$10 K Prize, Motorless Boat Race from PT to Alaska NWMC Sponsors a June, 2015 Race; Second Place is a Set of Steak Knives
By Patrick J. Sullivan A winner-take-all boat race for $10,000 is being launched in 2015 by the Northwest Maritime Center. The “R2AK” is a venture for a person or crew to sail, row or paddle the 750 miles from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska. It’s open to any boat of any size without a motor of any kind on board (not even a “just in case” motor). “It’s the longest adventure race of its kind and the only one that pits different boats against each other,” said Jake Beattie, Northwest Maritime Center executive director. “It may also be the biggest [prize] purse in its class in North America.” First prize is $10,000. “Second place is a set of steak knives,” Beattie said. “It’s kind of a Gold Rush thing. If you get there first, you win 10 Grand.” The race is slated to start at 8 a.m. June 4, 2015 on Port Townsend Bay. Stage I is a 40-mile crossing from Port Townsend to Victoria, British Columbia, on Canada’s Vancouver Island. People are invited to do this stage without being committed to go on to Alaska. Participants who make it to Victoria without needing to be rescued qualify to continue northward. That race starts June 5. There is no limit to the number of crew, but all crew who start the journey must finish - no swapping out along the way. Beyond the Strait of Juan de Fuca crossing, there is no race support network. There are a few waypoints, but people are basically on their own. “There is not a race specific safety net, intentionally,” Beattie said. “We don’t want people who need one.” Each participating boat car-
Mark Miller, 61, of Port Townsend finishes up a two-hour workout off Point Hudson in Port Townsend Bay, in preparation for the 14mile Round Shaw Row . The Northwest Maritime Center salutes such efforts, and in 2015 launches its own: a 750-mile motorless race to Alaska . Photo by Nicholas Johnson
ries an electronic tracking device to be followed via website. Fans can follow the progress, and race officials would be in Ketchikan to verify the first to finish. As soon as a champion is declared in Ketchikan, a “sweep” boat starts out from Port Townsend and covers about 75 miles a day. Racers have the option of getting a ride on the boat, or finishing the journey on their own after being tapped out. Beattie believes the substantial first-place prize should attract Olympic-class rowers, sailors, and people who do a lot of voyaging in small boats, and know the Inside Passage tides and currents.
22 • 2014 WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
“It’s kind of a Gold Rush thing. If you get there first, you win 10 Grand.” Jake Beattie executive director Northwest Maritime Center
“A lot of people do this in small boats every year, but there’s never been a race,” Beattie noted. “Our goal is to do something cool, that pays for itself, and which helps to raise awareness about accessibility to the water.” Beattie conveys a tone of fun, but the race is a serious effort. Necessary items to meet
race and government requirements are a SPOT tracker and subscription for emergencies, VHF radio, sound signal, navigation lights, flares for signaling distress at night, an approved PFD for everyone on board, and a throwable flotation device. Successful race applicants should be proficient in navigation, first aid, able to row/ paddle/sail for long periods of time, radio use, collision awareness and avoidance, trip planning and voyage logistics, and have necessary repair skills related to their vessel. Participating vessels are subject to evaluation by design and construction, inherent buoyancy, stability and safety equipment.
“Do you have it?” the race promotion asks. “If your idea of a good time sounds like blisters, mild-hypothermia, and the catharsis of accomplishing goals that others would dismiss due to their sheer magnitude, Race to Alaska was made for you.” Learn more at the official website, racetoalaska.com.
Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader