK Eve Questions: Lightning Round Publishing schedules being what they are, by the time you read this there will be far more interesting things to pay attention to than whatever happened Wednesday, thematically the most boring day of the week and the lay day before the start of the Race to Alaska. Today,
The post Stage 2, Day 1: R2AK Eve: Open House/R2AK’s Secret Service Code Names appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Let’s start with this: We hear you, we know, and we’re sorry. We feel it too. In an age of internet ubiquity, when AI is poised to anticipate your every need, take your job and ply you with every fact and product ever created, R2AK is stuck in Windows 95. Today’s world operates at the
The post Stage 1, Day 2: A day without trackers appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Jump to: Video Proof | Proving Grounds Gallery Today’s Stage 1 was unlike any other that we have ever seen. Out of the gates it was on brand, weather-driven and rowdy, then quickly went vanilla sideways. We’ll explain. To be clear, the 5am start didn’t disappoint. A full moon sunrise greeted the hundred-plus, bleary-eyed racers
The post Stage 1, Day 1: The sea apologizes appeared first on Race to Alaska.
For the 13,000 years that humans have existed in the top left corner now thought of as the US of A, this place that we now call Port Townsend has been a place of arrival and departure. Today too.
We’ve been told that for most of that dozen-plus millennia “Port Townsend” was a place where at least nine different first peoples had longhouses. Why? This place is on the edge of big water.
For anything smaller than a container ship, the 30 miles of open water between Port Townsend and Victoria is no joke on a calm day, a fatal impossibility on the worst. It’s no coincidence that it’s the launching pad for the Race to Alaska. For most of its history, the place called Kahtai was/is a place to gather—either to repair and recover after the passage that got you here or ready yourself in preparation for the passage that would take you away. Today too.
On the arrival side of the ledger, Team Beasts from the East arrived at 5:27 am after 10 hours/70 miles of Olympic-level paddling from Tacoma. Five hours later, Team Seychelle crossed the finish line on her SUP—winning the “Standing Up” class and becoming the first woman to ever win a class in SEVENTY48. Dozens of teams hard charged to the finish line then flopped exhausted on the lawn as a part of the human-powered, weekend-centered, bad-idea-appetizer that is the SEVENTY48. Arriving, gathering, repairing and recovering—like people have been doing around here since time involved humans.
At the same time that SEVENTY48 teams were collapsing across the line exhausted and triumphant after 70 human-powered miles, R2AK crews were getting ready for departure for 750. What does this next-level preparation look like, you ask? Today, in R2AK traditional fashion, it looks like a backyard, whole animal barbecue.
If you’re a longtime fan or at least have seen the documentary (and if not, it’s available on Amazon) you know that Race to Alaska is a lot of things all at once: joy and hardship, support and spotlight, birthday party and preemptive wake. Culminating all of that is the Race to Alaska racer-only lamb roast—the day before Ruckus celebration where racers meet each other and a few curious friends and neighbors. Today was no exception.
As the full-ish moon rose above the horizon, as human-powered teams of SEVENTY48 struggled against the rising winds and changing tides, the R2AK Class of ‘23 gathered to ready themselves for the departure looming in less than 36 hours. Tomorrow they might be competitors, today they were colleagues comparing notes about the hows and the whys.
“What’s your plan for driftwood?”
”We’ve been dehydrating food since March.”
“Wait, the tracker needs batteries?”
“Wait, you’re going to run this thing solo?”
“What’s the deal with the sock monkey?”
Race to Alaska brings and celebrates all comers, and everyone that toes the line falls somewhere on the spectrum between informed and afraid. Today, former Rolex Sailors of the Year talked with R2AK legends who carry sock monkeys as a habit/signature accessory. Today, the backyard BBQ was filled with racers, former racers, and the curve of time.
What does that last part mean?
At least this: a stalwart youngin’ on 2018 Team Blue Flash that sought not just Ketchikan glory but to do so as the youngest team ever. They did it. Average age of 18 (only to be surpassed by a 2022 team who finished with an average age of 16.5). In 2023, Maisey is back to sail with an amalgamation of Race to Alaska champions/Volvo Ocean Race skippers/ex-Soviet circumnavigators that form the backbone of Team We Brake for Whales. All growed up.
What does any of this mean?
At least this: Race to Alaska is back in its full elite and egalitarian glory. Between whenever you read this and 1900 hours Sunday, teams will be muscling the SEVENTY48 against all odds while other teams will be prepping against all odds to start the Race to Alaska at 0500 Monday, hell or high water.
Arrival and departure. Whatever you call this place in the top left corner, this week it, the racers, and anyone following along from Internetlandia are present day manifestations of human patterns that go back to creation. We aren’t, but if we were that kind of woo woo we’d say the ancestors were watching.
No pressure.
Go smudge yourself (or smoke cleanse for the haoles). This part of history starts tomorrow. Ready, set, R2AK.
Header photo by Jeremy Johnson
The post Pre-race Update: Time Immemorial, and Today Too. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
| Team members: Satchel Douglas Hometown: Amherst, MA, USA Race vessel: Blue Planet Sup/Wing LOA: 7’6″ Human propulsion: Paddle |
The post Team Flow State Wingfoil appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Tim Baker, Dave Myers, Jack Johnson, Jeremy Baker
Hometown: Bremerton, WA, USA
Race vessel: Catalina 22
LOA: 21’6″
Human propulsion: Paddle
The post Team Duke appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Alex Webb
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Race vessel: Laser 1987 Model
LOA: 13’9″
Human propulsion: Row
The post Team Dry-Roll Model appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Dawson Lucier, Nikolai Kotzman
Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario, CA
Race vessel: Hobie Tandem Island 2019
LOA: 18’6″
Human propulsion: Pedal & Paddle
Connect: website, facebook, instagram, youtube
The beauty of young love is not something we meditate on often here at R2AK High Command. At our count, this race has been part of 5 or more divorces, so we’re more accustomed to dodging unfriendly fire than celebrating the pure of heart.
Enter team Toybox Express. Dawson and Neeko set out to change our hard-hearted ways from their application onward. They said they wanted to race in order to “solidify their partnership and their yearning souls.” They also claimed R2AK will connect their “molting places, pride lands, evolution grounds: Juan De Fuca strait and Ketchikan, respectively. It will tie together Canada and America. It will tie together young love.”
Ok fellas, that’s a lot of pressure to put on our dumb little adventure race.
This isn’t Dawson and Neeko’s first adventure, by far. Separately, they’ve raced sled dogs in Yukon Quest, hitch-hiked the entire Baja Peninsula and across Newfoundland, hatcheried a lot of salmon, rode from Vancouver to Toronto on a bicycle, solo traveled in Asia (including horse trekking in Mongolia), and more. Of all those gin joints, they met while hiking the PCT, and since that time have surfed every spot on the West Coast and sailed to Mexico and then El Salvador together. They reside on a 31’ sailboat and summer in a Toyota Tacoma. Livin’ the dream.
In case you thought we’d gone soft, bathing in tears of joy from this love story/Harlequin Romance bodice ripper of an adventure tale, remember that the race is 750 miles long, and they’re doing it in what boils down to a pedaled double kayak with training wheels and a sail. Double kayaks are nicknamed “divorce boats” for a reason. One or both of them could be a bear’s dinner. You don’t have to outrun the bear, you just have to be faster than whatever passive aggressive bullshit your soulmate has been constructively serving for the last 600 miles. Blisters and other bodily ailments lurk around every corner. Rogue waves abound. Nothing is guaranteed, but backseat kayakery is at least 90%
We wanted to sit down with Team Toybox Express over a bowl of yak butter tea to talk about sled dogs, sincerity, and twu wuv. Apparently our friends were too busy adventuring for a chat.
Welcome to R2AK, Toybox Express. Don’t go breaking our hearts. Or each other’s.
The post Team Toybox Express appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Peter Allen
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Race vessel: ONE SUP Unlimited
LOA: 17’6″
Human propulsion: Paddle
Connect: facebook, instagram
You might think that the bravest person in the R2AK is the guy who enters on a stand-up paddleboard. You’d be wrong. The bravest person is our insurance guy.
In the anything-goes world of the R2AK, teams make compromises all the time; trading off speed for survivability, sacrificing human or wind power to optimize the other. Team SUP N Irish shatters that outdated way of thinking by sacrificing everything to optimize difficulty.
Boat to Alaska? Hard. Engineless? Harder. SUP? Bonkers.
If you are like our insurance guy, right after disbelief and adding a few zeros to our premium, next came questions:
How do you bring enough water? How do you sleep dry? How did one come to hate their feet enough to keep them wet and cold for 750 miles? Why would you choose something that sounds so miserable? Think of standing for a 750-mile bus trip, but in a pot of 50-degree water—sounds horrible, and you’re not even making the thing move. All of that, and barring a very specific kind of apocalypse that leaves paddleboards unaffected, there is zero chance of winning—but if he finishes, he will be only the second person to do so on a SUP.
Why?
Team SUP N Irish inspires the kind of awe unencumbered by envy, and isn’t arriving to the starting line uninformed. Peter Allen is a veteran of the 715KM Yukon River Quest (twice—because once wasn’t enough suffering) and SEVENTY48, R2AK’s trusty sidekick race. His feet know cold.
We planned a sit down with Team SUP N Irish over a bowl of maple-glazed Cheetos to talk about sailboats, rowboats, and other options he might not have heard about . . . but he’s still paddling his way over to us.
Welcome to the R2AK, Team SUP N Irish. We’ll have warm socks for you at the finish line.
The post Team SUP N Irish appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Rob Hansen
Hometown: Campbell River, BCRace vessel: Epic 18 X Sea Kayak
LOA: 18′
Human propulsion: Paddle
If we were the kind of people who care about facts and figures, interpreting data, or any kind of pie chart that isn’t edible—we might point out that Rob Hansen of Team SeaSmoke uses the word “wild” 8 times in his application materials. We might even say that’s a statistically significant deviation from the norm of racer application vernacular. Or that Rob Hansen’s notable and frequent return to words like “wildlife,” “wilderness” and “wildness” creates a sort of theme, or motif—you might say, that could help us postulate his motivations for racing this year. But obviously, we’re not that kind of people.
We’re the kind of people who point out that Rob Hansen has spent his life tapping the mic of gravity and asking, “Is this thing still on?”—tobogganing down stairwells, paragliding through and into Chile, white water kayaking down rivers in Patagonia, and jumping off roofs with nothing more than a umbrella’s worth of hesitation. Or that Rob’s adventures have introduced him to wolves, bears, whales and one particularly eco-conscious crocodile on the Zambezi. Or even that his go-to pick-me-up tune is “Rave On” by Buddy Holly, and just say:
That’s pretty wild.
Rob is keen to connect with wildlife along the race course—especially the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and whatever species of racer life-form flock like self-destructive moths to the light of a beach bonfire. Either way, bring marshmallows.
We sat down with Team SeaSmoke over a bowl of broken bones to talk about inertia, sore jaws, and whether the only thing longer than a croc’s mouth really is the time it takes to swallow you whole.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
A journey that piques my curiosity and excitement. Destinations that have pristine wilderness and wildlife, especially ocean kayaking trips. The joy and consequence of the solo journey, the unknown, the beautiful and the mysterious…..
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
Biting off more than I can chew when propelled by passion and a distorted view of gravity. This has resulted in falling out of the sky in various pursuits. It started by jumping off the garage with an umbrella as a kid. Progressed to paragliding high mountains in Chile with various mishaps, running various unrunnable/class 5+ rapids in a white water kayak and kitesurfing over land with a painful ending. There have been a few surfing incidents too……I guess I’m a slow learner.
What’s your claim to fame?
Not much fame in my life, more obscurity. However, surviving being attacked by a crocodile while kayaking the Zambezi river was notable in that apparently it was the first plastic whitewater kayak attacked. I didn’t used to eat crocodile steak before that.
I did manage to kayak from Costa Rica to Panama with a surfboard on my deck, surfing unknown waves. However, when I got to customs in Panama a few weeks later, I was locked up as an illegal alien as they said a sea kayak does not qualify as an official boat (even though I had followed the embassy’s advice). Go figure….
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
I’d be lucky to have a cabin where we are going! Total Prepare Inc. Canada has helped me out with some magical meals that don’t need a stove. The buddy Buddy Holly song “Rave on” always helps in moments like these….
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Enjoying the journey, meeting some of the other colorful characters and seeing and paddling with many whales on route. The occasional beach fire as the sun sets. Hopefully I will arrive in Ketchikan and not be blown to Japan.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
I am paddling an Epic 18 sea kayak designed by Gregg Barton. They make great surfskis which I paddle a lot. The boat is seaworthy and has a surfski-like footplate which is a better paddling position ergonomically. The boat handles well in downwinds, which I hope come our way.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
My friend Martin Rother, who is doing the race phoned me and said he thinks I should also apply. I asked who else was paddling solo and he said an Irishman and an Australian. So, a German, an Irishman, an Australian and a South African arrive at a bar in Port Townsend. This is the beginning of a very bad joke! What choice did I have?
I consider myself fortunate to be an Afro-Canadian. Both countries with incredible wilderness, wildlife and magic. My medical career has allowed me to work and explore in both places. Also had some memorable and stunning kayak trips in Alaska. One from Dry Bay to Elfin Cove in late September (storms) was also biting off more than I could comfortably chew, but infinitely memorable.
I’m grateful to the race organizers’ tenacity and humor to pull off an event like this. It brings back the spirit of self reliance, wildness of being and improbability, to a world that is losing track of this kind of soulfulness. I’m grateful for fellow friends and adventurers over the years. I’m grateful to my beautiful wife Monique, for allowing me the time and space to follow this kind of crazy adventure, even when it’s not convenient. This is love.
Rob describes himself as “healthy as a dolphin.” We’re not sure if that means he has between 14-and-240 conical-shaped teeth, or that he only sleeps with half of his brain—either way, we’re excited to meet him and we’ll be sure to have Ric O’Barry on speed dial, just in case. Welcome to Race To Alaska, Team SeaSmoke.
The post Team SeaSmoke appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Vytenis Karaitis, Aras Karaitis, Matt Declercq, Joey Drake, Henry Chesnutt
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: Dash 34
LOA: 34′ 4″
Human propulsion: Paddle
Connect: instagram
For all of us here in the R2AK Command Bunker, the story about who Team Dacron & Denim is starts with who they aren’t. Let the needle skip across the grooves on that for a bit; we meant it. It starts here:
Team D&D isn’t Team Fashionably Late.
Team Fashionably Late was a multi-R2AK veteran crew who consistently won the race, not on final time or finish position, but on vibes alone. Watch the documentary. Their race was a tea party in motion, stop for dolphins, matching outfits, and a “Let’s just learn how to sail as we Race to Alaska” program. It was fun, great for ratings, and accidentally came in third in 2022 after they upgraded to a faster boat and channeled their vibes and Moses to part last year’s driftwood sea out of the way. 15+ boats left the race due to driftwood kills. Team Fashionably Late ended up finishing on the early side in third place.
Third. The team with bone china tea service, matching outfits, and a signature cocktail and playlist. They showed up in Ketchikan as happy as they were shocked as they were third. There’s no prize for third, but it’s pretty goddamn respectable, especially considering their social media post to sail change ratio was maybe 2:1.
Then they bowed out. If you ask us, they shocked themselves into retirement, then handed over their steed to talent, who were ready to replicate and advance.
Enter Team Dacron & Denim, the real-world talent hitting cleanup and building on the success of the accidental genius. T D&D are real deal sailors. They’ve raced in races from here to Newport to Mackinaw. Medals, podiums, national credentials, and the whiff of the competitive. Exact same hotshit boat (SV Fighting Trousers), less tea parties, more certifications, wins, training, experience, and sailing cred.
While Team Dacron & Denim might have been too busy training to make good on our request for an interview, in R2AK traditional fashion we have volunteered our own. They are too busy. We’re here to help.
What’s below is what we imagined they would have said to our questions:
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Honestly, we’re homebodies. Give me a zero-star plate of Trader Joe’s Pad Thai and a rerun of Friends. Absolute weeknight heaven. How’s that related to adventure? That Chandler, who knows what he’ll say next—am I right?!?
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
Non-lick envelopes. Just don’t trust ‘em.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
I like the Final Four brackets, but the ones that the grocery store does. You know, like, right after the Monopoly thing? Right after Monopoly squares, and right before the Jello-only food drive, they run that Final Four Challenge and it’s like scratch tickets, plus pull tabs, but about basketball and the chance to get 20% off tater tots if Villanova wins. (Spoiler: they didn’t. Full price tots this year. #OhWell #finalfour #fullpricetots2023)
What’s your claim to fame?
I once ate through all my salad privileges at the Tukwila Olive Garden. I didn’t know that “All you can eat” had a limit for salad, but apparently in the fine print there’s a time limit? Who knew! (PS: Same thing for breadsticks)
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Call me old fashioned, but I like a toes-on consensual backrub, James Taylor’s greatest hits on shuffle, a Seasmoke or Vanilla Jubilee scented candle, braided leather bite ring, and a seedy bread avocado toast face mask. (Avocado down, clearly. I’m not a monster.)
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
See above.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Third place – tea party = your mom
Q.E.D.
Blank space, baby. Write some things:
Things
Things
Things
Are we done here?
Welcome to the R2AK, Team Dacron & Denim. While we don’t want to be prescriptive, we clearly will be.
The post Team Dacron & Denim appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Marine Dorotte, Erwan Menard, Jacques Guegau, Tanguy Delamotte
Hometown: Mill Valley, CA, USA
Race vessel: Farrier F25C
LOA: 24′ 6″
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: facebook, instagram
Not to get all Noam Chomsky up in these traditional grazing areas of intellectually questionable bios, but language is like, a thing. Language shapes thought patterns, affects behavior, interplays with a culture’s traditions as they shape each other through time. The shape of language is a causal for human patterns of behavior.
Or something.
If there was a language that turned people into fanatical sailors, apparently it’s French. While the rare Golden Globe win might slip past them, French sailors are crazy good, dominate the offshore racing scene, and set a new speed record every other year or so. They’re so good at sailing that it makes us want to immerse ourselves so it might rub off, or at the very least act like we’ve just come back from study abroad to smoke cigarettes, work half weeks, and performatively keep talking about exactly how everything is better in “Fraunce.”
What is it about the French that is so, what’s the word in English . . . vibrant?
While the French may have no word for ambition, these four plucky sailors have it in spades. Why else would they cram into a 25’, carbon fiber trimaran, then fling themselves at rocket speeds into the driftwood-infested wilds of the remote Pacific Coast? These four Frenchies are showing up to the race with no rules, with hands down the fastest boat on the course. Que bueno.
We sat down with Marine of Team Mojo over a bowl of Duo Lingo to talk about je joue au tennis, mon anniversaire, and qui est la bibliothèque.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Killer whale, grizzly? Good food, good music, good friends, a woman on board! Be ready for the unknown!
What’s your claim to fame?
We don’t have a claim to fame. Just enjoy the moment; life is for the living, so live it !!
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Billy (a 6 year old) instructed: “You make a video of yourself dancing with your favorite music,” so we will make sure to do so. We will also add a good laugh and some saucisson and candies!
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Finish the Race and spread the word for two not-for-profits: SeaTrees and SR3 who protect our beloved oceans.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
She is beautiful; has 3 hulls that can be folded on a trailer, she is relatively fast, and can be driven from California to Washington and back from Alaska. Mojo Eskroin also has beautiful red bow sprits and rudder. For Jacques and Marine, it is the first boat they owned.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
We are a 100% French team, US based who loves the Beatles and got the Mojo.
Welcome to the Race to Alaska, Team Mojo. Remember, it’s only hypothermia if it’s from the Champagne region. Out here it’s just sparkling low body temperature.
The post Team Mojo appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Eric Pesty
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Race vessel: Corsair F-24 MKII
LOA: 24′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
Connect: facebook
If 2023’s Race To Alaska had an unofficial theme, it would be “Unfinished Business”—and Eric Pesty of Team Pestou has been unfinishing his business for 4 years. Had he gone to school, he could have a Bachelor’s in Edging by now—or whatever is the Canadian equivalent—but instead he decided to waste his life actually living it.
Eric Pesty’s adventure resume starts when he was just 7 months old—to which we remind everyone: you can coast on your parents through life, but probably not to Alaska. While coattails may be human-powered, they are definitely not unsupported. Despite Nepo Baby Pesty’s headstart—like Paris Hilton—post-infancy he has put in the work to earn his notable accomplishments:
- Spending 17 years sailing in the general area of Brittany-Cape Verde-French Guyana-Guatemala-Newfoundland, but mostly in the Caribbean and Central America
- Learning to ride a bicycle and roller-skate in a cockpit
- Building an improvised breakwater to stop coast erosion from bringing down a house in Belize
- Hosting film crews for 30+day stays on the Silver Bank (in the middle of nowhere North of the Dominican Republic) filming documentaries on humpback whales
- Acquiring retired 40ft lifeboats (of the liner “Norway”) in Miami and delivering them to Haiti to be used as safer coastal transport in the “Les Cayes” area
Oh wait—those all happened before he was 18. But not to be overshadowed by Child Eric, Adult Eric has racked up an impressive list of solo-sailing adventures, including:
- Participating in most editions of The Vendee Saltspring Race
- Winning the Cowichan Bay Regatta
- Completing the inaugural Desolation 300 race
- Racing in 2022’s Race To Alaska until he delaminated his bulkhead on a floating log that told him to “check his privilege.”
We sat down with Eric Pesty over a bowl of World Book Atlases to talk about stories with too much exposition, his excessive use of “quotation marks”, and what it’s like to not have student debt.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
A healthy dose of uncertainty and being reasonably well prepared for it!
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
I was going to say something about logs but other than packing an extra bundle of luck (anyone know anywhere I can buy some of that? It seems to be back-ordered pretty much everywhere!) I’m not sure what the actual lesson is!
More recently; if you are wondering if it’s too gusty to put the spinnaker up, just don’t do it (it definitely was)!
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
Part of my day job includes designing various brackets so I know a thing or two about these. I like them strong, light and cheap, and you can usually get two of these!
But I’m thinking you are asking about sports and I’m a lot less well versed in these. I can only think of one I’ve followed recently and that would be (I’m not even kidding) the “Too Tall Toby 3D CAD Speed Modeling World Championship Tournament”. You might have to look it up as there is a slight chance you might not have heard about it yet!
What’s your claim to fame?
I would have to go with winning the Pacific Northwest Multihull championship while sailing single-handed against fully crewed boats.
However it’s not the only time I’ve ended up somewhere I had no business being: from winning the first race I ever participated in to getting to the finish line before the committee boat (twice!), there is a bit of a pattern of sneakiness!
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
That seems like a pretty accurate description of what to expect! By using this as a baseline anything better than that is just gravy!
Kidding aside, that seems like a good time to have an extended nap: find a spot to anchor, set an alarm for when the tide turns, put on everything you’ve got and lie down!
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Aiming low enough, assuming I made it all the way to the Victoria start, lasting more than 24h is the first objective! Other than that, ideally I would make it to Ketchikan mostly in one piece!
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Firstly, it’s the one I’ve got!
It’s also a tough (as long as you don’t fall off from a big wave on top of a giant log), seaworthy boat that is about as big as I’d want to manage solo. It’s fast enough to keep moving as long as there is “some” wind while still being forgiving. I’ve also had her for long enough to be able to sail her in my sleep (ahah, sorry, had to go there), which should come in handy!
Blank space, baby. Write some things:
Revenge!
Would be the scientific purpose of killing the Jaguar shark, as Steve Zissou so eloquently put it. There may not be any physical Jaguar shark in this story, but I think of it as a metaphor for all the things that could force someone to drop out of the race! So I hope I don’t actually run into my Jaguar shark but if I do, I will vanquish it!
Yeah ok, I didn’t really think the analogy all the way through, sue me! In my defense I’m late submitting this, I might also have huffed a bit too much of that sweet polyurethane caulk remover while replacing my foredeck hatch earlier.
Welcome back to Race To Alaska, Eric—we look forward to seeing how this thing finally ends.
The post Team Pestou appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Vladimir Eremeev, Jeff Williams, Chris Forrest
Hometown: Lusby, MD, USA
Race vessel: 1990 Corsair F27
LOA: 27′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
Connect: facebook
Do you know what this is:
It’s what the earth looks like from beyond our solar system. Accurate depiction, but you’re not going to be able to use it much for getting directions to Topeka.
Other than a fast boat and a great team name, there’s not much we know about Team TriMorons. Because we don’t have the zoomed-in detail, we’re just going to zoom way out, higher than a 30,000-foot view, and offer the R2AK Bio equivalent of an intergalactic meta-level perspective on their bio:
(words)
(something mildly offensive)
(humor)
(some responses and facts from the team)
Welcome to the R2AK, Team TriMorons. (something else funny)
The post Team TriMorons appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Scott Macdonald
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Race vessel: NDK Explorer HV Kayak
LOA: 17′ 4″
Human propulsion: Paddle
Connect: website, instagram
Do you know that right now there is massive investment going into creating floating offshore wind power turbines off the west coast? In December, $750 million was spent on leasing 5 patches of saltwater and now legions of engineers are working round the clock to design not just the free floating, 1,000 foot tall windmills, but also all of the industrial infrastructure to build and install more than 250 of them off of California by 2040. It’s the largest industrial mobilization in the last 30 years, with the goal to create 30 gigawats of power in offshore wind. How much power is that? Enough for 24.8 Delorian-based time machines, or enough power for all of the households in California, Oregon, and Washington combined.
Billions, trillions of dollars are being invested into harnessing the massive power potential of wind. Do you know how many dollars are being invested in kayak-based solutions?
(PS: Yes you do.)
It takes a certain kind of so and so to ignore all of the free energy floating around, literally on the wind, and decide to manually shovel water all the way to Alaska. Scott Macdonald of Team Sporting Chance is precisely that kind of special. More than that, he’s dedicating his race to raising money and awareness for getting more kids doing the sports in his hometown of Victoria.
Look at the good heart on him.
We sat down with Team Sporting Chance over a bowl of day-old Wheaties to talk about gigawatts, how sails work, and the over/under on how many blisters he thinks he’ll get along the way (we took the over.)
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
If you wear jeans on a multi-day hike, there’s a chance you planned poorly and might be ending the hike in your PJs (also not recommended).
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
Parentheses brackets are a versatile way to add a satirical narration to any statement.
“Despite the odds against him (such as having no motor, limited supplies, and, you know, paddling the whole way), he remained optimistic (or delusional, depending on who you ask).”
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
A well hung tarp and some cheese can go a long way to improving team morale.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
- Coming home in one piece
- Raising awareness and funds for KidSport Victoria
- Ringing the bell in Ketchikan
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
NDK Explorer HV – Designed for rough water and covering distances, this expedition kayak is maneuverable, direction-stable, and can carry higher loads. It is designed to fit the large paddler (I identify as large). This boat has previously circumnavigated Vancouver Island.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
I would like to thank:
- Team Oaracle for giving the talk that established this idea back in 2017.
- Blue Dog Kayaking for the skills training and trusting me with their boat.
- My wife Emma for all her support and the idea to fundraise for KidSport.
“It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.” – Jake Wetzel
Welcome to the R2AK, Team Sporting Chance. Go sports!
The post Team Sporting Chance appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Lillian Kuehl
Hometown: Port Angeles, WA, USA
Race vessel: Chesapeake Light Craft Expedition Wherry
LOA: 18′ 3″
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: website, facebook
Growing up, our mom would always point out people who had—what she called—“I’m Special” Buttons. These were people who seemed to feel licensed to cut in line, park in fire lanes, wear too much cologne, and otherwise ignore the social contract that keeps the threadbare fibers of this dying nation intact. The funny thing—she’d always point out—is that despite the popularity of “I’m Special” Buttons, she never could find their source to procure one for herself.
If Lillian, of Team Lillian’s Vacation, is any evidence—“I’m Special” buttons must come from the same place they make the 1180 Awards. Lillian is a Race to Alaska veteran, with several SEVENTY48s and a WA360 under her belt, to boot. And it’s those muddy boots she’ll kick up on our couch because su casa es mi casa, amiright?
Whether it’s the late night texts with editorial notes on our bios, or early morning texts asking if she’s allowed to change vessels halfway through the race—one thing’s for sure: Lillian always has something to say. And while we here at Race HQ have never been ones for censorship or propriety, we are fans of self-preservation. The visionary wordsmith that is Lillian Kuehl submitted survey answers so inspired—and so obscene—were we to publish them, both she and we would inevitably end up on one-to-several government watchlists. So please: put your pearls, children, and Meemaws in a safe place, and enjoy what’s left of her interview after we sent it through legal.
We sat down with Lillian Kuehl over a bowl of four-letter words to talk about , , and which bar of soap tastes best.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
in his face.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
The circle of fifths:
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
Gavin Brackett because he tells that to go to every time he wins this moronic of a race!
What’s your claim to fame?
I wake up in the morning, watch an school video, think I should do more swimming, go take a , then live out my day doing and never saving a life. If you want to find meaning in that, go choke on a . Maybe , in that case, go ahead and .
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
You ever heard of the phonetic alphabet? that and those fixed-wing pilots all smug in their —I’ll be busy making a better one, here’s a sample, :
Also I have a music playlist called . THINK ABOUT IT SHEEPLE! DON’T BE MORONS, FIGURE IT OUT IT’S MUSIC.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
An winching my sorry out of this petulant of a race that came up with, so I never again thrust my entry into it like a .
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
It’s the kind of piss-poor vessel has wanted to knock up and knock out of this race every since I met that in a dark alley 4 runny- years ago. I hope it sinks to the bottom of the hellish sea so I can meet an and we can both tell to drown in a vat of .
Blank space, baby. Write some things:
Some hellscapes are better left blank. !
“Some hellscapes are better left blank.” Welcome back to Race to Alaska, Lillian. It’s like you never left, because you kinda never did. The post Team Lillian’s Vacation appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Debra Wehrman, Don Wehrman
Hometown: Everett, WA, USA
Race vessel: 1979 MacGregor Venture 23
LOA: 23′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
Connect: facebook, instagram
Most people work their whole lives to retire in comfort, but not Debra and Don Wehrman of Team Just To Sea; after 40 years of sailing and living together, they’re looking to try some new things: “We want to see if paying a lot of money to do it the hard way would add another dimension to our boating.” Whatever keeps the love alive, Debra and Don, we won’t kink shame.
These two shipmates-for-life have been adventuring together since before many of their fellow competitors were even a twinkle in their mothers’ ovaries. They’ve built multiple sailboats and owned several others—culminating in the MacGregor Venture Newport 23 they purchased in 2019 for the sole purpose of racing to Alaska. They’ve honed their skills taking leaves of absence from their jobs as engineer and nurse, in favor of sailing the Intercoastal Waterway, Hawaiian Islands, San Juans, and Inside Passage by chart and compass—and sometimes with the small child they created as crew.
After a star-crossed attempt at WA360 in 2021, Team Just To Sea is back with a redesigned pedal drive, and a determination to reach Ketchikan in transcendent, extradimensional bliss.
We tried to sit down with Debra and Don over a bowl of sea stories to talk about repeatedly quitting your jobs, sailing the Pacific, and what the glaciers looked like in the 70s, but apparently they were too busy fishing keys out of a bowl to chat with the likes of us.
Welcome to Race To Alaska, Team Just To Sea—after four years, we hope you finally get to finish.
The post Team Just to Sea (DNS) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Jeff Oaklief, Mike Hummels, Mike Brown, Greg Oaklief, Jonah Oaklief
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: Farrier F9R
LOA: 31′
Human propulsion: Rice nozzle
Connect: facebook
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and R2AK tends to attract racers that are proxy test pilots for breaking the arrogance barrier. Why? No idea, but our best guess is while the meek may inherit the earth, no one timids themselves engineless to Alaska.
From what we know about Team Ruf Duck and the R2AK Class of 2023, it’s safe to say we’d vote them “Mostly Likely to be Johnny Cash” (walking the line, get it?). Last year they made a prudent decision—dropping out after being smacked in the teeth with 30+ knots of wind in Johnstone Strait and ripping most of their sails. With more than 400 miles to go, they turned it around and lived to fight another day. Prudent.
This year? With confidence levels we can only describe as “Midcentury White Guy,” Team Ruf Duck gave us absolutely zero responses to the questions below. They cool guyed us. Showed up to the velvet ropes expecting the rockstar treatment for their 30% finish and a 10th-place almost win in the WA360 in 2022. Figured that their publicist could just spoon-feed us with hype and an airplane noise.
We sat down with a cardboard cutout of Team Ruf Duck over a bowl of different expectations to talk about why to never leave forms blank, and what answers we have made up for them.
*The following answers may not be fiction, but they were created by R2AK without the influence of facts. Any resemblance to the truth is either unintentional or a sign that we are as omniscient as we think we are.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Do you know why the Swiss Army is so feared? It’s not the training, it’s the knife. If you’re ready for anything—from opening wine to opening cans to picking your teeth—you don’t really need to prepare. The world’s in your pocket, and you can open it like the oyster it is.
Team Ruf Duck are like human Swiss Army knives, ready for everything right off of the couch.
Preparation is for other people.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
{}, because put them together and they look like a little screaming mouth. Like, if that painting about screaming would have been done in texticons (or whatever you call them) it would be like:
0 0
{}
What’s your claim to fame?
I just invented the word texticon.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
When the world gives you lemons, suck on ‘em. Then drink some milk, snort a pixie stick, smack yourself in the face, then poke a sleeping crewmate with a fork. “That’s for nothing!” you can scream to make sure they don’t do nothing.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Our goal is to win both. We’re Chuck Norris good.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Criticize trimarans all you like. You can say it’s not fair because they are so much faster, or that Corsairs are the Ford Focus of the trimaran set.
You know what we say to that? Ours is ‘lellow.
Blank space, baby. Write some things:
- Red Leather, Yellow Leather
- If you were to stand the circumference of the earth end to end you would get a circle the exact length, width, height, and depth of the equator.
- One smart feller, he felt smart.
- Sure there’s no “I”, but there is no U in “team” either (Sick burn. Saving that one for later.)
- I’m not a pheasant plucker I’m the pheasant plucker’s mate. I’m only plucking pheasants cause the pheasant plucker’s late.
Welcome back to the R2AK, Team Ruf Duck. Even though it was fake, this might have been the best interview we’ve ever had!
The post Team Ruf Duck appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Jeanne Goussev, Evgeniy Goussev, Maisie Bryant, Remy Lang, Andy Kleitsch, Lindsey Lind, John Guillote, Nikki Henderson
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
Race vessel: Custom Lyman Morse 40
LOA: 40′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
“We brake for whales?” Cue collective audience “awwww…”
But not us.
We see your attempt to leverage the mass appeal of compassion for endangered aquatic mammals for exactly what it is: performative greenwashing masking a tactical precision the likes of which have only been seen on this race course ~~once~~ twice before.
Together with her co-captain in life and masochistic maritime mischief, Evgeniy Goussev, Team Sail Like A Girl veteran, and professional philanthropy facilitator, co-captain Jeanne Goussev is back with a brand new bag—and in that bag is the most formidable Polly Pocket treasure trove of sailors and supplies you could imagine.
They’ve got duct tape, baked goods, circumnavigating Soviet ex-pats, adaptive sports instructors, record-breaking yachtswoman/Greta Thunberg escorts, a gal named after a famous rodent chef, and fake coffee made from date pits… because apparently in addition to gender equality and mammalian equality and disability equality, they also care about deforestation. What’s next—world peace?
You might have pulled the SmartWool over everyone else’s eyes and convinced them you’re soft and squishy like the tiny silicone cardigans we may or may not have chewed on, but we know the truth: Team We Brake For Whales might be the hardest, toughest team out there.
Until they meet a whale.
We sat down with Jeanne Goussev over a bowl of organic, fair trade fiberglass to talk about upcycling your caffeine, downplaying your achievements, and what happens if you give a whale a cookie.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Using up a roll of duct tape, wearing the same socks for 5 days, and competing for who gets to go on the bikes next to warm yourself from hypothermia.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
Logs do NOT disappear at night.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
Evgeniy, aka MacGyver, attached our bikes with some mean welding.
What’s your claim to fame?
We have a real potty on board.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
We recommend coffee (our teammate Andy is designated barista), crunchy bits for 2am (chocolate covered espresso beans pack a punch and the crunch wakes up your brain from the inside out), and chocolate chip cookies for a morale boost towards day 4 of biking a boatcycle. Gray Wolf packs an oven so our glamping version of Race to Alaska is going to have baked goods.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Gray Wolf is custom built in Maine from cold molded cedar, as an ocean racer from the late ’90s. A free standing rig, water ballast tanks, and some mean pedal drives off the back, she is sure to be a head turner, head scratcher, all the way northbound.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
Our partners, Atomo coffee, are keeping us caffeinated with beanless coffee made from upcycled date pits—better for the environment and tasty to boot. And their logo is a whale so we think they are awesome.
Did you all hear about the orcas that are using great white sharks like Capri Suns and sucking out their livers with ‘near surgical precision’? I guess we’re just wondering if you brake for them, too—cuz like, we respect the principle but also orcas are scary AF. Let us know. Whalecome to Race To Alaska.
The post Team We Brake For Whales appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Robert Hodge, David White, Ryan Miller, also a sock monkey named George
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: Olson 30
LOA: 30′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
Connect: website, facebook, instagram, youtube
What do you do when your boat burns down the day after Christmas and all hope of racing to Alaska feels lost? If you’re Robert Hodge of Team Monkey Fist, you show up to a glamorous affair we call the Tailgate and spend your day off in a dirty parking lot, cooking hot dogs in the rain for all the people who were going to be your fellow racers. Hodge was one of the first volunteers to arrive, last to leave, and didn’t sexually harass our Intern—and it’s for all of these reasons (and more) that we’re stoked to be writing Team Monkey Fist’s bio.
Team Monkey Fist is a motley crew of sailing friends brought together by the power of the internet. TMF’s got tradefolks, rocket scientists, chili masters, and a Chief Safety and Morale Officer who gets his well-earned sailing tats embroidered in thread. The team was supposed to be joined by another rocket scientist, but they had a conflicting work trip… to the International Space Station. Which—as far as excuses go—is pretty mid.
Early this spring, Team Monkey Fist was able to secure a new vessel and a 2023 Race to Alaska became an improbable-yet-possible possibility. Thankfully, our kindly benefactor, Fisheries Supply, loves an underdog story and stepped up to sponsor Team Monkey Fist and support them with some essential gear—which we’ve been assured will not include any Christmas lights. The More You Know, right?
We sat down with Robert of Fisheries Supply Team Monkey Fist over a bowl of spare thread to talk about tropical cocktails, irony, and rising from the ashes.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Fresh ground coffee, uncertain success, and fame and glory upon return.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
“Turnkey” boats aren’t, Christmas lights on boats are a bad idea, and don’t upset the monkey.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
The Chainplates of Doom we’ve fabricated for our Olson 30.
What’s your claim to fame?
Well, Ryan is a rocket scientist who trained astronauts. Rob is an expert on old Italian motor scooters, and Dave makes a damn fine chili.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
The crew mutinies and stuffs George into a duffel bag and drinks all his banana liquor. He has quite the stash back in his aft cabin.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Getting back home before we lose our jobs.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
We replaced a boat that burned to the waterline with a boat named “Wildfire”.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
Buoys. Pipe berths. Hot chowder. Rum. Autopilots. Those are some things, right?
We’d really like to thank Fisheries Supply for all the help that they have given us by sponsoring us for the R2AK. We couldn’t do this race without them or rum.
Welcome to Race to Alaska, Team Monkey Fist. We have our three fingers crossed that your friend gets to hear you ring the bell in space—vacuums be damned.
The post Fisheries Supply Team Monkey Fist appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: William Bradley, Maureen Byrne
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA, USA
Race vessel: Nacra 5.2 Catamaran
LOA: 17′ 6″
Human propulsion: Yuloh
The post Team Speed and Trixie appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Heather Jankens, Homer Williams, Greg Flanigan, Pelayo Secades Roncero, Micheal Breske, John Flanigan
Hometown: Omena, MI, USA
Race vessel: 2006 Henderson
LOA: 30′ 8″
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: website, instagram, facebook
Team UnSalted Nuts hails not from the hallowed aisles of Trader Joes, but the pallid isles of the Great Lakes, and sails just about anything: tall ships, viking ships, championships, and whatever you call a hollowed-out mango tree. And these unseasoned, seasoned professionals are ready to get shell-shucked, maple-roasted, and salt-sprayed all the way to Ketchikan.
The cumulative effect of Team UnSalted Nuts’ adventure resumes is so chock-full of ridiculous details it reads like the sweet-tea-induced fever dream that would be your Aunt Charlene’s directions to a 1980s supervillain lair:
Alright, honey. Now, first you’re gonna wanna grab your ice motorcycle and ride until you see the Dairy Queen. That’s where you’re gonna park and get on the viking longship and sail until you get to Mt. Batur volcano. Make your way through the den of small-but-ill-tempered monkeys and try not to get bitten like it’s a fresh Rae Dunn Day at the Park Center Homegoods. Next, put on your scuba gear—because you’re gonna need it—and make a left when you get to the shipwreck of the old SEARS where Beth Anne used to work—you remember Beth Anne? She had such an unfortunate face, bless her heart… Right, well finally, you’re gonna need to dangle over the shark-infested waters—or swim through them—I’m not gonna tell you what to do…
All that’s to say, we’re certain they’re well-qualified to handle whatever adversities the race course is going to throw at them. The real question is: can they sail a regular boat?
We sat down with Heather from Team UnSalted Nuts over a bowl of sea stories to talk about whether it’s more inclusive to Great Lakes sailors to call them ‘water stories,’ those restaurants where they throw peanut shells on the floor, and how to pronounce ‘Draken Harald Hårfagre.’
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Friends, a boat, Possibility of death or dismemberment, generous dose of misery and a pinch of a once in a lifetime awesomeness.
What’s your claim to fame?
Four of us have completed the Kraken Cup, a remarkably stupid endeavor off the coast of Africa, All but one of us have spent an inordinate amount of time on a Viking ship. We’re a strange group. We don’t have a claim to fame—we have a history that is one whacked out amalgamation of chaos. This is where our website might be handy; our bios are fun.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
That sounds like our idea of a good time. Add cookies and coffee and we are good to go.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Some good stories for the personal libraries, kissing the dock in Ketchikan with everyone accounted for.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
We wanted boat that go zoom. Boat go zoom.
She’s fast, sleek and has slightly more protection than a hollowed-out mango tree or a Viking longship. Ironically, choosing a modern sport boat is the best thing we could do to remove this team from our collective comfort zone. Sticking us on a half sinking log with a square sail and planks as paddles would just make us feel at home.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
The fact that we found our vessel in Montana is weird. Homer drove out and drug her back to Northern Michigan in the middle of winter. Because …Homer. We originally wanted to roll with a classic vessel but when we had to alter that plan, we took a pretty hard turn to the modern (we are still mourning that, for the record).
We are also using our participation to do some good in Northern Michigan and raise some cash for an 1845 reproduction schooner named “Madeline,” owned by a local not-for-profit. She has been sailing the Great Lakes for 33 years and was built and is crewed and maintained by volunteers. She sails for free for her community. In a region where access to on the water experiences are limited to those with the financial ability.
Google says you should limit yourself to “one to two handfuls of nuts per day” lest you add too many calories. To that we say, “No one likes an Almond Mom, Google.” When it comes to UnSalted Nuts, we’re squarely on the side of ‘more is more.’ Welcome to Race To Alaska.
The post Team UnSalted Nuts appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: TJ Colley III, David White, Bob Brust
Hometown: Burien, WA, USA
Race vessel: Ranger 26MK2
LOA: 26′
Human propulsion: Pedal drive + SUP paddles
The post Team Fingers Crossed appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Kevin Greenwood, Nigel Greenwood, Richard Greenwood, Dave Blake, Ian Greenwood, Tony Greenwood
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Race vessel: 1974 C&C 35 Mark II
LOA: 37′ 6″
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop) and Oars
R2AK HQ Note: After press time, we were informed that Team Ship of Fools (who foolishly didn’t proofread their own registration info) will be in a 35′ boat, not a 23′ one. We anticipate they’ll be just as greasy, but more loosely packed than originally described.
What puts the “fool” in Team Ship of Fools? No idea. Their race theory seems to boil down to this: Get as small of a boat as possible, cram two full generations of family onboard, then invest in vaseline and a crowbar so they could fit another guy onboard. Dave. “Greasy Dave” to his friends. As of now.
We sat down with Kevin Greenwood from Team Ship of Fools over a bowl of Afternoon Tea at the Empress to talk about the Grey Funnel Line, battenberg cakes, and Plato.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
A challenge met with good company.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
Many fools aren’t, actually. Some are though – so it’s difficult to tell.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
An A bracket…yes definitely the A Bracket. Our boat doesn’t have one, but if you do have one, you really want it to be there.
What’s your claim to fame?
Kevin is the Skipper and Chief Fool of Team Ship of Fools. He has considerable type two and even some type three fun sailing under his belt, including row boats, rafts, sailing yachts large and small, and a million-odd sea miles with the Grey Funnel Line [Note from HQ: that’s a Canadian nickname for the Royal Navy]. Most importantly, Kevin’s bona fides as a fool are unparalleled, as evidenced by his decision to bring along his two elder and overbearing twin brothers as crew.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Liberal doses of Sarcasm, Irony, and Ridicule.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Getting to Ketchikan safely with a team that is on speaking terms and which has generally failed to live up to its name.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Our boat is old; indeed can be considered classic plastic, but it does raise an appreciative eye at the start line. It has been stood on its ear many a time and has always risen to the occasion! Oh, and the keel bolts are good.
Team Ship of Fools is trying to get to Alaska on a 23-foot sailboat with 6 people, anchovied in like hotdogs shoved into a jar of KY jelly.
Want to know more? Ship of Fools provided an explanation of their name. Or is it a fever dream? RenFaire skit idea? You tell us.
“As for the Team Name . . .
Imagine, if you will, a ship of fools. The Captain, the Chief Fool, professes to be more knowledgeable of the ways of the sea than the fools, but he has forgotten more than he knows, has grown lazy, and talks too much. He bombulates pointlessly about where Aries was first found, the proper setting of the Battenburg, the significance of doubling of the angle on the bow, and the Radian Rule. Beset by the others, who quarrel about the draw of the jib, how much duff is their right, and whether the dogs should be married or split, the Chief Fool believes he is in charge. He is a rare and special sort of fool.
All the fools are of the opinion that the ship should be on the other tack, always. They are on the way to Ketchikan. They have heard there are good steak knives there, but cannot agree where it is; indeed, one fool, who fancies himself a philosopher, states boldly that no such place exists. The lesser fools throng about the Chief Fool, begging and braying for him to let them steer; and if another is favoured, they eat that other’s duff, and take copious liberties with that same fool’s grog, virtually raising their own G above M. Slackers and idlers all, they clog up the Chief Fool’s senses with their roaring and ranting. They think only of Stand Easy, Sunday routines, Make and Mends, and the Banyan Tree. They make free with the stores. Subject to channel fever, they plot constantly to heed the Siren’s call and divert the ship for a run ashore; this agitates the Chief Fool no end.
And so, the fools carry on bickering and oblivious, on their way to Ketchikan and steak knives. Only a fool would bet on them.
With Apologies to Plato, and Sebastian Brant”
The post Team Ship of Fools appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: George Booth, Stina Booth
Hometown: Boise, ID, USA
Race vessel: Custom Faering
LOA: 18′ 11″
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: instagram
Q: What’s the difference between a bad idea and a good idea?
A: Four years.
When you’re a brother and sister adventure team who have done everything from cross Patagonian cycling trips to a 2019 to Alaska in a 20’ boat seemingly named after an Ikean footstool, you’d think you’d know better. But with four years of absence making the blisters grow fainter, Team Solveig is back in action, ready to eschew wind power, good judgment, and other people and row themselves to Alaska, again.
However they are showing up, the desire to take a 20’ open boat to Alaska is impressive, but doing it with your sibling, again, is even more so. Think of the longest road trip you took with your family as a kid. Now, imagine that taking 20 days. There’s no roof for shade or shelter, every mile you earn on your muscles, and there’s no parents to break it up when your brother is copying you, copying you. No one to threaten to pull the car over to make you stop fighting because your sister looked out your window and made you spill your ice cream on purpose. All of that, and there are bears.
It’s amazing it only took four years for them to return.
We sat down with Team Solveig over a bowl of Dramamine and spilled orange soda to talk about siblings, adventure, and the nature of fate.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Fun, discomfort, chance of failure, opportunity for growth, change, suffering and joy!
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
I have found the hard way that you cannot guilt yourself into happiness. You can think your way into all kinds of important and proper things to do with your life but you will ultimately have to listen to and follow your heart.
I am actually not sure where R2AK fits into this dilemma; whether this thing thinks like a good idea or hearts like a good entity. Perhaps it is one of those rare and extraordinary instances of the two being in agreement. Maybe one more trip North will answer that question; more likely it won’t.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
My favorite bracket is the one that holds the PLB on the forward cockpit bulkhead. I know it’s there and if and when I need that little device in the future, it will be thanks to that humble little bracket.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Actually I really just love to whinge about all of it. I think pretending that it isn’t happening or that it doesn’t suck is stupid and that it is much more fun to embrace the irony of being miserable and knowing that you yourself signed up for it knowing damn well how bad it would be at times and that really despite the discomforts large and small how fantastic it is to be alive!
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
For us success is finishing alive and intact, still speaking to each other and that we did it with a little more speed or assurance or perhaps a little more grace than our first foray north.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Solveig is the bedrock of our team. She feels increasingly comfortable and at ease as the wind and waves grow menacing. She slips along easily with oars, and bubbles with pleasure to sail. She is thrilled to take a little jaunt up the beach for a cozy dry rest at night and is eager to roll down to the water again in the morning. I have never seen her bedraggled and she has nothing but heartfelt encouragement for the whole team each day! Go Solveig!!
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
I just want to say that for me this isn’t an event for hard core people with incredible skills. This race is for anyone who decides they want to go. Head north, whatever happens is what was bound to happen.
Welcome back to the R2AK Team Solveig. For the record, we kept our promise and didn’t use anything in your bio about your self-shot YouTube documentary of your 2019 R2AK, especially not the part at 46:18 where you are absolutely losing your minds. You’re welcome.
The post Team Solveig appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Michael Tolsma, Martin Monsma
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ, USA
Race vessel: Corsair 24 Mark 2
LOA: 24′
Human propulsion: Pedal (prop)
Connect: facebook, website
Let’s face it. We all love a buddy comedy.
And Mike & Marty’s Big Day Out has all of the reboot wholesomeness of Bill & Ted Face the Music, the reckless adventure of the Hangover 2, and the raging BFF energy of 2002 blockbuster, Crossroads, starring the one and only Britney Spears.
M&M’sBDO is the ultimate sleepover. Mike’s in charge of snacks. Marty’s in charge of bringing the board games. Here’s the gossip: the bears of the Inside Passage get pretty intense when it comes to Truth or Dare. This is your Big Day Out, but we recommend choosing ‘truth.’
There’s going to be that inevitable moment when one of them turns over in the sleeping bag and whispers into the dark, “Hey, are you asleep yet?” But whether it’s to point out the stars, wonder at the Northern Lights, or force the Ouija Board to spell out “Steak Knives” and then scream in the performative of slumber party mysticism remains to be seen.
We sat down with Marty Monsma of Team M&M’sBDO over a bowl of Captain Crunch All Crunchberries to talk about secret handshakes, 90’s video game cheat codes, and the darker qualities of Samwise Gamgee.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Adventure by necessity involves the unknown. It poses a question that hasn’t an answer yet. One of the questions here at Team M&M’sBDO is “Can we get an unfamiliar boat through unfamiliar waters all the way to Alaska? And with a modicum of grace?” Personally, I ask myself, “Will a few summers monkeying around on a Super Porpoise on the inland lakes of Michigan in my teens, a close reading of Chapman’s Piloting and Seamanship, and several rewatchings of 80s classic Summer Rental starring John Candy adequately prepare me to crew this vessel?” We don’t know. It’s an adventure.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
Good communication is the key. In just about everything. I know this and yet have to keep relearning it.
What’s your favorite kind of bracket?
I’m a carpenter, and my first thought was of shelf supports, admittedly. But I am guessing you are talking more about sports brackets, of which I am blissfully ignorant. I do really like the brackets they do on NBC’s Today Show—you know, viewers get to vote on America’s Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish, or America’s Favorite Halloween Candy, etc. You pretty much know how it’s going to go each time. But it’s good background while you’re drinking coffee in the morning. Al Roker, Carson Daly, Savannah Guthrie—I feel like I know them, but I don’t.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Really, the only thing for it is to start telling funny stories.
Mike is whiz with stubborn stoves, I should add.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
My Maslow’s Hierarchy of R2AK Success looks like this (from the bottom of the pyramid, working up): One, do this without loss of life or limb. Two, emerge on the back end still friends with Mike. Three, don’t get DQ’d in Stage 1. Four, make it to Ketchikan. Five, do something noteworthy. Really, it probably all boils down to avoiding embarrassment.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
It’s light, fast, and trailerable. Also, there is a cabin just big enough that if anyone needs to go below and rock back and forth and cry for a while, they can do that. On deck, of course, we will be calm, resolute, and steely eyed.
Blank space, baby. Share some things:
Sixteen years ago, Mike and I climbed Denali. He showed up in my driveway one fall afternoon on his bike, pulled the iPod earbud out of one ear (remember iPods?), and said, “Do you want to climb Denali next spring?” It was one of those questions you don’t have to think about.
We were on the glacier for 25 days. We worked hard, we met some cool people, we made it to the top. It was a heaping helping of type two fun, in short. Six months later, I am talking with Mike’s grandpa at Mike and Di’s rehearsal dinner, and he says, “Well I’m glad you boys got to climb Denali. It’s going to be different now.” And I was thinking, “Why would we stop now? We’re just getting going!” But he was right, of course. Grandparents often are.
So Mike settled into marriage, home ownership, and took on increasing responsibilities at the family construction business. I gadded about a few more years, but then got married also, had two children, and took on increased work duties as well.
And then came a rough patch for me starting in early 2017 where I sat with and cared for my dad for three weeks of hospice, and then navigated a divorce, and then was downsized from my job—all within a two year period. Since then, I’ve been reclaiming the old me, but a better version. I would call myself “sadder, but wiser, but happier.”
About 18 months ago a text from Mike popped up with a link to the R2AK website. “Hey, you want to do this?” I didn’t have to think.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Mike’s wife Di is a key crew member in this whole effort. She won’t be on the boat but she will be driving the trailer up to Ketchikan to scoop us. She is, as my dad used to say of people he particularly liked, “a good egg.”
Mike and Marty, may your friendship be forged by the trials of the Inside Passage and may your Big Day Out be worthy of a montage set to Hoku’s classic, “Perfect Day.”
The post Team Mike & Marty’s Big Day Out appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More bios
Team members: Dan Culpepper
Hometown: Stamford, CT, USA
Race vessel: Angus Rowcruiser Sail Modified
LOA: 19′
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: instagram
If you’ve read R2AK bios over the years, you’d probably assume that this write up would head right to the name; that we’d present you with a few column inches of writing about him blowing his own horn, or that we once threw our back out at summer camp trying to do the same thing. But we’re not going to do that.
That would be sophomoric. We wouldn’t dare.
While injury and disappointment sent us in a different direction, the lips of sole member of Team Hornblower have spent a career tickling french brass for money. That’s correct, he’s a professional french hornist. What does he play? If your french horn needs fall somewhere between Beethoven’s Horn Sonata and a foxhunt, Team Hornblower’s skills stand puckered and ready for whatever horning you need. Semper French Horn.
We sat across an opulently set dinner table from Team Hornblower, enjoying a bowl of Katz’s pastrami to talk about aquatic daybeds, wireless fart machines, and what Beyonce’ smells like.
What are the necessary components of a good adventure?
Everything working perfectly is not an adventure. Too much adventure, though, can be a disaster. Be prepared for shit to happen and have a plan.
What’s a lesson you learned the hard way?
If you are sailing along and these thoughts enter your brain: “Should I reef? Should I pee? Should I avoid those rocks?” $*@#ing do all three in the proper order. Listen to the little voice. That’s experience talking.
What’s your claim to fame?
In my professional time as a horn player I’ve played and recorded with many artists from Sinatra, Billy Joel, Elton John and The Who to Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Take your pick. Broadway shows Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Phantom. Ballet, Philharmonic, Pops and chamber music to keep things legitimate. Blah blah. If that is too boring then I did place a wireless fart machine behind the keyboard player at Phantom. That I am especially proud of. It was beyond funny, I must say.
It’s drizzling, freezing cold, and you’ve missed the tide. The cabin is leaky and the stove won’t light. How do you keep the good vibes going?
Open the waterproof packed letters from my loving family for these times and feel less alone and sorry for myself as my eyes “sweat.” Then move on.
Forget the 10k or the steak knives. What does success look like for you and your team?
Driving across the country and sitting aboard my home-built boat at 5am in Port Townsend to start this adventure. The rest is gravy.
Defend your vessel. What makes it worthy?
Colin Angus designed it and I bastardized it. Adding an arch and a single 2 reefed, 120 sq ft mainsail. Also added a larger cabin to allow for a jacuzzi, home theater, daybed and the last minute addition of an Olympic Peninsula-sized swimming pool.
In his application, Dan claimed he’d be “a fine addition to the madness,” so expectations are high. He also promised to blow his own (french) horn at dramatically appropriate times during the race.
The post Team Hornblower appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Video by Zach Carver. Camera by: Lucas Gardner, Lynnette Oostmeyer, Zach Carver, Julian Laffin, Heidi Baxter, Liz Harpold, Ashlyn Brown, Team Fashionably Late, Team Kootenay Pedalwheelers, Team Loustic SuperSonic. Music: I Just Wanna Be Great (Instrumental) by NEFFEX, Flames by Dan Henig
The post R2AK 2022 Day Done appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Sockeye Voyages just now crossing into Alaskan Waters! Final push to the finish line tomorrow?
The post Wednesday, July 6, 11:15 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Entering into the last week of R2AK 2022, we have two teams still on the course. Both Teams Fix Oder Nix and Sockeye Voyages are currently about 100 miles from the finish line. Sockeye Voyages put in two of their longest days of the race these last two days, allowing them to catch up to Fix Oder Nix, who struggled ...
The post Tuesday, July 5, 11:50 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Congratulations to team Oaracle! This is the third time they’ve finished the race together and second time in a kayak. They said the real race was for the ferry they need to catch on July 4th to get back home. Watch the replay here
The post Sunday, July 3, 10:29 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Update from Team Oaracle: “A beautiful stop over on north Dundas Island where we could see a rather rough lumpy whitecap sea state in Dixon entrance. The relentless long days and very short nights are taking their toll on our 60+ year old bodies. Pulled in to another beautiful beach to refuel, swim and rest before an early morning crossing ...
The post Sunday, July 3, 6:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Congratulations to team Let’s Row Maybe? as they finish the 2022 Race to Alaska! These incredible athletes were the second of the entirely human powered teams to cross the line this year, and did so with a fountain of laughter at the painful absurdity of this race. Watch the replay of their finish here
The post Saturday, July 2, 7:35 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Welcome to done, Team Don’t Tell Mom! Our first human-powered team, all-woman team—and to top all of that, sisters—to finish this year, made it across the finish line at 7:03 local time, after rowing 70 nautical miles yesterday in 14 hours. That’s right, 70 nautical miles, their longest day of the race, rowing, 14 hours. Then they slept for a ...
The post Saturday, July 2, 8:03 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Catching up with team Sockeye Voyages on a sunny afternoon in Chatham Channel. Interview and camera by Michael Delegarza and Peter Geerlofs, video by Zach Carver.
The post Friday, July 1, 2:15 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Update from Carling and Michelle of Team Let’s Row Maybe?, who are about 85 NM from Ketchikan. Carling: Here’s your 2022 promo video for R2AK. It’s day 13, it hasn’t stopped raining, we’ve been rowing into a headwind for the last few hours, lost about 14 lbs, Michelle’s got about 5,000 bug bites covering her body. Race to Alaska—yayyyyyyy. Michelle: ...
The post Friday, July 1, 7:45 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Stellar view from the back of the pack from team Sockeye Voyages. The further north you go the more epic the landscape becomes. Teams stretching from Bella Bella to nearly Prince Rupert tonight. Lots of determination left out there. Photo from team member @tara_watkin
The post Thursday, June 30 2:29 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s obvious that James of Team Bangarang adores his Angus Rowcruiser. But there’s something, or rather someone, he loves more. After making it just shy of Bella Bella, he’s headed home so they can celebrate their anniversary together in person. He says he had a great time, he feels good, and he and his wife will be returning to the ...
The post Thursday, June 30, 1:15 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
No teams on the move tonight. All remaining teams are anchored or ashore, and presumably asleep. Three teams just south of Bella Bella with just 10 days left in the race. No shortage of challenge ahead.
The post Thursday, June 30 1:16 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Seas the Day touching down on the dock in Ketchikan. Huge support from friends and family on Zoom with a computer on the dock. Lots of goodwill and tears of joy and accomplishment. Check out more @racetoalaska
The post Wednesday, June 29 6:30 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Our back of the pack teams are all within 50 miles of reaching Bella Bella. With a week and a half left in the race, will they make it to Ketchikan before the Grim Sweeper catches them?
The post Wednesday, June 29, 10:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Our morning tracker check-in with our human-powered duos, Teams Don’t Tell Mom, Let’s Row Maybe?, and Oaracle, making steady progress towards Ketchikan.
The post Tuesday, June 28, 10:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Welcome to done, Team Goldfinch! 11D 21H 36M, and all smiles.
The post Tuesday, June 28, 9:36 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
A Race to Alaska sunrise, taken by Team Goldfinch in their final miles to Ketchikan.
The post Tuesday, June 28, 7:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From field reporter Lynnette Oostmeyer: “Lillian Kuehl, of Team Interstice, cools her feet in one of the many inlets around Bella Bella, B.C. She plans to rest here for a few days before she decides if she will continue on with the race.”
The post Monday, June 27, 6:30 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From Team Oaracle: “A few photos from past few days. Weather has been great though quite a bit of fog, including as we crept around Cape Caution. It was rather eery. Water conditions a bit gnarly at times. Enjoying the awesomeness of our coast. A noticeable absence of the usual plethora of starfish.”
The post Monday, June 27, 5:40 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Most of the teams currently on the race route are within 100 miles north or south of Bella Bella. Bella Bella is 250 miles from the finish. The Grim Sweeper leaves Port Townsend at noon on June 29th and sweeps 75 miles of the racecourse every 24 hours until it gets to Ketchikan. About how many miles per day will ...
The post Monday, June 27, 9:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From field reporter Lynnette Oostmeyer: “Janice Mason and Ian Graeme, of Team Oaracle, stopped at the docks in Bella Bella, B.C. today to fill up their water and figure out where to camp for the night. This year’s race will be Janice’s fourth and Ian’s fifth. They joked that they may be the last, and oldest, team to make it ...
The post Sunday, June 26, 9:30 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Bienvenue au Ketchikan, Team Loustic SuperSonic. 9D 23H 4M. Team Loustic SuperSonic bought their boat sight-unseen, saw their deck delaminate from their hull during Stage One, repaired said delamination, and made it to Ketchikan. Nicely done!
The post Sunday, June 26, 11:10 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We received notice from Team Perseverance in Port Hardy this morning. “Repeated days of beating into the wind making little progress and these conditions predicted to continue for the next several days, I feel the time has come to bow out of the race. I’ve done everything I can to make speed and forward progress, and it just hasn’t been ...
The post Sunday, June 26, 10:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The French duo of Team Loustic SuperSonic is nearing the home stretch. Looks like they have about 9 miles to go. Tu y es presque! (that’s “you’re almost there” according to the internet, which has been known to be wrong). Next in the pack is Team Goldfinch, who’s just off McMicking Island right now; followed by Team Seas the Day ...
The post Sunday, June 26, 8:20 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The human-powered fleet is nearing the halfway point of Bella Bella. Don’t Tell Mom, Let’s Row Maybe?, Oaracle, and Interstice. How are those hands and butts holding up?
The post Saturday, June 25, 11:50 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Wraith 2K made it into Ketchikan at 2:08 AM to a dock party still going strong after Mustang Survival’s Rite of Passage’s arrival. Well done, Wraith! Watch the replay of their finish here.
The post Saturday, June 25, 2:15 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage—our youngest racers on the course, and youngest average age of any R2AK (16.75)—made it to Ketchikan at 1:26 AM, overtaking Wraith 2AK in the final miles. Their cheering squad welcomed them with cold sodas and big cheers. Fans across Tracker Nation are proud and in awe! Watch the replay of their finish here.
The post Saturday, June 25, 1:30 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
An incredible BC sunset captured by Doug of Team Perseverance near Port McNeill tonight. This is the kind of thing that makes us pause and take a deep breath.
The post Friday, June 24, 10:45 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Hardship—repping Ireland—came into Ketchikan at 5:02 PM PDT! We’ve had very little contact with them throughout the race so we can’t wait to hear their stories. Well done. Watch the replay of their finish here.
The post Friday, June 24, 5:05 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From Team Don’t Tell Mom HQ: “Winds were yet again against the rowing teams yesterday in Queen Charlotte Strait. Team Don’t Tell Mom found shelter for the night near Bramham Island where Leigh and Dameon also stayed for R2AK2019. I’m sure they both enjoyed a break from the tent!”
The post Friday, June 24, 2:30 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Welcome to done, Team High Seas Drifters! Our 2021 WA360 winners had to ditch their captain Shad Lemke along the way due illness (not COVID)—they sure made up for the detour with speed on the rest of the trip. Replay of the live stream finish here.
The post Friday, June 24, 12:20 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team High Seas Drifters nearing the finish line! Check out the livestream later today on the R2AK Facebook page. Here they are heeled over and sailing well, 40 miles out more great shots of their journey from team member @scottywood
The post Friday, June 24 11:26 AM appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Racers and fans gathered at the Alaska Fish House tonight to see the R2AK Steak Knives bestowed upon Team Elsewhere. Team Fashionably Late received the newly designated 3rd place prize: a bucket of nothing.
The post Thursday, June 23, 8:00 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
3rd ever team to take the outside—welcome to done, Kootenay Pedalwheelers! Photo by Lucas Gardner
The post Thursday, June 23, 5:32 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Zen Dog retiring from the race with too much damage to his hands. We’re glad he’s getting his hands fixed up. Thanks for being a part of the Race Zen Dog! Original post @lynnetteoostmeyer
The post Thursday, June 23 4:58 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
After a rough crossing of Dixon Entrance last night Team Kootenay Pedalwheelers is on the home stretch into Ketchikan! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kootenay Pedalwheelers (@kootenay_pedalwheelers)
The post Thursday, June 23 3:48 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From Environment Canada: Strong wind warning in effect. Wind northwest 10 to 20 knots becoming northwest 15 to 25 early this evening then diminishing to northwest 10 to 15 early Friday morning. Wind increasing to northwest 15 to 25 Friday evening. Team Sockey Voyages headed out for an attempt at Johnstone earlier today but was forced to turn around. Now ...
The post Thursday, June 23 2:55 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
By guest writer Andy Cross of 2018 Team Wild Card, and editor of 48° North magazine Sailing fast under full mainsail, staysail and asymmetrical spinnaker, Team Pure and Wild pushed toward the finish line in the late afternoon on Monday, June 20 with breaks of blue sky overhead. Just a few miles to the northwest in Ketchikan, Alaska, a bell ...
The post R2AK Glory for Team Pure and Wild appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We just received word from Doug, Team Dark Star, that he’s heading back to Port Townsend. “I am at Blind Channel Resort (!) after a half-day of double-reefed tacking. This was on my cruise plan but for last week…I’ve decided to leave the race and spend my next 2 weeks sailing south back to PT. This race has given me ...
The post Thursday, June 23, 10:20 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
More teams in over night and this morning! Welcome to done, Teams Fashionably Late (3rd place, monohull, 6D 12H 16M), Vegemite Vigilantes (4th place, trimaran, 6D 16H 43M, and Lost But Don’t Care (5th place, trimaran, 6D 19H 12M). These were all teams that dodged the logs along the Inside Passage.
The post Thursday, June 23, 9:00 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Kootenay Pedalwheelers faces some weather in Dixon Entrance. “Lumpy, wet, rough beat to weather in Dixon Entrance tonight as we close in on Ketchikan. 3rd reef in main and storm jib.”
The post Wednesday, June 22, 7:30 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Elsewhere wins the steak knives in the 2022 Race to Alaska! If those aren’t faces of pure elation, we don’t know what is. These guys finished the race in 6 days, 6 hrs, 32 mins—first steak knife winners in the history of R2AK to take the outside route around Victoria. Also the first to do the race with an ...
The post Wednesday, June 22, 6:45 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Elsewhere coming in now, for the steak knife win! Videos, photos, and going live on Facebook. Go there, go on!
The post Wednesday, June 22, 6:20 (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The media team catches up with Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage during a resupply trip in Port McNeill B.C. Video by Lucas Gardner
The post Wednesday, June 22, 1:27 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Elsewhere pulling away from Team Fashionably Late this AM – looks like the steak knives for them? Interview with Fashionably Late by Michael Delegarza & Peter Geerlofs – they didn’t know they were in 3rd place! Time to stop cooking and go racing?
The post Wednesday, June 22 11:03 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Well isn’t this exciting? Team Elsewhere with 89 NM to go until Ketchikan, Team Fashionably Late with 98 NM to go. The battle for the steak knives is on.
The post Tuesday, June 21, 10:15 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Tracker fans, Ketchikan locals, loved ones, and a few from R2AK Nation far and wide met at The Alaska Fish House to witness Team Pure and Wild pry their $10K off the wall with a crow bar and some scraps of wood. TPW is donating a grand of their winnings to SeaShare. Photos by Thomas Hawthorne
The post Tuesday, June 21, 7:00 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
HAPPENING TONIGHT 6 PM (AKDT) at The Alaska Fish House—we’re handing over the 10K and firewood! 3 Salmon Landing, Ketchikan. Open to all, you just gotta get there in time. We’ll throw a separate party for the steak knife winners. Team Pure and Wild has an ocean race to get to!
The post Tuesday, June 21, 12:17 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Doug of Team Dark Star enters Yuculta before the end of the flood in hopes of hitting Dent Rapids during slack tide. Thanks to Wes Takahashi for the photo, and to Daphne for contacting Doug to find out what his plan is!
The post Tuesday, June 21, 12:00 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Elsewhere and Team Fashionably Late picking up a southerly for a run up Hecate Strait tonight with Team Lost but Don’t Care entering the same system. Elsewhere can probably taste the steak knives, but Fashionably Late could still capture the coveted cutlery.
The post Monday, June 20 11:25 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Photo by Rebecca Ross Got a call from Leigh and Clare of Team Don’t Tell Mom and we could almost hear the rock striking the VHF radio as she asked if Canada secretly changed the channels they used for marine weather broadcasts because they couldn’t get the forecast and they sure as hell weren’t rowing into Queen Charlotte Sound without ...
The post Monday, June 20th 6:45 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Aaaaand DONE. Team Pure and Wild wins the 6th Race to Alaska, and is the first team to take the outside route around Vancouver Island. 4 days, 4 hrs, 32 minutes. Matt Pistay is now the first to win Race to Alaska twice! Watch the replay of the finish here.
The post Monday, June 20, 4:40 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Pure and Wild sailing downwind in Nichols passage, in the final stretch to Ketchikan—9.2 knots in maybe 10 knots of breeze. Incredible!!! Photos by Thomas Hawthorne, @hawthornephotos
The post Monday, June 20, 3:00 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Finish line getting ready. Huge thanks to Baranof Fishing for loaning a boat and driver to go hunt for Team Pure and Wild.
The post Monday, June 20, 1:12 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Elsewhere beats Fashionable Late to Bella Bella! Outside proving fast despite the added distance. Volunteers Peter Geerlofs and Michael Delegarza first on the scene.
The post Monday, June 20 10:47 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Pure & Wild is nearing Ketchikan, and we’ll be STREAMING THE FINISH LIVE on facebook. We’ll post a link to the live stream here once it’s over.
The post Monday, June 20, 10:28 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
World’s first Team Elsewhere heading into Bella Bella from further North! Coming in from the Pacific through Seaforth Channel.
The post Monday, June 20 8:11 AM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Gibling (@rowcruiser_bangarang) Team Bangarang ghosting into Campbell River with a sliver of light in the sky. 7 teams spending the night her before heading through Seymour Narrows in the morning with the tide change.
The post Sunday, June 19th 11:50 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Fashionably Late and Team Elsewhere in a drag race for Bella Bella! Who will make it through first? This is still very much a race for the Steak Knives.
The post Sunday, June 19 11:08 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Field Reporter Rebecca Ross shows us the toll rowing 76km in a day takes: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rebecca Ross (@reb.ross.photography)
The post Sunday, June 19 10:01 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Ruf Duck exits the race.
The post Sunday, June 19th 7:00 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From Pure and Wild: “Looking forward to seeing you all in Ketchikan. Spirits are high and we are enjoying our sail down the Hecate! P&W out!”
The post Sunday, June 19th 6:35 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Pocket Rockanauts filling us in on the whole store of their capsize. Read more on Instagram @pocket_rockanauts_r2ak
The post Sunday, June 19 5:23 PM (PDT) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Rho Your Boat is fighting the current in the Narrows. Right now, as we write. Employing two pedal drives and doing duolingo, because we guess racing to Alaska wasn’t hard enough, they wanted to learn another language while they’re at it. Do they know they speak English in Ketchikan?? They said Ruf Duck is right behind them, we said pics ...
The post Saturday, June 18th 9:07 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Pure & Wild is reaching the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Meanwhile teams are fighting for the lead along the inside: Lost But Don’t Care currently leading, followed closely by High Seas Drifters, Fashionably Late, and Wraith 2AK. Will Lost But Don’t Care hold the inside lead through the night?
The post Saturday, June 18th, 8:40 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Fire Escape, captured near Hornsby Island.
The post Saturday, June 18th, 5:47 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Our media team is willing to do some strange things to get the stories out and today was no different. We pulled into French Creek to deal with a boat filling with water and Rebecca just moved her office to the next available floating structure, where she is now, finding the words to chronicle the efforts of our R2AK racers. ...
The post Saturday, June 18th, 5:42 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Here’s a video update from Team Pocket Rockanauts on Day 1.
The post Saturday, June 18th 2:19 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Catching up with Team Fix Oder Nix this morning off of Nanaimo, on a boat so comfortable it makes them sleep in.
The post Saturday, June 18th, 11:00 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Teams Lost But Don’t Care and High Seas Drifters are neck and neck again, this time in Seymour Narrows.
The post Saturday, June 18th 9:09 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Interstice rowing past a log boom at 8:45 AM after rowing through False Narrows. Lots of open water ahead today. Human powered teams happy for the relatively calm forecast today. Photo by Heidi Baxter.
The post Saturday, June 18 8:45 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Comments have arisen, most of which can be encapsulated with the paraphrase, “What the hell is Team Dark Star doing?” Well, word around the eddy is that Doug decided after Day 1 that it was important to take a lay day and enjoy some of what the picturesque southern Gulf Islands have to offer. Every racer has their pace and ...
The post Friday, June 17th 11:55 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Pure and Wild really starting to stretch their legs out on the west side. Could be some rough weather tonight out there. Just more boat speed, or will the sea state slow them down? Team Fashionably Late with a very stylish lead in the inside pack. Day two and it’s still anybody’s race. From Environment Canada: Vancouver Island, West ...
The post Friday, June 17th 11:43 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We’re pretty sure something is going on with Team Pure and Wild, our offshore leaders. Just got a message from Captain Jonathan. They’re at Estevan Point and talking about Pure and Wild “glamour sailing.” We’re pretty sure that’s code for whoever is at the helm is wearing lipstick. We’re hoping for Eggplant or Peach for the color. Goes with the ...
The post Friday, June 17th 5:25 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
A bit of bummer news from the course: As of 3:15 today, Team Malolo is out due to damage to bows and dagger boards. Safe in Comax and other than their hopes and dreams being destroyed, everything else is well. News from Kootenay Pedalwheelers, one of our west side teams: Rudder damage!!! Pulling into Ucluelet so they can inspect the ...
The post Friday, June 17th 5:20 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Ruf Duck made it through Dodd Narrows before we could get there because we had to stop to watch the migrating orcas. For now they are tied up in Nanaimo but found excellent wind just passed the Narrows and came screaming into town. Spirits are high and it seems their gambit to come back in Trincomali Channel moved them ...
The post Friday, June 17th, 4:28 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Update from the bat phone: Malolo is pulling into Comox to assess some log damage. No verdict yet, but this is gonna slow them down. 😢 Pure & Wild is sailing upwind in 15 knots, making good progress. Will the outside pay off? They reported that they’re having a great time out there off Barkley sound.
The post Friday, June 16, 12:10 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Pturbodactyl suffered damage forcing them from the race. Early reports are that there is damage to the diagonal strut that attaches their ama to the rest of the boat. Disappointing news to hear, but we’re glad everyone is safe.
The post Friday, June 17th 8:29 AM appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Pocket Rockanauts capsized this morning a few miles NNE of Saturna Island. All are safe. The crew were all wearing dry suits and PFDs (Mustang Survival FTW). They contacted the Canadian Coast Guard, and there is a CCG vessel on the way to assist. After the capsize, the vessel experienced downflooding into one of the hulls, making righting the boat ...
The post Friday, June 17th 7:30 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Headed into night one with strong winds forecast on the inside tonight. Team Malolo pulling ahead for now – making good on their gamble to enter Georgia Strait through Active Pass. Looks like team Pure and Wild will be in the open Pacific by dawn. From Environment Canada: Georgia Strait South of Nanaimo: Strong wind warning in effect. Wind northwest ...
The post Friday, June 17th 12:25 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Meanwhile on the outside, Team Kootenay Pedalwheelers are headed toward the Pacific at nightfall. After all that training in a mountain lake it must be nice to head toward an actual horizon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kootenay Pedalwheelers (@kootenay_pedalwheelers)
The post Thursday, June 16th 10:13 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Don’t Tell Mom rowing into James Bay to find a campsite. After 40+ miles Clare Dorsey said today was the furthest she’d ever rowed. How many times will she break that record in the coming weeks? Human powered teams were leading the race until heading into camp for the evening!
The post Thursday, June 16th 7:44 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
From Jim Meyers, field reporter: “A part of the westside gamble everyone knew was coming. It’s glassy out here. The rain has also begun.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jim Meyers (@vertizonphoto)
The post Thursday, June 16, 3:45 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s not delivery, it’s ditracker… Race Boss drops off a new tracker for Team Sternwheelin’ who was having some technical difficulties with their original.
The post Thursday, June 16, 3:08 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Three teams have taken the outside route: Kootenay Pedalwheelers, Pure & Wild, and Elsewhere. The rest are making their way around Oak Bay, with human-powered teams Let’s Row Maybe?, Don’t Tell Mom, and Zen Dog up in the lead. 💪
The post Thursday, June 16, 2:55 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
And they’re off! Watch the replays of the Les Mans start live feeds on Facebook and Instagram (give us a bit to upload, because you know, internet). Who will turn right and head for the open ocean, up the west side of Vancouver Island? Tracker here.
The post Thursday, June 16, 12:09 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Teams are making their last minute preparations for the race. 2 hours til race start!
The post Thursday, June 16, 10:00 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We’ll be streaming live on Facebook and Instagram for the race start. Head over to those pages 10 or so minutes before noon for the stream.
The post Going live for the race start on Facebook and Instagram! appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Joechim and Zoe. 12 hours crossing. 30 minutes sailing. 4 knots of ebb currents helping them at times. 30 minutes on hold with customs. And it all ended with 5 minutes of delightful chatting with a customs agent. Happy to be in Victoria and ready for more. Team Fix Oder Nix.
The post Wednesday, June 15, 4:07 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
“Oh my god, they don’t even have oars…” -Race Boss Catching up with Team Fire Escape paddling their way to Victoria.
The post Wednesday, June 15, 3:27 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Open docks in Victoria until 6 PM today. Don’t settle for our half-truths—go talk to the teams yourself!
The post Wednesday, June 15, 3:18 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The human-powered teams are making it into Victoria after waiting out the weather on the south of the Strait. We’ll be posting our Daily Update shortly about the straight-up delightful characters and stories of the Dungeness Spit from the last 24 hours. If you’re in Vic, go say hi to teams Oaracle, Wave Forager, Let’s Row Maybe?, Don’t Tell Mom, ...
The post Wednesday, June 15, 12:03 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
There they go. Teams heading across the strait. Track ’em here.
The post Wednesday, June 15, 7:42 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Take a look at three of the many faces of Race to Alaska and part of our race support framework. Elijah (right), Rosie (left), and Stone (middle) all have different backgrounds but bring their expertise and passion to the race. From swift water rescue to marine mechanics and probably the most important skills of all, empathy, support and encouragement for ...
The post Tuesday, June 14, 8:21 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Don’t Tell Mom is making repairs on Dungeness Spit. The only thing that broke was the bungee cord for the GPS. 😆
The post Tuesday, June 14, 6:00 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We caught up with Team Loustic SuperSonic waiting out the weather at the John Wayne Marina. They told us all about their hull and deck coming apart. The deck is attached with pop rivets and many of them failed along one side for about two meters of the seam—when they realized the boat was acting sluggish, they looked inside to ...
The post Tuesday, June 14, 6:02 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The teenagers of Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage tearing into Dungeness after a nice sail from Point Hudson, getting into position for tomorrow’s early morning crossing. We could only understand half of what they said, but it’s nothing but smiles and good sailing to get them this far.
The post Tuesday, June 14, 5:50 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Behind the scenes. You think this gorgeous content just appears out of nowhere? Five boats, eighteen people and a warehouse filled with the infinite writing monkeys mobilize for a couple of weeks up and down the west coast of British Columbia. Racing to Alaska: complicated. Getting the stories out to all of you: Priceless.
The post Tuesday, June 14, 2:04 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s called the Proving Ground for a reason. High winds, high seas—there’s a reason why nearly 20 teams are prudently waiting it out on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Taken yesterday by Kootenay Pedalwheelers, who made it into Victoria around 4:30 on the 13th.
The post Tuesday, June 14, 1:12 PM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Heavy weather today is meaning no boats are crossing until the early hours of Wednesday. The only team crossing today is the big ocean-going trimaran, Malolo. Everyone else is staying back on the advice of Coast Guard and R2AK High Command. The weather did more than just keep racers off the water. It kept our media team cold and shoreside ...
The post Tuesday, June 14, 11:50 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
First three teams are in. Way to go! Pturbodactyl and Elsewhere are almost there. furiously hits refresh on the tracker Pure & Wild, 9:38 am Pestou, 10:02 am Ruf Duck, 10:16 am
The post Monday, June 13, 10:36 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Update from the course: Razzle Dazzle, B Team, and Runaway Redux capsizes, all safe. Narwhal dismasted and is safely back in Port Townsend, spirits are up. Stay safe out there! Photo of Team Narwhal at the dock in Port Townsend.
The post Monday, June 13, 10:13 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Windy conditions out there! Many teams are waiting it out until conditions improve. Field reporter Rebecca Ross got some shots of teams heading out this morning, including L.A.S.E.R., Wave Forager, and Fix Oder Nix.
The post Monday, June 13, 9:31 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
With a weather forecast between seasick and dangerous for the next two days, R2AK High Command is extending the proving ground by 24 hours. Race start is still 5 am, Monday 6/13. Racers will need to finish in Victoria no later than 5 pm on Wednesday, 6/15. No change to any Victoria schedule of events. Racers missing the Tuesday skipper’s ...
The post Proving Ground Update from Race HQ appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse sollicitudin, tortor at euismod elementum, diam nunc placerat massa, id accumsan dolor nunc at massa. Proin dictum nisi blandit, ornare leo eget, bibendum libero. Sed sollicitudin risus a odio laoreet, non pellentesque velit cursus. Morbi tincidunt justo nisi, quis pharetra tellus fermentum a. Sed tempus semper turpis bibendum gravida. Proin vitae ...
The post Test test appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In vitae lacus vehicula, eleifend tortor sit amet, pretium sapien. Aenean a felis magna. Nullam ac enim id nulla ultricies rutrum. Donec in tellus ut risus tristique dictum. Sed eget neque quis urna luctus blandit vitae a justo. Ut porta, ipsum at ornare aliquam, eros sapien ultricies nunc, eget iaculis erat lorem ...
The post Feed starts here appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo: Teams Angry Beaver and Pear Shaped Racing by Drew Malcolm It was a five cruise ship day in Ketchikan, and the irony was not lost on those paying attention and all the R2AK fans and families who gathered in the Alaska Fish House that, as the nearest supply of dry and ...
The post 2019 DAY 5: THE SPIRIT OF SENDING IT sample appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus hendrerit nisi libero, nec rhoncus ante convallis id. Aenean commodo, neque laoreet ultricies vulputate, magna tellus semper lectus, semper ullamcorper neque erat non sem. Aliquam erat volutpat. Mauris purus augue, efficitur eget tellus et, bibendum congue urna. Duis eu mauris quis neque iaculis fermentum.
The post Saturday, June 18, 6:00 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus hendrerit nisi libero, nec rhoncus ante convallis id. Aenean commodo, neque laoreet ultricies vulputate, magna tellus semper lectus, semper ullamcorper neque erat non sem. Aliquam erat volutpat. Mauris purus augue, efficitur eget tellus et, bibendum congue urna. Duis eu mauris quis neque iaculis fermentum. Maecenas in euismod metus, ut commodo urna. ...
The post Saturday, June 18, 5:00 AM (PST) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Nestled along the Tongass Narrows, minutes from downtown, The Ketch embodies the spirit of Ketchikan—where fishing is a way of life, the food is hearty, and new discoveries are daily. They offer direct access to the most jaw-droppingly beautiful wilderness in the world with their fully guided and self-guided fishing and sightseeing excursions.
The post The Ketch appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: A Ellsberry
Vessel: SeaWind 24
Hometown: Renton, WA, USA
The post Team Vis Viva appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: John Taussig (father), John Taussig (son)
Vessel: Montgomery 17
Hometown: Bellingham, WA, USA
The post Team Sick Chicken appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Mike Mitchell, Will Wiseman
Vessel: C-Lark
Hometown: Palm Bay, Florida, USA
The post Team Runaway Redux appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Aldyn Chwelos, Alex Webb
Vessel: Laser Full Rig
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
The post Team L.A.S.E.R. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Claude Monchamp, Mary Carrigan, Paul Monchamp, Thorston Hoefling, Serjei Moukminov
Vessel: 1974 Vandestadt Legend
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Moonipulators appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Liam Burke, Robert McMullen, Graham Cornwell, Kelsey Breseman, Rick Breseman
Vessel: C&C 25 Mark 1
Hometown: Normandy Park, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Rho Your Boat appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Lillian Kuehl
Vessel: Chesapeake Light Craft Expedition Wherry
Hometown: Port Angeles, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Interstice appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew de Bruin, Scott Wallingford, Trevor (Zam) Bevan, Norris Comer
Vessel: Corsair 760 Sport
Hometown: Wynnum, Queensland, Australia
Read on...
The post Team Vegemite Vigilantes appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Brian Fahy, Cillian Cotter, Paul Kelly
Vessel: Structures Pogo 2
Hometown: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Hardship appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Jason Breitbarth, Jenny Beltman
Vessel: Catalina 22
Hometown: Boulder, CO, USAThe post Team Type 2 Fun appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Caleb McDaniels, Sam Bonauto
Vessel: Raymond Richards Ranger 20
Hometown: Brunswick, ME, USA
Read on...
The post Team Goldfinch appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: John Tulip, Terry Bieman, John Hillier, James Tulip
Vessel: Corsair F31R"
Hometown: Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Pturbodactyl appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Leigh Dorsey, Clare Dorsey
Vessel: Savo 650 "E"
Hometown: Belfast, ME, USA
Read on...
The post Team Don’t Tell Mom appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Boris Rohou, Nathalie Fouet
Vessel: Santana 20 Monohull
Hometown: Bidart, Nouvelle Aquitaine, France
Read on...
The post Team Loustic SuperSonic appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Fisheries Supply Company is a family-owned business that opened its doors in 1928 at Pier 55 on Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington. Now located next to Gasworks Park in the center of Seattle’s maritime industry, Fisheries Supply is the largest supplier of marine products in the Pacific Northwest with over 100,000 products in inventory. Our customers include boat dealers, builders ...
The post Fisheries Supply appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Duncan Gladman, Tom Kassberg, Paul Gibson, Gavin Bracket
Vessel: Custom Trimaran
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Malolo appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Paul Pennoyer, Evan Pennoyer
Vessel: Balboa 20 Monohull
Hometown: Essex, MA, USA
Read on...
The post Team G-MA appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Michelle Choy, Carling Zeeman
Vessel: Merry Sea rowboat
Hometown: San Francisco, CA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Let’s Row Maybe? appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: James Gibling
Vessel: Sailing Rowcruiser Trimaran
Hometown: Pasadena, CA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Bangarang appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Through constant innovation and inspired technical solutions, Mustang Survival strives to bolster performance, encourage exploration and inspire adventure in the marine environment. We are committed to the protection and enhancement of those who push themselves to extremes. Mustang Survival. Saving lives since 1967.
The post Mustang Survival appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Ketchikan, Alaska, is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful wilderness in the world—Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture. Travel Ketchikan.
The post Ketchikan Visitors Bureau appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Douglas Walker, Karl Kruger
Vessel: Walker experimental Trimaran
Hometown: Durango, CO, USA
The post Team Skywalker appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew Biel
Vessel: Valley Etain kayak
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA, USA
The post Team Arm and Leg appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Nige Oswald, Brandon Davis
Vessel: Farrier F25c Trimaran
Hometown: Friday Harbor, WA, USA
The post Team Makika appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Jonathan McKee, Matt Pistay, Alyosha Strum-Palerm
Vessel: Riptide 44 Monohull
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Pure and Wild appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Robert Maddison
Vessel: Weta Trimaran
Hometown: Forestville, CA, USA
Read on...
The post Team B Team appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Katy Stewart
Vessel: Angus Row Cruiser Trimaran
Hometown: Savannah, GA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Razzle Dazzle appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We keep running this race, and they keep signing up for it. They're cooler than us, and we're okay with it.
The post 2022 Full Race Teams appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport integrates the tourism sector with the arts, culture and sport sectors to create a more vibrant British Columbia for residents and visitors.
The post British Columbia appeared first on Race to Alaska.
If you need an excuse to use Facebook at work.
The post SEVENTY48 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
After two years of heartbreak, we're ready to race. Gun goes off June 13, 2022.
The post We’re back, baby appeared first on Race to Alaska.
In 2019 Team Backwards AF became the second team to make their way to Ketchikan looking the wrong way throughout the entire event.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 20/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Ziska holds finishing records for oldest boat, youngest crew member (pretty sure that’s true), and most miles to destination at 1,281 miles (for a 750 mile race).
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 17/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Alula’s completion of the 2016 R2AK was a masterpiece of human achievement, and they hold the title of R2AK’s most beloved DQ.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 16/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Karl Kruger was the first person to complete the R2AK on a stand-up paddleboard. He is the only person to complete the R2AK on a stand-up paddleboard. It is also the longest distance a SUP has raced in all time, anywhere, like ever.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 15/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Repeat offenders can be human and can be boats. Today we look at Team A Pirate Looks at 30, and Katy Stewart of Teams Onism, Global Diving, Global, and Razzle Dazzle (x2).
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 14/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
A tale of two solo strategies. Roger Mann of Team Discovery and Russell Brown of Team PT Watercraft have both raced twice, finished both times, and have always done it solo.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 13/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Teams Grace B, Heart of Gold, Bad Kitty, KELP, and Global make up our Day 12 Time Machine. Time to redefine Cult of Personality!
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 12/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Day 11 gives us Team Holopuni, a Polynesian-inspired canoe tackling the waters of the Inside Passage.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 11/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
No one has solved the riddle of 2017 Team West Coast Wild Ones’ improbable race, and if they tell you any different they’re a damn liar.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 10/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
CLIP OF THE DAY | DAILY UPDATE What does winning mean? In the case of Matt Pruis, two-time paddler of R2AK (2017 & 2018) and record holder for fastest kayak, it means reimagining a kayak journey to Alaska. During the 2018 race Matt folded up his kayak and tried to cut down his time by going overland, getting horribly stuck ...
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 9/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We can’t get enough of Team North2Alaska. Racing in both 2017 and 2019, North2Alaska is four young guns and a brave father barreling north in a 25-foot open boat they built out of aluminum…by themselves…in their backyard.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 8/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This is the last day we look at boats gaining fame because they go fast. Into the speed recipe we mix a team from 2016 called Jungle Kitty.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 7/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
In 2018 Team Sail Like a Girl battled their way into history as the first monohull to win the Race to Alaska AND the first all-woman crew to take it as well. Eight women in a Melges 30 held together as much by sponsor logos as gel coat.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 6/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Angry Beaver—a hot design monohull called a Schock 40—goes head to head against the high twitch racing trimaran helmed by Team Pear Shaped Racing.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 5/15 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
In one of the most nail-biting, epic, spine-tingling finishes of R2AK history, in 2017 we watched what started as a sail race devolve into a back alley drag race on the front door of Ketchikan’s waterways.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 4/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
MAD Dog is the fastest finisher ever, beating its nearest competition by over 7 hours. They are fast, and fast enough to cause one unnamed pro team to pack it in early because the writing was on the wall as far south as Victoria.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 3/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Here we have Team Pear Shaped Racing, the Steak Knife champions of 2019, and some of the best footage of losing the battle against the current of Seymour Narrows.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 2/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The entire year of anticipation compresses into this Le Mans start and the first day of the Race. You can feel the exaltation as people finally get on the water. It’s something about entering into the experience where your decisions directly impact your goal.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 1/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
For the next 25 engineless days, Race to Alaska High Command is entering the selective time machine of the last five years. We didn’t pick the best teams, the best videos or the best stories, because we can’t find half the video we shot and time machines don’t work that way. We pulled from the fondest memories chronicled in multimedia and stretched them across 25 days of a virtual experience.
The post R2AK Time Machine Day 0/25 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Putting the dis in social distancing with a race retro and a celebration of the Untrammelled Racer
The post Five years of half-truths appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Odin Smith, Willow Bennett, Luca Gesinger, Oscar Levine, Dylan Tracer
Vessel: Santa Cruz 27
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA USA
Read on...
The post Team FAST appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Hart Williams, Jordan Hanssen, Nicole Williams, Bethanee Randles
Vessel: Olson 30
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA USA
Read on...
The post Team Gulls on Buoys appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Christopher Blasucci, Cris Hazzard, Devin Bird
Vessel: Thunderbird 26
Hometown: Nordland, WA USA
The post Team Sailarchy appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ian Graeme, Janice MasonVessel: TBD
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Oaracle appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We keep running this race, and they keep signing up for it. They're cooler than us, and we're okay with it.
The post Teams that would have been appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew Biel
Vessel: Epic 18X
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA USA
The post Team Arm & Leg appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Shaun Henderson
Vessel: Peapod
Hometown: Tacoma, WA USA
Read on...
The post Team Oceanus appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Jerry Merz, Jim Davis, Steve Dodge
Vessel: San Juan 24
Hometown: Twisp, WA USA
Read on...
The post Team Jerry Rigged appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ian Lloyd, Randolph Speck, Sebastian Fritz, Damien Etchaubard
Vessel: Grand Prix 26
Hometown: Richmond, BC Canada
Read on...
The post Team Wraith 2AK appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Phillip Martindale, Colton Gardner, Nat Powning, Mark Stanton
Vessel: Catalina Capri 25
Hometown: Fairview, Oregon USA
Read on...
The post Team Rum Ham appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Benjamin Handziak, Katherine Groesbeck, Robert Generaux, Samuel Waterhouse
Vessel: Santa Cruz 27
Hometown: Seattle, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Canal Rats appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Debra Wehrman, Don Wehrman
Vessel: Macgregor Venture Newport
Hometown: Everett, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Just to Sea appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We’ve made R2AK 2020 even more simple/hard than it already was by removing one of the waypoints.
The post One less rule appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This is the final episode chronicling the 2019 Race to Alaska. In the same way you use the leftover turkey carcass after Thanksgiving to make soup, we’re making R2AK stew out of our favorite leftover bits from the 2019 experience. If you’ve listened to the previous 13 episodes, you have tasted all of the dishes: the eccentric personalities, interesting boats, harrowing challenges, inspirational speeches, questionable jokes, thoughtful participants, and shared suffering that make this race irresistible for a certain type of person. This final product will leave you with a delicious layered casserole of all of them.
R2AK Teams and personalities featured in this episode: Pitoraq, Perseverance, Ripple, Shut Up and Drive, Pear Shaped, Angry Beavers, Three Legged Cat, R2Ache, Jake Beattie, Holopuni, Karl Kruger, Spencer Weber, Barbarossa, Dan Evans, WIP, Ziska, High Seas Drifters, Razzle Dazzle
The R2AK Daily Fix is a podcast following the 750 mile Race to Alaska created and produced by Boldly Went Media. Hear interviews with racers, behind the scenes news, and the types of personal experiences that you won’t be able to access any other way. Grab a bucket, because we’re getting you so close to the experience that you might feel a little bit seasick.
Access all the R2AK Daily Updates, FAQs, and Videos at https://r2ak.com/2019-daily-updates/
For additional coverage of R2AK by Boldly Went or to link to their weekly podcast featuring the brief and true adventure stories by outdoorists of all kinds visit https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/r2ak.html
Music: The Unexpected Brass Band, Nordgroove from Fugue, Uncleboris from Fugue
The dual nature of the Race to Alaska is that it is both a race and a grand epic journey - a hero’s saga, and a pilgrimage of sorts for some. Every hero’s journey involves the overcoming of hardship and adventure along the way. In this two part episode we highlight the struggles that teams overcame in the 2019 race on the way to Ketchikan, and the personal impact that their experiences are already having on their lives.
R2AK Teams and personalities featured in this episode: Team Holopuni, Team Funky Dory, Jake Beattie
The R2AK Daily Fix is a podcast following the 750 mile Race to Alaska created and produced by Boldly Went Media. Hear interviews with racers, behind the scenes news, and the types of personal experiences that you won’t be able to access any other way. Grab a bucket, because we’re getting you so close to the experience that you might feel a little bit seasick.
Access all the R2AK Daily Updates, FAQs, and Videos at https://r2ak.com/2019-daily-updates/
For additional coverage of R2AK by Boldly Went or to link to their weekly podcast featuring the brief and true adventure stories by outdoorists of all kinds visit https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/r2ak.html
Music: The Unexpected Brass Band, Ilya Marfin from Fugue, Ilya Truhanov from Fugue
The dual nature of the Race to Alaska is that it is both a race and a grand epic journey - a hero’s saga, and a pilgrimage of sorts for some. Every hero’s journey involves the overcoming of hardship and adventure along the way. In this two part episode we highlight the struggles that teams overcame in the 2019 race on the way to Ketchikan, and the personal impact that their experiences are already having on their lives.
R2AK Teams and personalities featured in this episode: Team MBR, Team Razzle Dazzle, Team R2Ache, Jake Beattie
The R2AK Daily Fix is a podcast following the 750 mile Race to Alaska created and produced by Boldly Went Media. Hear interviews with racers, behind the scenes news, and the types of personal experiences that you won’t be able to access any other way. Grab a bucket, because we’re getting you so close to the experience that you might feel a little bit seasick.
Access all the R2AK Daily Updates, FAQs, and Videos at https://r2ak.com/2019-daily-updates/
For additional coverage of R2AK by Boldly Went or to link to their weekly podcast featuring the brief and true adventure stories by outdoorists of all kinds visit https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/r2ak.html
Music: The Unexpected Brass Band, Ilya Marfin from Fugue
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Backwards AF by Drew Malcolm Even if you’ve spent time rowing crew in college, training for the bobsled team, or drawing the short straw for your part in the horse costume, you probably still have no idea about the level of metronome synchronicity delivered in nose to butt proximity that’s ...
The post 2019 Day 18: Team Backwards AF turns around appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Ziska by Spencer Weber After weeks of intense experience onboard with the next mile, sail change, and chance to sleep being the only relevant markers of time, racers hitting the finish line often have a hard time remembering what day it is. Not as common was the phenomenon that everyone ...
The post Day 17: Team Ziska: 16 days and 100 plus 16 years appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day All but six teams are on the done side of the ledger. From the hundred years plus their youngest crew’s age worth of gaff rigged yarbidar, to the plucky +/- rowboats, to the rear guarding Craigslist Special of Team Try Baby Tri. Like every year so far, the teams at the wagging tail end of the ...
The post 2019 Day 15: Death, taxes, and the sweep boat: the Grim Sweeper Cometh appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Backwards AF by Drew Malcolm With Team Ziska taking up residence in Hecate Strait, and Team Backwards AF making slow and steady north, the finish line won’t be offering any new stories today, and maybe not tomorrow. Inspired by the lull, the writers are still somewhere between their empty bar ...
The post 2019 Day 14: Things get real, and we find the podcasters appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Solveig by Taylor Bayly We’re not sure if in this millennial-ridden world Wednesday is the new Sunday, or if R2AK media creeps are just too busy handling calls from the haranguing nation of the Amanda Knox Fan Club (no really, stay on the line, your call will be answered in ...
The post 2019 Day 13: It takes a village appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Podcast 24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Holopuni by Spencer Weber Let’s start with the fact that like Vietnam and Amanda Knox’s threesome/murder night, unless we were there we can never know the full truth. We know that at some point before dawn, Team Holopuni flipped the switch from a charismatic mid-pack contender to front runner ...
The post 2019 Day 12: Holopuni—it’s complicated appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Podcast 24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team North2Alaska by Drew Malcolm The last 48 hours of the R2AK rounded out with more finishers and calls for help than we’ve ever seen. Finishers: Teams North2Alaska, Razzle Dazzle, Seaforth Expeditions, WIP, Yankee Peddlers, SoggyKru Rescues: On Sunday evening, Team You Either Do Stuff or You Don’t was pulled ...
The post 2019 Day 11: Finishes, rescues, sidebets explored appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Podcast 24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Seaforth Expeditions by Spencer Weber We could enjoy today’s big stories fresh off the press, but we’re going to cellar them next to the Zinfandels. Today, we’re drinking in Boldly Went’s amuse bouche for R2AK insiders. In the evening/night of Day 10, four of the teams of the R2AK ...
The post 2019 Day 10: Boldly Went’s amuse bouche for R2AK insiders appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Pitoraq by Spencer Weber With its lack of handicaps, lack of rules, and Wild West attitude, on the surface it would seem the Race to Alaska is a setup to disappoint just about everyone. If you’re focused only on the capital “W” win, it’s a forgone conclusion that bankrolled teams ...
The post 2019 Day 9: The pretty good we should all hope to be appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Podcast 24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo: Team Givin’ the Horns by Spencer Weber In every buddy cop TV show/Hollywood movie/whatever Netflix is, there’s more than a little oversimplification of motivations of the two main protagonists. One buddy is inevitably the boy scout rising through the ranks as a top ten prospect for chief. Their buddy, a ...
The post 2019 Day 8: Mess with the bull, you get the horns (and a broken rudder) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo: Team Wee Free Men by Drew Malcolm After a ten-team flurry from the past 24 hours, the R2AK finish line has seemed to take on the same exhausted stance of the teams already in. The finish line bell’s been silent for an entire day, the ‘Are they here?!?!’ panic-driven tracker-checks to ...
The post 2019 Day 7: Why again are we doing this? appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo: Team Educated Guess by Drew Malcolm While the summer dawn in Ketchikan officially broke at the oh my god early hour of 3 am, for the weary souls whose teams hit the dock and rang the bell in the last 24, the morning that was demarcated by waking started somewhere between ...
The post 2019 Day 6: Celebrations and the knife edge between tragedy and triumph appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo: Teams Angry Beaver and Pear Shaped Racing by Drew Malcolm It was a five cruise ship day in Ketchikan, and the irony was not lost on those paying attention and all the R2AK fans and families who gathered in the Alaska Fish House that, as the nearest supply of dry and ...
The post 2019 Day 5: The spirit of sending it appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet The Daily Fix by Boldly Went photo: Team Shut Up and Drive by Drew Malcolm The remoteness of the BC coast has always been key to this thing. A big part of why the R2AK needed to exist was to get more people into the self-supported adventure that can only happen when ...
The post 2019 Day 4: Untouchable remoteness, all-out racing, c’est damage appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet The Daily Fix by Boldly Went photo: Team Ziska by Taylor Bayly This was going to be the day. Teams Pear Shaped Racing, Angry Beaver, and Givin’ the Horns running tight and fast, clearing the gates of Seymour, set up for Johnstone, the Queen Charlotte Sound, and then a sleigh ride forecast ...
The post 2019 Day 3: Where the hell are they? appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo credit: Drew Malcolm Unless you’re Joseph Heller or that crazy guy on the corner, stories are expected to be chronological. Establish a reality, create affinity with the protagonists, introduce conflict, create some sort of climax, and then resolve everything by the end of the third act. These things have rules. To ...
The post 2019 Day 2: Redlight/Greenlight with Seymour Narrows appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Clip of the Day 24 Hour Fact Sheet photo credit: Spencer Weber There are the still moments in every life when you stare into the precipice of possibility, toe up to the edge, and peer over the cliff of the unknown. It’s not the day you leave for college, get married, join the army, start chemo—it’s the day, hour, and ...
The post 2019 Day 1: Go appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The Daily Fix by Boldly Went (podcast) photo credit: Charley Starr Other than a collective wide-eyed retelling of the tortured water they all just crossed, and a shared desire to rename the Strait of ‘What the Fuca?’, if there was a theme to Victoria’s lay day it was ‘repair.’ Few teams sailed across the border storm unscathed. The carnage was ...
The post 2019 Day 0: The fleet licks its wounds appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet Clip of the Day photo credit: Dieter Loibner “It was crazy, waves were coming out of everywhere… I’ve never been in conditions like that.” – Team Ghost the Coast. All across R2AK nation, day 2 started early, angry, and asking, “Are they going to make it?” to coffee mugs, tracker screens, and unsuspecting family members still ...
The post 2019 Stage 1 Day 2: Little boats go big time appeared first on Race to Alaska.
24 Hour Fact Sheet photo credit: Drew Malcolm In the beginning there was darkness. Across the internet and Port Townsend, the slumbering heads of R2AK teams and fans alike ‘celebrated’ the annual hitting of the 3:45, 3:53, 4:01 am snooze bar before excitement got the better of their better instincts, and peeled their human forms from grumpy horizontal to ...
The post 2019 Stage 1 Day 1: The best kind of 5 am appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Award-winning ship-to-shore electric dinghy power. EP Carry’s light weight and compact size makes it the easiest motor to lift, mount and operate on a ship-to-shore dinghy. Its efficient, quick-to-recharge battery offers the range you’ll need for all your dinghy chores – with greater safety than a gas-powered outboard. Quiet, dependable, and more fun for everyone. Designed and assembled in North Bend, WA. Learn more at www.epcarry.com.
The post EP Carry appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Lionel Jensen, Randy Jensen
Vessel: MacGregor 26
Hometown: Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team R2Ache appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ken Legg, Sarah Legg
Vessel: Necky Nootka Plus kayak
Hometown: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
The post Team Overwork appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Henry Veitenhans, Joseph Veitenhans, Greg Veitenhans, Erik Pokorny, Tommy Gray, Malachi Church
Vessel: Maryland Fishing Sharpie
Hometown: Port Townsend, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team North2Alaska appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Daniel AckermannVessel: TriRaid 560S
Hometown: Ridgefield, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team ACE appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Epic outdoor adventures call for gear you can count on. That’s where YETI comes in. We’re a brand built for the restless and determined who consider “nowhere” a state of mind — a drive to find the purest form of shared time, simple pleasures, and personal pursuit, whether that’s 15,000 feet above sea level or 1,000 miles past the last stoplight.
It’s our constant mission is to engineer high-quality products that help you stay out longer, travel farther, and live harder.
The post YETI appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Thor Belle, Pax Templeton
Vessel: Swampscott Dory
Hometown: Walpole, Maine, USA
Read on...
The post Team Funky Dory appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Matt Wolf, Michael Wolf
Vessel: Corsair F-24
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Read on...
The post Team AlphaWolf appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: William Quigley, Joel Smith, Mark Dix, Li Sung
Vessel: Farrier 32
Hometown: Seattle, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Narwhal appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Alan Lamp
Vessel: Good Story SUP
Hometown: Seattle, Washington, USA
The post Team Big Lampowski appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Guy Rittger, Tom Kassberg, Duncan GladmanVessel: Chris Cochrane 10.6m custom trimaran
Hometowns: Sausalito, California, USA / Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Pear Shaped Racing appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Lauren Brandkamp
Vessel: Pygmy Murrelet kayak
Hometown: Port Townsend, Washington, USA
The post Team Gorgonian Girl appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew Biel
Vessel: Etain kayak
Hometown: Port Townsend, Washington, USA
The post Team Arm & Leg appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Greg Rohner, Rafe Beswick, Eric Egge, Scott Schoch
Vessel: Ian Farrier Corsair F-28R Trimaran
Hometown: Olympia, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Trickster appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Dameon Colbry, Leigh Dorsey
Vessel: Modified SAVO 650D
Hometown: Belfast, Maine, USA
Read on...
The post Team Backwards AF appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Kai O'Connor, Noah Garrett, Aiden McGookin
Vessel: Santana 20
Hometown: Olympia, Washingston, USA
Read on...
The post Team Yankee Peddlers appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Dean (Steve) Hocking, Shad Lemke, Aaron Hocking, Amber Hocking, Mark Bostrom, Samuel Keefer, Matt Kertesz
Vessel: Olson
Hometown: San Rafael, California, USA
Read on...
The post Team High Sea Drifters appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Paul Nilsen
Vessel: Young 6m
Hometown: Van Anda, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Texada appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Doug Shoup
Vessel: Sailing Angus Row Cruiser
Hometown: Sedro Woolley, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Perseverance appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Shemaya Laurel, Janine Georgette Hamilton
Vessel: Bolger Glasshouse Chebacco
Hometown: Gouldsboro, Maine USA
Read on...
The post Team Auklet – DNS appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Evan Walker, Jake Newton, Max Fleischfresser, Peter Horton
Vessel: Melges 24
Hometown: Bellingham, Washington USA
Read on...
The post Team Educated Guess appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Kevin Boland, Barry Crist, David Gudgel, Duncan Smith, Adrien Felon
Vessel: Olson 30
Hometown: Seattle, Washington, USA
Read on...
The post Team Dazed and Confused appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Roger Mann
Vessel: PodRacer
Hometown: Taylors, South Carolina, USA
Read on...
The post Team Discovery appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Mackenzie Dahl, Mike Firari, Brian Lieb
Vessel: Santa Cruz 27
Hometown: Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Read on...
The post Team Ketchikan Yacht Club appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Graham Heath, Serjei Moukminov, JT Hammill
Vessel: Windward 30
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Pitoraq appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Shawn Dunand
Vessel: Malcom Tennant Streaker
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Read on...
The post Team SoggyKru appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Stuart Sugden
Vessel: Triraid 560 s
Hometown: Bella Bella, British Columbia, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Three Legged Cat appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Nathalie Criou, Satchel Douglas, Neil Roberts, Tanguy De Lamottem Justin van Emmerik, Robert Dieterich, Jeremiah Edwards, Brett Boval
Vessel: Beneteau Figaro 2
Hometown: San Francisco, CA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Shut Up and Drive appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Hart Williams, Baird White, Jon Galloway
Vessel: Half Jersey Skiff, half Melonseed Skiff
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Smokin’ Haute Rower Buoys appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Chris Fagan, Marty Fagan, Danny Geiger
Vessel: Hawaiian outrigger sailing canoe
Hometown: North Bend, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Holopuni appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Nigel Davies
Vessel: Hobie Adventure Island
Hometown: Anacortes, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Hobie-1-Kenobie appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The door to apply is open now and closes April 15. Here's your chance. Don't miss it.
The post Race starts June 7, 2021 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The door to apply is open and closes April 15. Here's your chance. Don't miss it.
The post Gun goes off June 13th appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Buy us a drink, and all the inside scoop is yours. We're easy that way. Or, subscribe and get it hand delivered to your inbox. We'll scent it with rose oil...
The post Inside scoop delivered to your inbox appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The R2AK credits are rolling, the lights are coming up, and a chorus of fat ladies are midway through this year’s final verse. Team Ravenous’s finish yesterday put the final nail in R2AK 2018’s empty coffin. 27 days after the fleet expelled themselves from Port Townsend and we’re packing up the red phone and put a two-word auto-reply on the ...
The post 2018 Day 22: Ravenous like Odysseus appeared first on Race to Alaska.
One team left. Team Ravenous, the 20-foot Hobie cat, is trying to get across Dixon Entrance—and they have been trying all night. They are the only team in the four years of racing to sail to Haida Gwaii. And they did it in a 20-foot cabinless beach cat. We can’t answer why they chose that route, because that is usually ...
The post 2018 Day 20: Take your own path. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Race Boss was able to grab a quick chair with teams Oaracle and TRAK Kayaks, two of our human-powered back-of-the-pack teams. Turns out, they like it back there. And here’s why. photo credit: Katrinia Zoe Norbom
The post 2018 Day 19: Patience with a shovel. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
All but five teams are on the done side of the ledger board. Four little boat teams and one house/boat team still plugging away rowing, sailing… you know the drill. Other than hitting refresh on the tracker and looking at the totem poles (again), there’s not a lot to do up here in Ketchikan. Just sitting on the dock of ...
The post 2018 Day 17: The Sweeper—The Boat, The Myth, The Legend (reprinted and updated) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Race Boss caught up with Josh Collins when he stopped in Bella Bella for repairs. Team Torrent was a man trying to complete the Race to Alaska on a stand-up paddleboard to raise awareness for veterans’ struggles with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress. Unfortunately, as of yesterday, Josh had to drop out of the race, but it is not from lack ...
The post 2018 Day 16: Nothing is guaranteed, and heroes can stop, too. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Did you see all those teams come screaming in today? Hell no. Because the finish line is a wanting and waiting lover with no sign of her beloved in sight. It’s quiet on the water, so we went to the boat of Team Lost Boys, a father-daughter-plus-one team, to hear their story and finally find out what that dehydrated vegetable ...
The post 2018 Day 15: It’s longer than you thought. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Team Lost Boys came in yesterday and we are looking forward to talking with them next. This is the Racer Round Up art duex. Same eleven teams talking about propulsion choices and those really high and low points that come with racing to Alaska. Enjoy. Teams include: North2Alaska 2017, Ptarmigan 2018, Ketchikan 2016, Can’t Anchor Us 2015/16, Sail Like a ...
The post 2018 Day 14: Racer Round Up Part 2. You’re never right and never prepared. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s a roundtable featuring 11 teams that span all four years of the race. They pull up a chair and search for answers to questions often unanswerable, or at least arguable. It’s a geek session, but it’s from the horse’s mouth. Teams include: North2Alaska 2017, Ptarmigan 2018, Ketchikan 2016, Can’t Anchor Us 2015/16, Sail Like a Girl 2018, Fashionably Late ...
The post 2018 Day 13: Racer Round Up Part 1. Waiting for Fusion. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
After some Tracker Chat with Katy Stewart from Team Global, Race Boss Daniel Evans takes a second swing at hitting the red button, and this time succeeds in recording the R2AK insights and sage-like wisdom of Team PT Watercraft’s solo sailing wonder: Russell Brown, who spends a lot of time talking about logs (trust us, it’s way more interesting than ...
The post 2018 Day 12: An interview so nice they did it twice appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Well, it’s time to meet Team Strait to the Pool Room. The custom-built catamaran with the most space of any boat racing. The self-described “finely honed team” defines their version of hardship. We call it Palak Paneer at 14 knots. photo credit: Katrina Zoë Norbom
The post 2018 Day 11: Palak Paneer at 14 knots. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
With 8 teams still competing, this week it’s become a tradition to cut out the middle man for these Daily Updates, and upgrade from Gutenberg to Edison, all brought to you by Al Gore. For the next few days, enjoy the Daily Update, podcast edition with the dulcet tones of Race Boss Daniel Evans with witty, informative content straight from ...
The post 2018 Day 10: Interview with Team BlueFlash. Young, dumb, and full of Ketchikan (and we mean that in the best way) appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Every team is mostly theory, and their arrival in Ketchikan serves as the sole standing proof that they weren’t completely bonkers when they came up with the sum total of boat, crew, propulsion, and mystical X-factors that they thought would get to bullseye on whatever target they’d aimed at. There’s a type of logical elegance to that kind of experiment: ...
The post 2018 Day 9: Dissecting the auras. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Even for those who lack calloused fingertips and strained tendons commonly associated with “tracker finger,” just watching the dock in Ketchikan provides all the cues needed to predict the imminent arrival of another team. Regardless of the time of day (usually late) or amount of rain (usually a lot), the procession down the docks starts with people, then the cameras ...
The post 2018 Day 8: Celebrations were had. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
There was something different about tonight; everyone felt it. From the crowd of families and fans who gathered at the Alaskan Fish House to watch and wait, to the manager who stayed to keep the place open three hours beyond her normal, kids in tow, to support the proud and expectant crowd with the dry/booze/coffee of an Alaskan welcome, to ...
The post 2018 Day 7: Sailing victorious on the wind of together appeared first on Race to Alaska.
“The longest grind” “Pace to Alaska” “Slog in the fog” “The meanest miles” “Canada: nice enough to stay” It’s hard to say which of these printable slogans is destined for the bumper stickers that will encapsulate this year’s R2AK—but the welcome wagon of fans, R2AK alumni, local reporters, and the dockside faithful are ready to slap one onto the hind ...
The post 2018 Day 6: Grinding through the land of suspended anticipation appeared first on Race to Alaska.
There are places in the world that are their own centers of gravity. The great garbage patch of the Pacific gyre that collects the downstream accumulation of our plastic world, the beaches that unexplainably attract a disproportionate number of left shoes, the British Columbian coastline’s odd but statistically significant macabre collection of severed feet—these are places on the planet that ...
The post 2018 Day 5: It’s a vortex, man. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
At least two of our infinite typing monkeys were no shows for the night shift at the R2AK word factory, so rather than chimping it out short staffed, we give you a change-up pitch of the video kind. Film Boss Zach Carver literally steps out from behind the camera to join Race Boss Daniel Evans in a fact-filled rundown of ...
The post 2018 Day 4: Boss Talk appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Did you know there is such a thing as competitive Tai Chi? That thing you did in college and/or during yard time at the Senior Center, that slow-mo martial art that is scientifically proven to be three times more likely to be in a heart medication commercial than your day to day—they’ve got competitions for that. We’ve got no idea ...
The post 2018 Day 3: Fresh race, stale breeze, ketchup soup appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Day Two of the R2AK offered the same kind of dull excitement as the first. Teams were still dealing with the fat man of a high-pressure system that was squashing the Strait of Georgia under its sweaty mass. Teams sailed, stalled, rowed, pedaled, advanced, and retreated on the tides. Most faired well enough, but at least one team spent four ...
The post 2018 Day 2: The Narrows cometh appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Before things went the slow version of sideways, the Victoria restart was like any other. The teams were ready, or not, making last-minute repairs, hugging loved ones, talking to fans who wandered down to the dock, sharing in the spirit with other crews. Twenty minutes until go time the docks cleared, teams ascended the seawall steps to gather under the ...
The post 2018 Day 1: The weather is a shirtless, sweaty, fat man appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It’s 10 pm, and if you didn’t know better you’d think it was getting quiet. The street performers of Victoria’s Inner Harbor packed up hours ago, and shadows are filling in the last corners vacated by the sun’s high sky retreat. On a typical day the the next nine or so hours would be the near-exclusive territory of of arm-in-arm ...
The post 2018 Day 0: The Eve of Everything appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This all started as an idea; a punchline with a waterline: a few boats, a few laughs, a collective adventure that we figured no one outside of a self-selected few would really give a rat’s ass about. We were one and done and full of, “Come on, no one really cares,” sort of freedom to dance like no one was ...
The post 2018 Pre-Race Prologue: The Year Like Any Other Never Got to Be appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Rich Harman, Lance Harman
Vessel: Home-built row/pedal boat
Hometown: Olalla, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Hot Water appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Peter O'Donoghue
Vessel: Angus Sailing Row Cruiser
Hometown: Renton, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team HOA 5.2 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Katy Stewart, John Holt, Lara Mayer, Malachi Rivkin, Drew Smith
Vessel: Beneteau First
Hometown: Gig Harbor, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Global appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Justin Iwasaki, Chris Hawk
Vessel: Farrier Eagle
Hometown: Bellingham, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Hard Lee appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Douglas Shoup
Vessel: Hobie Mirage Tandem Island
Hometown: Sedro Woolley, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Perseverance appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Our team’s promise is to ensure Ketchikan My Place is your Southeast Alaskan home away from home! Enjoy easy access to several restaurants and shops distinctly Ketchikan. Located directly across from Vigor Alaska shipyard, and less than a half a mile from the KTN Airport ferry terminal, the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal and the Peace Health Hospital. The new three-story 64-room My Place extended-stay hotel features stunningly beautiful view of the Tongass Narrows. We have freezer space available for fish and game storage. Affordable daily, weekly and monthly rate options are available—the longer you stay, the more you save!
The post My Place Hotels appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Jim Leising, Josefa LeisingVessel: Santana 20
Hometown: Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Fiddle Faddle appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Sean Grealish, William-Patrick Blouin-Comeau, Maisie Bryant, Grant Gridley, Jack Holbrook
Vessel: J88
Hometown: Portland, OR, USA
Read on...
The post Team BlueFlash appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ken Legg, Joseph Hyde Lawton, Matthew Wooding, Andrew Christopher Tarling
Vessel: Olson 30
Hometown: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Read on...
The post Team Lagopus appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Nikolas SollittVessel: Lightspeed Phoenix kayak
Hometown: Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
Read on...
The post Team MaxElla appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Norris Comer, Scott Wallingford, Li Sung
Vessel: Corsair 970 Sport
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Wright Yachts appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Douglas Walker, Cap Allen, Anne Markward, Glenn BlandVessel: Corsair 28CR
Hometown: Durango, CO, USA
Read on...
The post Team Swan Song appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Robbie Stone, Jody Hawk
Vessel: Hurley Silhouette 17 Bilge Keel
Hometown: Lucasville, OH, USA
Read on...
The post Team Buckeye appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Nick DeLorme, Aron Uchitelle, Clint Thompson, Matthew Fahey, Stanford Siver
Vessel: 38' Morecambe Bay Prawner
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Ziska appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Jim EdmarkVessel: Haida 26 Sailing Sloop
Hometown: Friday Harbor, WA, USA
Read on...
The post Team Dock Rat appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Bo Bohanon, Kelsey Bohanon, Molly McPartland, Jack GallagherVessel: F-28
Hometown: Glenwood Springs, CO, USA
Read on...
The post Team Ptarmigan appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: George BoothVessel: Northeaster Dory -Chesapeake Light Craft
Hometown: Boise, Idaho USA
Read on...
The post Team Popsicle Toes appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Roger “The” MannVessel: LiteRace 1X
Hometown: Taylors, South Carolina, US
Read on...
The post Team Gas Monkey appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Mark Aberle, Andy Cross, Mike Descheemaeker, Robert RobinsonVessel: Santa Cruz
Hometown: Seattle, Washington USA
Read on...
The post Team Wild Card appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Alex Whitworth, Megan HahnVessel: Bayliner US 18
Hometown: Northbridge, NSW Australia and Nome, Alaska US
Read on...
The post Team B4B2 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Remember DVDs? You’d watch the movie and then there would be all of these bonus features at the end where you could eek out a bit more from your $2.99 rental with behind the scenes looks to offer you greater appreciation for the artistry of “Bikini Cheer Camp” or whatever it was that you watched until Blockbuster died and browsing ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 22: Everyone for Everyone appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Part two of the Ketchikan burger night roundtable with Teams Kelp, North 2 Alaska, Grace B, Rush Aweigh, Viz Reporter, and Rod Price. This is a tracker junkie deep dive that asks the big questions: how does the race change you? Solo vs team? Just how much content can we wring out of these folks on a single evening? Plus, ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 21: Racer round table pt. 2 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We’ve never had so many racers at the Ketchikan Yacht Club at the same time. Today’s Daily Fix is part one of two of the roundtable discussion of the six teams who were willing to sit around with a couple of microphones and tell it like it was. Recorded live at the KYC with an in-studio audience- it’s a lot ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 20: Racer round table pt. 1 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This race is more than just going fast and heading north, for us the best parts are the nuggets that come out of the experiences along the way. Five teams rolled in the last 24 hours bringing up the portion of the fleet that refused to compromise story accumulation for speed. They rolled in classy with furled sails and at ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 19: Be fashionably late appeared first on Race to Alaska.
We’ve heard it said that this race brings to you what you bring to it. We talk to Ryan “The Wedge” Wegwick from Team Nomadica about his second attempt at the R2AK in which he brought experience, an open heart, and a volt meter. In return, the race gave him a full dose of problems to solve (dragging anchor, holding ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 18: Go #@& yourself porpoise! appeared first on Race to Alaska.
No time to write anything, we just spent 60 minutes listening to raw and uncut Karl Kruger talk to Film Boss, Zach Carver. We stole the audio from an interview Zach did a couple days back. Karl’s pretty- so we don’t think that audio kills the video star. Stay tuned for a video sometime soon. This is a deep dive ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 17: Heart of Gold appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Other than science, if we’ve learned anything from astronauts it’s that it is tough returning to a terrestrial existence after you’ve gotten that close to god. Imagine going from a rockstar doing backflips in 0-G and then you return to earth, step back on to the tarmac, and airlock back into a 1-G existence where nobody cares and you have ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 16: “I woke up with the bow in a waterfall” appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Someone much smarter than ourselves once said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” While we’ll admit to a contrarian attempt to learn the Tudor Revival Tango just to prove them wrong, we take their point. Each medium that offers the chance of human expression creates a language onto itself—each with their particular resonance for the portion of sublime ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 15: A dance about architecture appeared first on Race to Alaska.
In today’s episode we hit record as the Team Freya’s gums flap in whatever breeze is out there as he works his way in the final stretch to Ketchikan, challenged and happy as he negotiates the last bit of the course without the anchor that he lost some miles back. He can’t really stop, so we expect him to get ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 14: Lets all be heroes appeared first on Race to Alaska.
How was your Friday? Was it the drop dead gorgeous evening with the potluck burger night at the Ketchikan Yacht Club complete with 10pm sunsets, impromptu music jams, and race-end debriefs with all the teams in Ketchikan? Today’s Daily Fix is your invitation inside the best yacht club party we’ve ever attended; and if you’re wo(man) enough for self-delusion, this ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 13: All yacht clubs don’t suck appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” If it was true when Socrates said it back in whenever, it’s been the running theme of cane shaking disapproval of whatever generation’s coming next. Kids these days with their fidget spinners and their Garbage Pail ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 12: Bare bone bad ass appeared first on Race to Alaska.
As teams stream in we’re high-grading the exuberance of the finish line, boiling off the impurities and giving you the most concentrated form of R2AK available without a prescription, and today’s podcast features a finish line earload from Team North 2 Alaska whose team captain entered the race as the capstone of his Senior project (that’s right, for high school), ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 11: World record & boat repair appeared first on Race to Alaska.
As the teams piled up on Day 9’s finish line the crowd grew appreciatively raucous- 6 teams in the last 24 hours, with another five in the day that came before. As each team that piled in, each team piled on to the crowd that welcomed in each team behind them. Building in number and volume until the late night ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 10: Piles of finish appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Do you ever look at those rock climbing magazines with photo spreads of big wall climbers camped on a free hanging tent suspended from a single anchor and swinging over 4,000 feet of freefall and think “Dude.” Did you ever wonder how that image came to exist? That to capture that image you need someone who is ready to climb ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 9: Adventure of a Lifetime appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Join R2AK co-founders Daniel Evans and Jake Beattie as they give their combined four cents on the race as of now, which teams will make it and which will make it somewhere else. In keeping with the fact check accuracy R2AK is known for, they completely overlook the big developments in the past 24 hours 1) Both of the Team ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 8: Everyone is Awesome appeared first on Race to Alaska.
What is winning? What is adventure? Clearly we don’t know, but when has that ever stop us from talking about what it means for the Race to Alaska? Join Race Boss, Daniel Evans and Film Boss, Zach Carver as they sound the esoteric depths of the meaning of why- and to make it better they even use some big words. ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 7: Surrender to finish appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This episode of the podcast has everything: Team Freeburd recapping their battle with broderna, the “little less screwed” that pedaling brings a sailing race, and helping their waitress figure out the bill. Race Boss Daniel Evans gives the rundown of the fleet.All of that, plus unbeknownst to the racers we reach out to the parents of Teams Bad Kitty and ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 6: Your mama appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Despite the color of the flag, the feel of the money, and the sun-deprived caucasian pallor whose skin tones fall somewhere between sidewalk stripe and salamander belly- Alaska is different. Bigger mountains, more rain, fewer people, louder jokes, thicker shirts, more xtra tuffs that serve here as the footwear of choice for anyone within a chew spit of the shoreline. ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 5 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Strategic location for grabbing interviews or a ghoulish perch for a front row seat for more carnage? Either way, the Race Boss and crew are camped out in Campbell River and snagged a bunch of great interviews: Teams Bad Kitty, Kelp, Grace B, and R2AK’s floating beat reporter, Daphne- the R2AK/internet famous local who snagged the beachside video of Karl ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 4: Sleigh ride appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The hour hand’s third and fourth laps around the R2AK have been both eventful and deceptive. Looking at the tracker it might be easy to assume that winds are light, rowing is awful, and Team Heart of Gold won the theoretical people’s choice award for who won’t/should win $10,000. While all of that is technically correct, it’s not, and the ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 2: Groundings, grindings, and a creative curve ball appeared first on Race to Alaska.
This update should be about the whole race, from the first to the last boat that as we type is full fleet rowing, paddling, and/or sailing North through the gulf islands and beyond. It should be about the last minute preparations, the safety gear purchased out of fear-driven common sense and nerve calming commerce. It should also be a deep ...
The post 2017 Stage 2, Day 1: Same but different, tenacity tiaras appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Victoria’s clocktower pealed five and the deadline was official. Stage one was in the books and the known quantities of incredible were already headlines in the news, an online forum or two, and dockside chatters of amazement. Anyone with the tracker page, a need to know, and the ability to left click already knows the boldface. Headline #1: Muscle power ...
The post 2017 Stage 1, Day 2: Mistakes were made appeared first on Race to Alaska.
It started early. By 4 a.m. the growing puddles in Port Townsend’s dark streets glinted with tail lights, broken only by the shadows of pedestrians, and the electric glow of anticipation—all headed in the direction of the R2AK starting line. This was the day. In the harbor, crews stopped pretending to sleep, packed their gear for the first/last time, ran ...
The post 2017 Stage 1, Day 1: 7-10 Split appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Experience the Race to Alaska from day zero to day done.
The post Simpler. Harder. appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew JacobsVessel: Homebuilt Tanamu sailing canoe
Hometown: Seattle, Washington USA
The post Team Northwest Wind & Surf appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Josh CollinsVessel: Pau Hana 18ft Stand Up Paddleboard
Hometown: Merritt Island, Florida US
The post Team TORRENT appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Kris Amundson, Larissa Lane,Drew SmithVessel: Express 27
Hometown: Portland, Oregon USA
The post Team Away Team appeared first on Race to Alaska.
In 2003 Port Townsend Brewing went from bottling just two beers to all 10. Replacing the original 7 Bbl system with a new 15 Bbl system, then bought four more conditioning tanks, and expanded their beer garden to include a bandstand, lots more seating and outdoor heating. They also evolved into being major sponsors for many events in Port Townsend. ...
The post Port Townsend Brewing appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Peter Vogel, Diana LesieurVessel: Whitehall Tango 17 slideseat
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia CA
The post Team Whitehall Border Patrol appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ryan (The Wedge) WegwitzVessel: Windrider 17
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia CA
The post Team Nomadica appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Stephane Lesaffre, Jeremy BoyetteVessel: Nacra Inter 20
Hometown: San Francisco, California USA
The post Team Ketch me if U can appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Dan BlanchardVessel: Farrier 25C
Hometown: Juneau, Alaska USA
The post Team UnCruise appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Janice Mason, Ian GraemeVessel: Merry Sea II Rowing Scull
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, CA
The post Team Oaracle appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Mark DixVessel: Tornado exOlympic Beachcat
Hometown: Seattle, Washington USA
The post Team WaterWorld Impending appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Piotr Zin, Ross CarmichaelVessel: Seascape 27
Hometown: Seattle, WA USA
The post Team Willpower appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Henry Veitenhans, River Yearian, Sean Westlund, Greg Veitenhans, Malachi ChurchVessel: self-built aluminum Maryland fishing Sharpie
Hometown: Nordland, WA USA
The post Team North2Alaska appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Dan GilbertVessel: 19’ Tri-raid
Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia USA
The post Team GAR appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Cheryl Kelly and Mike SebringVessel: Corsair F-28 trimaran
Hometown: Like...SoCal, or maybe Mexico...and island dude...or mainland island
The post Team What the Fuca appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Andrew Robinson, Allan Gornall, William ComeauVessel: Diam 24 Triamaran
Hometown: Comox, British Columbia Canada
The post Team PRPR2 appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Agnieszka Schramm-Newth, Rich Harman, Lance Harman and Scot DomergueVessel: 34' Crowther Buccaneer
Hometown: Isle of Wight, UK
The post Team SailPro appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Matt PruisVessel: 19' Seaward Quest
Hometown: Ellensburg, WA
The post Team Viz Reporter appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: John Tulip, Chris Tulip, Roellen Gillmore, Rohan GillmoreVessel: F-31 trimaran
Hometown: Vancouver B.C. Canada
The post Team 3 1/2 Aussies appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: James Betts &Carrie BettsVessel: Siren 17
Hometown: Victoria, BC Canada
The post Team Chum appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Elena Losey, Kristin Pederson Vessel: Santana 20
Hometown: Seattle, WA USA
The post Team Kelp appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Dean BurkeVessel: Joe Bark Custom SUP
Hometown: Tacoma, WA USA
The post Team TacomaAndTheSea appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Ben Biswell, Keanna Coral, Chantelle BoudrouVessel: O'Day 27
Hometown: Whistler BC Canada
The post Team West Coast Wild Ones appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Katy, Emily, Caroline & ElanVessel: Columbia Sabre
Hometown: Gig Harbor, WA USA
The post Team Global Diving appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Kevin and David RushVessel: Montgomery 17
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
The post Team Rush Aweigh appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Joachim RoeslerVessel: 19' Angus Rowcruiser
Hometown: New Canaan, CT
The post Team Kairos appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Dixon Entrance. For the uninitiated its name sounds benign enough. Entrance, an opening, an opportunity, the beginning of a path to the end. To the fish-boat fleet that ply these waters Dixon is a place to be feared and respected—notoriety perhaps betrayed by the fact that both Canada and the US of A seemingly tried to cede as much as ...
The post Stage 2, Day 6: Dixon Entrance, Revelry & Kitten Whiskers for Ketchikan appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Guy Rittger, Duncan GladmanVessel: Multi 23 trimaran
Hometowns: San Francisco, CA/ Victoria, B.C.
The post Team Pear Shaped Racing appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Walking on the moon, the running of the bulls, stampeding bison: There are occurrences with such epic power and momentum that if we lived in a just world where truth and beauty were fully actualized, whenever these moments of awesome occurred Flight of the Valkyries would just start playing, from somewhere, from everywhere. We watched MAD Dog Racing’s Wagnerian charge ...
The post Stage 2, Day 2: Three are Through, Steak Knives in Play appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Quill Goldman, Mitch Burns and Jesse BartlettVessel: custom design by Tad Roberts (build in process)Hometown: ??
The post 15th – Barefoot Wooden Boat appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Yeah...none
Vessel: a wee autonomous genius, 2 meter, 100 lb sailboat
Hometown: Do robots have homes?
The post Team Navocean appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Stage 1: Port Townsend to Victoria Team name: Team Bahamas Team captain: Chris Spohr Race vessel: Sovereign 18 Website:http://www.simplicitysails.com The R2AK has two official options- race to Victoria and call it a day, or do the whole 750 miles and race all the way to Ketchikan. Team Bahamas dreamed up a race hack by creating a previously undiscovered option 3: Race to Victoria, then ...
The post OUT – Team Bahamas appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Roger didn’t win the inaugural race, but that’s only because he was doing something more impressive than grabbing the fastest boat and going for time fastest time. After setting a record or three in the east coast’s various Watertribe Challenges, he cocked his head to the north, launched his boat and soloed the whole way to Ketchikan on a Hobie Adventure Island- 17 feet of red, rotomolded glory.
The post OUT – Team An Aussie, a Canadian, and… appeared first on Race to Alaska.
The docks in Victoria were alive with expectation and goodbyes. Fans and families came out in force to get one last look at their teams, one last hug, another last hug, wish good luck, and just stand in proximity for one last important and awkward moment before the docks were cleared and racers moved to the head of the seawall ...
The post Stage 2: GO! appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Tim "Pornstache" Penhallow (Finisher 2015 R2AK)Vessel: 16' Swapscott DoryHometown: Victoria, BC Canada
The post Team Can’t Anchor Us appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Carl Buchan, Jamie Buchan, Kurt Watkins, Dennis Clark, David Brink, and the hope of North Korea
Vessel: 40′ Madrona (one off, custom design)
Hometown: Seattle and maybe some other places...
The post Team Madrona appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Corey Breuer, Amoshaun Toft
Vessel: Drascombe Longboat
The post Team Wabi-Sabi appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Crew: Conor Harkins, Colin Bunnell, Bill Niedringhaus
Vessel: Custom 8.5m Trimaran
Hometown: Seattle, WA USA
The post Team Pure and Wild appeared first on Race to Alaska.
Founded by mission-driven individuals with a long-standing connection to and appreciation for the wilds of Alaska, Outpost Agriculture partners with frontier communities to integrate locally grown herbs and leafy greens into the food system and in doing so improve the quality of life for rural Alaskans. Outpost’s Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) employs hydroponic farming techniques housed in shipping containers to reliably ...
The post Outpost Agriculture appeared first on Race to Alaska.