The first leg of this year’s Race to Alaska began dramatically, with strong winds pounding Port Townsend, WA and Victoria, BC. Surrounded three teams in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between.
They call Stage 1 ‘The Proving Ground’ for a reason, and it proved to be too much for some racers this year. Now it is better to find out when the Coast Guard support was at hand from the north in the remote backwaters of the race.
The Alaska race is a 1,200-kilometer endurance race to Port Townsend, WA, Ketchikan, AK. The 38 participating teams are bound by two rules: no motor and no outside help. Some ships. Some make custom pedal propellers. Some kayaks or rows. In 2019, only 25 of the 45 teams made the trip, so it’s worth celebrating making Alaska into just one piece.
Race to Alaska (R2AK) is about physical endurance, saltwater knowledge and determination, without the permission of motorists or support teams.
“As these teams travel through the forgotten reaches of our coastal desert, the stories that unfold will be spectacular,” race boss Daniel Evans said in a news release.
# Breaking News #Update: (1/2) Host cam footage from the rescue of 2 persons who entered the water after the overturning of their ship. It is located in Port Angeles #USCG Helicopter crew KIRO7Seattle komonews ING KING5Seattle x fox13seattle EnPenDailyNews IKIRONE Newsradio pic.twitter.com/9gDeA2eq6t
– USCGPacificNorthwest (SCUSCGPacificNW) June 13, 2022
The goal of the Kootenay Pedalwheelers is for Alaska
Doug Kennedy has traveled the world for decades. He has navigated Scandinavian waters like a Viking, and once crossed the Atlantic from the Moroccan coast to the Caribbean in a three-week voyage.
Traveling north along the BC coast should, in principle, be easier for him. In practice, it will be anything but Kennedy and Nelson for a group of sailors who are trying to make history – if they can complete the voyage.
“It’s a challenging place to sail anywhere in the world,” says Kennedy.
A six-man team, including Coutin’s Paddlewhelers, Kennedy, Jay Blackmore, Mike Bowick, Roger Hassol, Todd Ketner and Mike Seagal, successfully completed The Proving Ground in 12th place, and are now on their way to Alaska.
If the boat breaks down, they have to repair it themselves. If they run out of food, they will have to find a place to re-supply. If there is a rebellion, it is probably impossible.
“It’s an anti-yacht race,” says Blackmore. “It’s a race for everyone.”
Most of the teams in this year’s race are from areas along the route, including Alaska, BC and Washington. There are also entrants from underground states, including Colorado, Montana, Georgia, and Kansas, as well as coasters east of New York, Florida, Maine, and Massachusetts. Then there’s the international team: Team Lostic Supersonic from France, Team Fire Escape and Team Weizmite Viglants from Australia, and Team Zen Doug from the UK.
Each team has a story, and it is worth reading their biographies on r2ak.com. This is where you will find information about field reports, GPS race tracking, and signing up for next year’s race if you feel tempted.
Alone adventurer
In September 2019, Doug Smith, Alan Wolf, a retired teacher from Talkitna, Alaska, lost his wife and 35-year-old cruising partner. The house was lonely, and it was cold and dark. Smith said he asked himself, “What do I do now?”
He needed a project.
“I heard about the Alaska race and thought, ‘Yeah, I can make myself a little boat,'” Smith said.
He bought plans and spent a winter and a half in the building Darkness StarAn 18-foot ocean liner that he named after the song Grateful Dead and modified with a custom cabin.
Smith, 69, called it his “middle-aged crisis red convertible.”
He said his strategy for the race was to “take it as it comes”. His only definite plan, he said, was to toast Allen with a glass of wine every night.
Like Smith, Lillian Quehl built his boat. But instead of relying on the wind to take him to Alaska, the 37-year-old Quilsin native will board a robot built into the living room of his Port Angeles home.
Doug Smith is a former schoolteacher from Talkitana, Alaska who built his 18-foot boat and named it “Dark Star” after the song “Greetful Dead”. He decided to run for Alaska after losing his wife in 2019 and asked himself, “What do I do now?” (Photo by Paula Hunt)
Lillian Quehl built an 18-foot robot that will run 750 miles from Port Townsend to Ketchikan in her Port Angeles living room. This is the second time the 37-year-old Quelsin native has competed in the Alaska race. (Photo by David Linger)
Chilliwack father and son hope for salvation after defeat in 2019
Three years ago, Randy Jensen and son Lionel Jensen built a pedal-powered pedal wheel and attached it to their McGregor 26D monohole sailboat called the R2Ache. Like many other teams in 2019, Jensens did not finish despite a good start.
This year, Stern Wheelin is one of the 11 teams in BC
“We will not run for victory. Very fast boats are going for this. We are afraid of those boats, “said Randy. “However, there are four other boats like ours that we will try to beat.”
Randy Jensen (center) and son Lionel Jensen (right) will compete for the second time in the Race to Alaska, 1,200 km without engine. They will bring their “secret weapon” son / son-in-law James Layton (left) for the first 36-hour part of the race which is called ‘Proof Base’. (Jenna Hawk / Chilliwack Progress)
Randy is 73 years old and has decades of experience in sailing.
“The division of labor is very clear. I’m Paddle Meat, Dad is the captain – I do what I’m told, “said Lionel, 31. “I’m a serious second thinker, but at the end of the day, Dad calls.”
Randy said it was “amazing” how well they met.
“Overall, getting together on the boat is a lot of fun and it’s scary,” Lionel said.
Lionel monitors their location on his chart plotter, monitors the weather on his VHF radio to see what’s coming, and constantly calculates the effect of the waves on the speed of his boat. Is doing
“Everything he does allows me to focus on the speed of ships and boats, my favorite parts … (and) the steering wheel which is my favorite part,” Randy said. . “Steering is the key to speeding a boat.”
Shelter on dungness saliva
Competitors who failed due to strong winds and rough seas on Wednesday crossed the Juan de Fuca Strait for Victoria after the US Coast Guard issued a weather advisory after sitting out most of the first round of the Race to Alaska on Tuesday. Gone.
This was the second weather-related delay for teams that chose to take a tight hang or take shelter after hurricane and small craft warnings were applied at the start of the race on Monday.
The 20 teams that successfully navigated 40 miles from Port Townsend to Victoria on Monday, including first place teams Pure and Wild of Seattle, were already resting and the 750-mile sea adventurer Were preparing for the second stage of the race which starts here. This afternoon
Troubled by the weather, teams often seek refuge on the ground. One group of contestants spent the night at the New Dungeon Lighthouse, while the other stayed at Protection Island. Mustang Survival’s Right of Passage was one of almost six teams that did not even leave the Northwest Maritime Center Dock in Port Townsend Bay.
For four teams, Monday was the start and end of the race when three boats capsized and one lost its mast. As of late Wednesday, they were among the nine teams that were eliminated.
In Victoria on Thursday, family members shook the shore as the rest of the team ran north from Inner Harbor to the points.
With files from Michael Dasheel, Tyler Harper, Jenna Hawk, Paula Hunt and Christine van Reeuwick
In the Alaska race, a two-person team leads the Oceania Regata Cruise, which is also heading for Alaska. (Amy Atas photo)
Team Mustang Survival’s Right of Passage did not know each other well, so they are working with a race coach on mental strategies and team building. Their average age is less than 17 years. (LR) Enzo Dougherty, Francesca Dougherty, Nadia Khalil, Sebastian Dougherty. (Photo by Raid Khalil)