2019 Official Race Program
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Š Ken Etzel
Northwest Maritime Center 431 Water Street Port Townsend WA 98368
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THE BOSS’S
Cover and above ©Katrina Zoe Norbom
THOUGHTS The side deck is awash as gusting winds force groans in the rigging and tip the mast closer to the building seas. There’s a narrow gap between two islands ahead and you can see the current funneling into large standing waves at the mouth of the opening. It looks like a dangerous idea to sail that slot in an ever increasing wind and confused sea. You reach down to fire up the engine and ready yourself to strike sails when you realize you are racing. You are a competitor in the Race to Alaska and no motors are allowed onboard; your outboard is, in fact, being shipped to Ketchikan for the return trip... if you make it. Thinking quickly, you decide between shooting the rapids under sail or turning the boat around to find an anchorage until the torrent quiets down. Your whole race may depend on making the right call. The 2019 5th annual Race to Alaska is upon us and likely every team racing will come across some form of dilemma such as this. Teams don’t get engines, pre-planned support or planned rest stops. What they get is various forms of hardship and the decisions that will either find them at the finish or no where near Ketchikan. We can’t say why, but this year has a record number of teams racing and let us tell you…the asylum is getting cramped. For the first time, we have a winning team returning in First Federal’s Team Sail Like a Girl; they’re not necessarily looking to defend the title, but, more importantly, continue to inspire women around the globe. We have previous dropout teams — like Team Pear Shaped Racing — re-engineered, trained up and looking for nothing but the glory of $10,000 nailed to a log and first place. Team Educated Guess is a crew of folks who, collectively, have made over 150 trips through the Inside Passage. It’s all bonkers and leaves so many questions on the table, such as: Why? Why small boats? Why human powered only? Why do it and then do it again? What’s your mom thinking of this poor life choice? We have no answers, but are letting some people smarter than us give their insight. In here, you’re going to find Andy Cross analyzing the multihulls and monohulls that could potentially come out on top, and Josh Colvin discussing the small boat adventure that is R2AK. We’ve got Jeanne Goussev, captain of First Federal’s Team Sail Like a Girl, exploring what you do with winning after the race is done. And we finally tracked down the hardened four-time (!) R2AK vets of Team Oaracle to answer some questions about what it’s like living through Race to Alaska one paddle stroke at a time and getting ready to race again. The gang’s all here and you’re invited. Let’s race. Daniel Evans, R2AK Race Boss Publisher Northwest Maritime Center 431 Water St, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360)385-3628. Managing Editor Joe Cline joe@48north.com Art Director Anika Colvin Advertising & Sponsorship Kachele Yelaca kachele@nwmaritime.org 48º NORTH
48° North and Race to Alaska are projects of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA - a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and educate people of all generations in traditional and contemporary maritime life, in a spirit of adventure and discovery. 48north.com r2ak.com nwmaritime.org
THANK YOU SPONSORS Presented by
Baranof/AK Fish House, EP Carry, First Federal, Fisheries Supply, Greater Victoria Harbor Authority, Homer Smith Insurance, Jefferson Healthcare, Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, Ketchikan Yacht Club, Mt. Townsend Creamery, Mustang Survival, My Place Hotels, Ortlieb, Port Townsend Brewing, Small Craft Advisor, Spyderco/ Sage Marine, Uncruise Adventures, Washington State Parks, YETI r2ak.com 2019
R2AK is simple: get a boat w/o a motor. Race 750 miles to Alaska any way you can. Don’t get eaten by a bear: $10,000 if you’re first.
R2AK EXPLAINED Gun goes off 5 am. The Race to Alaska started in 2015 with competitors racing 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. It is the longest human and/or windpowered race in North America.
EVENTS RUCKUS June 2, 12-8 PM, Live Music 6 PM Pope Marine Park, Port Townsend,WA SEVENTY48 FINISH AND AWARDS June 2, 7 PM, Pope Marine Park, Port Townsend,WA
© Nick Reid
STAGE 1 START June 3, 5 AM, Northwest Maritime Center Port Townsend,WA STAGE 2 START June 6, 12 PM Victoria Harbor, BC r2ak.com 2019
The race is limited to vessels that are human and/or wind powered and have included a wide array of designs from a paddleboard to a 32’ foiling catamaran. Unlike many similar races, there are no separate divisions or handicap systems for the different vessels. Racers cannot receive any planned assistance during the race including food drops and resupplies. The race was dreamed up in a beer tent and was created to inspire people to adventure, to start a conversation about engineless voyaging, and compel people into the world of watery adventures that are possible from a limited platform. STAGE 1 The Proving Ground - Port Townsend to Victoria BC (40 miles in 36 hours) R2AK starts with an initial race across open water, two sets of shipping lanes, and an international border. The first stage is designed as a qualifier for the full race and as a stand-alone 40 mile sprint for people who just want to put their toe in. STAGE 2 To the Bitter End - Victoria, BC to Ketchikan, AK (710 miles) Racers start in Victoria at high noon three days later, and continue until they reach Ketchikan—or are tapped out by the sweep boat, the Grim Sweeper. Other than two waypoints along the way, Seymour Narrows and Bella Bella, there is no official course. To quote the bard, “you can go your own way.” THE PRIZE The first team to cross the finish line is awarded $10,000. Second place receives a set of steak knives. While most teams participate for the mere sense of accomplishment upon arriving in Ketchikan, there are the two first to finish prizes as well as many sponsored side bets. In years past, these bets have included the first vessel under 20’ to finish and the first boat to be swept by the Grim Sweeper. 5
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STAGE 1 START PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON Port Townsend is known for its Victorian buildings, maritime trades, and the largest Wooden Boat Festival in North America. It’s the jump-off for boats heading to Alaska or making the big left turn down the coast. Join us the night before for the Pre-Race Ruckus. Average June temp: 52-65F, Rainfall: 1.31 in, Wind: 7 mph, Gust: 24 mph
STAGE 2 START VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA Victoria is a bit of the old Empire in that pinkies up, stiff upper lip, tweed and a Gin and Tonic sort of way, combined with that frontier spirit of beaver pelts, red serge of the Mounties, and socialized medicine. In short: Canada at its best. At the Canadian stop on the R2AK tour, we welcome racers as they finish the first stage and throw one hell of a dinner party. Average June temp: 53-63F, Rainfall: 1.46 in, Wind: 7 mph, Gust: 23 mph
WAYPOINT 1 SEYMOUR NARROWS, BRITISH COLUMBIA A saltwater river that changes direction every six hours, Seymour Narrows is the famed tidal rapids of the Inside Passage. On a good day, tidal currents here run 16 knots with whirlpools 30 feet across and six feet deep.
WAYPOINT 2 BELLA BELLA, BRITISH COLUMBIA Why Bella Bella? No idea, but it’s roughly the midpoint of the race and the last bit of civilization for a couple hundred miles.
FINISH KETCHIKAN, ALASKA In Ketchikan, they measure rainfall in feet, tourists by cruise ship loads, and parties by how many people dance. Finishers are greeted on the dock with a six-pack of beer, slap on the back and opportunity to ring the bell to mark the end of their journey. Average June temp: 49-59F, Rainfall: 6.98 in, Wind: 7 mph, Gust: 22 mph
Follow the racers in real time on our tracker: tracker.r2ak.com #trackerjunkie #R2AK #wheredoyouR2AK 48º NORTH
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BELLA BELLA
SEYMOUR NARROWS
VICTORIA PORT TOWNSEND
FOLLOW THE RACE ON SOCIAL MEDIA @racetoalaska
FOLLOW THE RACE ON R2AK.COM Race Tracker | Daily Updates | Podcasts | Clips | Team Bios r2ak.com 2019
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R2AK THE COURSE
KETCHIKAN
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INSPIRATION IN EVERY JIBE
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REFLECTIONS ON TEAM SAIL LIKE A GIRL’S 2018 R2AK WIN BY JEANNE ASSAEL GOUSSEV r2ak.com 2019
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women need to lead. We have lived this mission for the last year in the wake of our arrival to that dock. We have spoken dozens of times about our journey, our challenges, perseverance and outcome to encourage others. I have had countless one-onone conversations with women wanting to grow their skills and wanting to know how to do so. We have signed the rain jackets of little girls who live aboard and are seeking female role models in the sailing world beyond Moana. We raced in the Pink Boat Regatta to honor the women whose names we carried on our mast to Ketchikan who are facing or have battled breast cancer. I joined the board of the Northwest Maritime Center to help them further women’s opportunities in the maritime world. In partnership with the Northwest Maritime Center, we created a Race Like a Girl program and donated time on the Melges 32 to help other women build intermediate and advanced skills on the water on a high performance boat. We share our story. We were given a voice in the sailing world and I personally feel an obligation to my fellow female sailors to do what I can to increase the number of female skippers on starting lines throughout our region. We will be racing the Race to Alaska again in June. Not to defend a title. Rather, to represent ourselves well, compete hard, and to feel the strength that comes from challenge, fear, excitement and love. Watch the race tracker, and then seek your own adventures. Jeanne Assael Goussev lives on Bainbridge Island with her husband, Evgeniy, and two children, Katrina and Maks. In addition to the Melges 32, they also own a Martin-designed 40' sailboat called Gray Wolf.
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Photos by: Katrina Zoe Norbom, Liv von Oelreich, M/V Awesome
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t has been a year of replaying the Race To Alaska in my mind. The perspective gained from land is so different than the one you have at sea. We are no longer living 40 knots in Johnstone Straits, or the log strike at 2 a.m., the fish pen buildings emerging from the fog, whitewater rafting our sailboat in Campbell River, biking until our legs could no longer carry the burden of another pedal stroke and our bodies could no longer protect the next crew member from the same fate. Our feet are squarely planted on the dock. The glass is not the water this time. It is a ceiling. When you are living on an angle in 32-feet of space for a week with seven women, gear, water, safety equipment, electronics, and every kind of sail, you lose your ties to the world. You focus on one goal: Alaska. OK, two goals: safety, then Ketchikan. Little did we know that while we were out at sea sailing and biking with every fiber of our being, people were watching race trackers from their living rooms in all corners of the world. Yelling and shaking fists at their screens. Meeting in bars for updates. Checking on their friend, daughter, wife or mother in the dead of night. Nature was waiting, cuing the orca pod when most needed, sending us a whale with a dorsal fin of hope and strength, bald eagle messengers and strangers with mangoes and butter. Reaching the dock in Ketchikan; falling into the arms of my husband, children and mother; and surrounded by microphones, television cameras, and a thick crowd of people – I started to realize what this meant. First place in the grueling 750-mile unsupported Race to Alaska, the first time a monohull ever beat the multihulls in this race, and it was accomplished by an all women’s team. It meant something big to the female (and male) sailors who were watching. For the kids following the race. For sailing. Before we left, someone asked me why I wanted to do this race. “It is for love,” I said, but I could not really explain what I meant by that. Love is simply the strongest word that I could conjure that could even begin to capture the feelings I had of butterflies, anticipation, fear, excitement for possibility, as well as support from a team, community and family... all like I have never felt as an adult. Love is what has continued our work to encourage other women to race sailboats, seek adventure, or try something they are afraid of. I love sailing, but I want it to be its best self because of that. We are not there yet. More
THE POWERFUL WOMEN OF 2019'S TEAM SAIL LIKE A GIRL Jeanne Assael Goussev, Skipper “Nothing compares to the quirky adventurous nature of this race and I cannot help but be a part of it again.” Sail Like a Girl Skipper in victorious R2AK 2018; decades of sailing experience, training on boats from 20’ to 67’; multiple boat owner. Aimee Fulwell “I thrive when I’m pushed out of my comfort zone. Alongside an amazing crew of like-minded women, we will bring our strengths together to conquer R2AK and prove women can do anything.” Sail Like a Girl foredeck crew 2018; collegiate and masters rower, competing at the world level; world traveler; longdistanace motorcyclist and ATV enthusiast. Anna Stevens “I got to visit with my inner warrior in last year’s R2AK and damn, she’s pretty cool!” Sail Like a Girl crew member 2018, US Air Force veteran, five 1st-place finishes in triathlon, offshore sailing experience in Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Laurie Anna (“LA”) Kaplan “I believe powerful women can move mountains, sail to Alaska, win races, love, nurture, compete and be those essential role models for our next generations of powerful women who happen to sail too.” Lifelong sailor, ocean passage veteran, active racer and experienced race boat owner, ski instructor and cyclist. Lisa Cole “The question wasn’t, ‘Will you do R2AK?’ The question was, ‘WHEN will you do R2AK?’” USCG Masters-licensed captain, competitive sailor, sailing instructor and owner of She Sails Seattle. Recently completed 4,000nm Atlantic crossing. Nikki Henderson “R2AK combines all things I love most in the world - the sea, the mountains, wicked company, big weather, adventure, exploration, self sufficiency.” UK native, Clipper Round the World Race Skipper of Visit Seattle (youngest skipper in history, secured all-female 1st and 2nd place results), skipper of the Maiden Project, motivational speaker. r2ak.com 2019
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Team Name
SoggyKru
Ghost the Coast
Oaracle
Angry Beaver
Barbarossa
Dazed and Confused
Educated Guess
Funky Dory
High Sea Drifters
Ketchikan Yacht Club
M.B.R. (McGuffin Brothers Racing)
North2Alaska
Pitoraq
Quilbillians
R2Ache
Ripple
Sail Like a Girl
Seaforth Expeditions
Shut Up and Drive
Solveig
Texada
Try Baby Tri
Wee Free Men
Wingnuts
#
7
44
48
52
33
11
12
41
21
9
14
46
8
18
51
16
42
30
6
23
19
28
43
1
1 2 6 2 5 4 2 6 3 4 6 3 3 2 5 7 7 8 2 1 1 2 2
Langley, BC Victoria, BC Port Ludlow, WA Seattle, WA Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Bellingham, WA Walpole, ME San Rafael, CA Ketchikan, AK Salt Spring Island, BC Port Townsend, WA Victoria, BC Quilcene, WA Vancouver, BC Whitefish Bay, WI Bainbridge Island, WA Sechelt, BC San Francisco, CA Boise, ID Van Anda, BC Woodside, NY Victoria, BC Australia
Kozma Graeme Pistay Kershner Boland Walker Belle Hocking Dahl McGuffin Veitenhans Heath Miller Jensen Stewart Goussev McPherson Criou Booth Nilsen Patrick Akehurst Whitworth
18.5 ft. 22 ft. 40 ft.
24 ft. 15.9 ft.
30 ft. 28 ft.
20 ft. 21.5 ft. 18 ft. 22.5 ft.
Kayak Seaward Kayaks Chilco X3 Kayak Seaward Passat G3 Tandem Schock 40 Melges 24 Olson 30 Melges 24 Swampscott Dory Olson 30 Santa Cruz 27 J/24 White Maryland Fishing Sharpie Windward 30 Miller 27 MacGregor 26 Santa Cruz 27 Melges 32 Custom Rower/Sailer Beneteau Figaro 2 Modern Norwegian Faering Young 6m US18 Chesapeake Light Craft Faering Alberg 23
Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono Mono
23 ft.
33 ft.
41 ft.
32 ft.
27 ft.
30 ft.
25 ft.
24 ft.
27 ft.
30 ft.
30 ft.
24 ft.
1
Victoria, BC
Dunand
24 ft.
Malcom Tennant Streaker
Cat
Hometown
Skipper
Boat Description
Type
LOA
Crew
Yankee Peddlers
You Either Do Stuff or You Don't
Ziska: Sail Like a Luddite
Holopuni
Backwards AF
Smokin' Haute Rower Buoys
Extremely Insain
LaqVelo
ACE
AlphaWolf
Givin' The Horns
HOBIE-1-KENOBIE
Narwhal
Old Fart In A Windstorm
Pear Shaped Racing
Perseverance
Razzle Dazzle
Three Legged Cat
Trickster
22
40
34
3
24
4
25
49
45
39
29
2
38
20
35
17
50
5
26
Arm & Leg
Gorgonian Girl
Madam Mollusk
Overwork
Big Lamposki
27
31
32
47
37
CLC Boats: The Guider Lancashire Nobby Hawaiian Outrigger Sailing Canoe Modified SAVO 650D Half Jersey Skiff, half Melonseed Skiff Airboard Ben Tardrew Custom TriRaid 560S Modified Corsair F-24 Corsair F-31R Hobie Adventure Island Farrier 32` blue Self-designed with Hobie parts Chris Cochrane 10.6M Custom Sailing Angus Row Cruiser Corsair F-27 Triraid 560s Corsair F-28R
Mono Mono Out Row Row SUP SUP Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri Tri
1 4
Bella Bella, BC Olympia, WA
Sugden Rohner
18.3 ft. 28.5 ft.
17 ft. 14 ft. 22 ft. 18 ft.
Kayak Pygmy Murrelet Kayak Pygmy Arctic Tern Kayak Necky Nootka SUP
Good Story
17 ft.
32 ft.
1
3
Gig Harbor, WA Stewart 27 ft.
Seattle, WA
1
Sedro Wooley, WA Shoup 18.75 ft.
Lamp
3
Sausalito, CA Rittger 34 ft.
2
1
Surrey, BC Holmes
23.5 ft.
N. Vancouver, BC
4
Seattle, WA Quigley
32 ft.
Legg
1
Anacortes, WA
Davies
16.4 ft.
1
4
Goleta, CA
Potter
31 ft.
Port Townsend, WA
2
Philadelphia, PA
Wolf
24 ft.
Knowlen
1
Ridgefield, WA
Ackermann
18.5 ft.
1
1
Port Townsend,WA
Aldern
17.5 ft.
Port Townsend, WA
1
Amsterdam
de Sain
17.6 ft.
Brandkamp
3
Bainbridge Island, WA
Williams
17 ft
1
2
Belfast, ME
Colbry
21 ft
Port Townsend, WA
3
North Bend, WA
Fagan
30 ft.
Biel
4
Port Townsend, WA
Geffken
52 ft.
3
1
Nashville, TN
Guider
18 ft
Port Townsend, WA
3
Olympia, WA
O'Connor
20 ft.
Brown
4
Lopez Island, WA
Martens
30 ft.
Kayak Etain
Gougeon 32
Santana 20
Mono
Cat
San Juan 30
Mono
R2AK TRACKER JUNKIE CHEAT SHEET
PT Watercraft
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Stage 1 Proving Ground Teams
WIP (Watertight Instant Paradise)
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TEAMS TO WATCH FOR R2AK GLORY 2017 Team 3.5 Aussies
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f four years of R2AK history has taught us anything, it’s that the race is extremely difficult to win, let alone finish. The infamous Inside Passage from Port Townsend to Ketchikan presents an unrelenting race course fraught with obstacles and complicated decisions for those who take on the challenge. Having competed in the 2018 race with my friends on Team Wild Card aboard a Santa Cruz 27, and after covering the race for all four years, I’m well aware of the arduous endeavor that lies ahead for each team and their chosen vessel. Gear failure, fatigue, gnarly currents and unforeseen problems will test the skill, perseverance and preparation of everyone out there. But the single biggest factor for success amongst the leading boats is wind. For the faster boats in the fleet—find wind, stay in it and sail fast, and you’ve got a shot. This is easier said than done. If you have to rely on pedal, paddle or oar power over long stretches of time against often angry currents, your chances dwindle. R2AK history has proven the obvious effect that wind has on the fleet, and few would dispute that an exceptionally well sailed fast boat will win. The victorious teams in those past four races have sailed an F-25c trimaran
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(2015), a Marström M32 catamaran (2016), a 28-foot Custom Melvin/Tetzlaff 8.5m class trimaran (2017), and a Melges 32 monohull (2018). So who will win this year? Looking at the 2019 fleet of teams vying for the ten grand or set of steak knives, here are several multihulls and monohulls that are likely to reach Ketchikan in the front of the pack. The Multihulls Given the fact that three of the past four winning boats have been multihulls and they all sailed the course in an astonishing five days or less, this is a logical starting point. Peruse the teams and their respective bios and Team Pear Shaped Racing jumps out as a clear contender. Having previous R2AK experience under their belts, they knew what they wanted in a boat and found it in a new-to-them Chris Cochrane 10.6m custom trimaran that is capable of doing a horizon job on the entire fleet. Couple that with their collective sailing chops and recent test runs on the boat around the Salish Sea and they get my vote as the early favorite. Sailing a Corsair Marine F-31R, Team Givin’ The Horns is well positioned for a run at the podium. With a fast boat, experienced multihull sailing crew and what appears to be a solid combination of pedal and rowing power, I’d think these guys could make Ketchikan in five days or less in the right wind. At press time, the team I seemingly know the least about might end up being one of the leaders up the Inside Passage. Sailing an F-32 with four crew, Team Narwhal could be a force if the wind pipes up and stays up for days on end. If and when the wind does diminish, they are said to have two rowing stations, two pedal drives and a “secret weapon”. Can’t wait to see what that is. If the wind goes light to non-existent like it did in the 2018 race, I wouldn’t count out Team Alpha Wolf. They chose an F-24 for their R2AK weapon, which is light and fast, and with only two crew aboard it will ghost along in the light
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The Monohulls In a race that has been dominated by multihulls, the 2018 iteration became the year of the monohull with the top three podium spots being a Melges 32, Olson 30 and Santa Cruz 27. Could history repeat itself? We’ll find out... A team of sailors that needs no introduction to R2AK race fans, First Federal’s Team Sail Like a Girl is back for more in their proven Melges 32. Fighting fickle winds and adverse currents in the 2018 pedal-fest, Team Sail Like a Girl persisted and took first place in just over sixand-a-half days. With a couple new teammates and the hope of more wind, it’s hard not to envision them being towards the front again. Hailing from San Francisco Bay, Team Shut Up and Drive is a team to keep a weather eye on. With a sailing resume that includes extensive coastal and offshore racing experience on their 33-foot Beneteau Figaro 2, they certainly have the skill to make a run at R2AK glory. They’ve also worked hard to refine their pedal drive systems and have two crew members that have finished the R2AK before. A late addition and comparative R2AKunknown is Team Angry Beaver aboard their Schock 40. The boat is highly innovative - it has a canting keel and a canard (forward rudder) to provide lateral resistance. To say the boat would be a handful in the wrong hands would be an understatement; but luckily, it is being sailed by some of the Northwest’s top performance sailors. When they describe R2AK as great because it’ll be a lot less stressful than sailing world championships, you get an idea. The boat will excel in the wind extremes - it’s been a weapon in light air around the Sound this spring, and they’ve had it going 19 knots without even really pushing the thing yet. They are serious contenders to win the race, and a near-lock to win the party. With a little luck on their sides, several smaller monohull designs—including two sporty Melges 24 with some savvy sailors aboard—could also push for R2AK glory if the conditions are right and they can stay within striking distance of the leading pack. Andy Cross is currently cruising Alaska with his family aboard their Grand Soleil 39 Yahtzee. He was an R2AK finisher aboard Team Wild Card in 2018 and is managing editor of ThreeSheetsNW.com.
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2019 Team Shut Up and Drive
2019 Team Givin' the Horns
2019 Team Pear 15 Shaped Racing
PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS
airs while also being easy to move by human propulsion.
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THE LITTLE BOATS OF R2AK
2019 Team Funky Dory
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hile the fastest boats might finish the Race to Alaska in little more than a long weekend of high-performance sailing, some of the smaller, slower boats will struggle north for the better part of a month. R2AK can be a very different experience depending on the boat you’re aboard. While the biggest boats and crews might push-on 24 hours a day nonstop, solo or short-handed rowers, sailors and paddlers will eventually be forced to search the remote coast for hidey-holes—some place, any place, to escape the current and weather to anchor or beach their boat and make camp. Rockstrewn shorelines, breaking surf, and brown bear sightings suddenly take on vastly more significance. Small-boat crews will also frequently be without conventional luxuries like a head, a galley, a chart table—or even a place to sleep out of the rain. Instead, buckets, backpacker stoves, bivy sacks and cell phone navigation
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apps will need to suffice; each one more demanding to employ from the bouncy, exposed cockpit of a little boat. I think it’s interesting to keep an eye on the third or fourth day of the Race to Alaska. Just about anything can be tolerated for a few days, but three or four days of being cold and wet takes a toll. Three days of interrupted sleep—waking up stiff in a cramped bunk, feeling like you’ve been in a minor car accident—starts to get old and decision making suffers. But for those who stick it out, eventually it becomes the routine and they can go on indefinitely. What kinds of vessels will these minimalists and masochists be aboard? Below is a preview of just a few of this year’s small-boat entries. Team North to Alaska: 25’ home-built sharpie. The Johnny Horton is based on a traditional oyster boat, but she was actually built from welded aluminum. Being an open boat, she doesn’t offer much protection, but the big cockpit means there’s room for five hardy crew, and her ketch sailing rig and three rowing stations makes her plenty versatile. No need to wonder whether this boat has what it takes—it crossed the finished line in 2017. This is a boat and crew I expect to see finish again. Team Perseverance: 18’ 9” Angus RowCruiser. Speaking of proven boats, adventurer Colin Angus won Small Craft Advisor magazine’s $1000 “Side Bet” aboard his RowCruiser as the first 20-foot-or-under finisher in 2016. With her optional amas the Rowcruiser becomes a fast and stable rowing and sailing boat with a tiny sleeping cabin. This sailing version of the RowCruiser was designed
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2015 Team Angus Adventures 2019 Team Wee Free Men
2019 Team Hobie-1-Kenobie
Josh Colvin is the publisher and editor of Small Craft Advisor magazine. He was also on the team of crazy that created the R2AK. r2ak.com 2019
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MINIMALISTS AND MASOCHISTS
for this race and it’s one of my favorite small adventure boats—a perfect choice for the R2AK minimalist. Team Wee Free Men: 22’ 6” plywood faering. Faerings, the narrow, springy-sheered, descendants of Viking raid boats, also make a logical choice for R2AK as these Scandinavian boats were designed to sail and row equally well. One of two faerings in this year’s race (Team Solveig is aboard the other), Team Wee Free Men’s boat even has a coffin-sized cabin to crawl into. I expect they’ll be hoping for wind, as even through the faering rows well, at 650 pounds empty, I wouldn’t want to pull it all the way to Alaska. Team Funky Dory: 15’ 9” Swampscott dory. Racers Thor Belle and Pax Templeton will forgo even the most basic comforts and conveniences as they attempt to row and sail their open dory 750 miles to Ketchikan. This tender little traditional fishing boat has no provision for blocking wind or crashing waves, no place to sleep aboard—not even a stowage locker—and at less than 16-feet in length, she won’t get anywhere fast. Their racing strategy will necessarily include drysuits, dry bags and dried food. It’s worth noting that if things get real nasty, the open dory isn’t self-righting, but then most of these smaller boats aren’t. Fortunately most are, at least theoretically, self-rescuing—meaning they can be righted, re-boarded, and bailed in the event of a capsize. Team Hobie-1-Kenobie: 16’ 7” Hobie Adventure Island. While many of the R2AK boats are either custom-designed for the race or highly-modified, the Hobie Adventure Island is maybe the smallest off-the-shelf boat capable of finishing. Well known to Tracker Junkies following the exploits of first-year racer Roger Mann, the rotomolded-plastic Adventure Island is a sit-on-top kayak with fold-out amas that turn it into a trimaran. The A.I. is propelled by an infinitely-reefable 65-square-foot roller-furled sail and a Mirage Drive pedal drive. These Hobies first caught my attention when a couple of them successfully completed the difficult 300-mile Everglades Challenge. Their pedal-drives and rudder assemblies are susceptible to damage, and it would be hard to find a boat that subjects its crew to more exposure, but these are proven adventure boats.
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PURE DETERMINATION. PURE BADASS. PURE R2AK.
Team Oracle’s Janice Mason and Ian Graeme are the new legends of a young Race to Alaska. They hold the world records of first and second place for most time spent racing in R2AK. Janice has competed three out of the four years (54.5 days on the course) and Ian celebrates a perfect four-year attendance (62.5 days). Nearly all of that was human powered. R2AK: Why abandon the more practical power of sail to go pure human power? Team Oaracle: From the moment Janice heard about the race, she wanted to row it. She comes from rowing background, not sailing, yet she was a devout tracker junkie in 2015. In 2016, a chance Facebook post found Janice pestering Team Sistership to let her join them, even though she couldn’t sail! They eventually said yes. For me, it is a remarkable coastline and the slower pace of a rowboat or kayak makes the experience even more raw and intense. It is blissful to experience the solitude of the coast north of Bella Bella. Camping on the beach each night can be a lot of work, but experiencing both land and ocean is so worth it. We did have a small sail in 2018 on our 48º NORTH
kayak so we didn’t completely abandon sail power, though we still aren’t sure if it got us there any faster. You’ve raced in trimarans, kayaks, and sliding seat doubles, which was the right choice? And why? Each vessel/team seemed like a good choice at the time and contributed to different but equally rich adventures. Sailing tack-for-tack against Team Hot Mess in Llama Passage was one of many highlights aboard Team Fly in 2016. Exploring the boundaries between exhilaration and fear while rowing across Dixon Entrance in 2017 was so different than the tacking duel, yet similarly rewarding. Last year, we maintained our focus when kayaking off Cape Caution in whitecaps and a building Pacific swell while a humpback performed a 3/4 breach only 30 feet away. The choice of boat is subjective, but signing up for the race has always been the right choice. This is a hard race, regardless of vessel type. Rowing the entire course (2017) has definitely been the most physically demanding for us so far. When conditions were good and we were on our game, however, there was nothing like the teamwork involved in moving a rowboat along the rugged coastline of
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British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. One “wrong choice” was rowing in the inaugural SEVENTY48 last year, and then stepping into our kayak less than 48 hours later for the Race to Alaska. Rowing continuously for 70-miles through the night is very taxing, especially for older bodies. Arriving in Port Townsend (10th place finish), we were certain that we’d withdraw from R2AK. Yet, after some sleep, a chocolate milkshake at Elevated Ice Cream, and Jake’s amazing lamb feast, we were recharged and ready to go again.
HUMAN POWER
How would you explain the Team Oaracle genesis story? (Yes, we want to hear about the longest first date ever...) We both grew up in Victoria, enjoyed similar activities, knew some of the same people and even swam at the same high-school swim meets. But it wasn’t until Port Townsend that we actually met in person — on the dock just days before the start of R2AK 2016. We were each sailing F-27 trimarans, Janice on Sistership and me on Team Fly. After the race, we arranged a friendly debrief in Victoria. We compared notes about our respective adventures including the experience of rowing a 2,700-pound trimaran (the novelty quickly wears off!). Janice expressed a strong interest in competing again, but in a suitable rowboat. We soon acquired and refit the expeditionproven Barbara Goss (Merry Sea 2) and began planning our 2017 trip. The name Row-mantic Encounter was suggested but we eventually settled on Oaracle. What’s your best advice for someone thinking about doing R2AK in a human powered craft? You definitely need good physical and mental preparation. Be prepared for a little pain and suffering during the first week, especially if you have an office job and haven’t invested in enough training. Trust yourself and your partner(s), establish some common goals and recognize there are multiple ways of achieving them, so be prepared to be flexible. Acknowledge and connect with the power of water, and draw energy from the sights, sounds and rhythm of the ocean to drive you forward. Be grateful for the experience and relationships you’ll make, patient with the weather and conditions, and understand how to manage risk. Janice Mason and Ian Graeme are our heroes. They will be in their kayak for the 2019 race. r2ak.com 2019
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TRACKER JUNKIE SURVEY RESULTS
WE ASKED. YOU ANSWERED. LET’S SEE HOW THIS ALL PLAYS OUT. From the mouths of Junkies: “I’m obsessed. If I’m not racing I want to race vicariously.” “Boats, sailors with a distorted view of reality, awesome scenery all make for a modern day Greek tragedy.” “Yes, from a windowless office that makes my job feel like in-school suspension, with Internet.” “I am not a junkie. I can stop whenever I want. Really, I can. I've got control over this.”
Which Team Will Be First To Finish? 5%
The MacGyver Award
Which team will make the most numerous and most creative repairs?
Pear Shaped Racing (33%)
15% 33% 20%
First Federal’s Sail Like a Girl (27%) Angry Beaver (20%) Dazed and Confused (5%)
R2Ache (15%)
46%
11%
Razzle Dazzle (14%)
14%
Holopuni (11%) 15%
Everyone Else (=15%)
27%
Old Fart in a Windstorm (46%)
14%
Everyone Else (=14%)
The R2Famous Award
Who Will Be the First Solo Finisher?
Which team is most likely to star in a reality tv show after R2AK?
SoggyKru (27%) 16%
27%
10%
16%
15% 16%
Texada (16%) Hobie-1-Kenobie (16%) Perseverance (15%) Three Legged Cat (10%)
10%
Angry Beaver (13%) Shut Up & Drive (11%)
48%
11%
Razzle Dazzle (10%)
13%
Everyone Else (=16%)
The Bleary-Eyes Award
Everyone Else (=18%)
The Make-It-A-Double Award
Which team will be most in need of a stiff drink after finishing?
Which team will get the least sleep and still finish?
Funky Dory (26%)
Barbarossa (30%)
17%
30%
Extremely Insain (23%) Backwards AF (16%)
14% 16%
First Federal’s Sail Like a Girl (48%)
18%
AlphaWolf (14%) 23%
30%
26%
11%
21%
Everyone Else (=17%)
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Of the 46 Registered Full-Race Teams, How Many Will Finish?
Old Fart in a Windstorm (21%) LaqVelo (12%) Yankee Peddlers (11%) Everyone Else (=30%)
12% 25-29
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WHERE DO YOU R2AK? Tag your photos to show us #WhereDoYouR2AK Holm’s Heritage Painting & Boatworks
Teams Ptarmigan and Lagopus R2AK in Scotland! r2ak.com 2019
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2730 C Washington Street, Port Townsend holmsheritagepainting.com 360.774.2040, holmsheritagepainting@gmail.com 48Âş NORTH
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A huge salute to all 2019 Participants!
Photo by Bill Curtsinger
Port of Port Townsend & PT Marine Trades www.portofpt.com
r2ak.com 2019
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