Team MAD Dog Racing wins R2AK

Ketchikan, AK (June 30, 2016) – Team MAD Dog Racing’s hearty trio of Randy Miller (team captain), Ian Andrewes and Colin Dunphy, claimed the $10,000 prize today in the 2016 Race to Alaska. The team was racing on a M32 Catamaran, basically a large carbon fiber beach cat.

Previous line honors for Team MAD Dog Racing include the Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race, and the only boat in 2015 to finish the full Northern Century.

The official elapsed time for Team MAD dog is 3 days, 20 hours, 13 minutes, with a finish at 7:13 am local time.

With the $10,000 prize claimed, the race for the coveted R2AK steak knives is on.

Background:

Stage 1: Port Townsend, WA to Victoria BC (40 miles)
It all begins June 23 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. Racers continuing on will clear Canadian customs in Victoria. Stage one winners get to bask in the glory for a full day and a half.

Stage 2: Victoria BC to Ketchikan, AK (710 miles)
There’s no time splits from the qualifier that roll over when the fleet starts in Victoria on June 26. The race for the prizes – real or imagined – is getting to Ketchikan. For those that lag, they risk getting tapped out by the sweep boat which heads north along the course as a rolling disqualifier. Any competitor the sweep boat passes is out of the race. Other than two waypoints at Seymour Narrows and Bella Bella, there is no official course. To quote the bard: You can go your own way.

Winner: The 2015 race was won by Team Elsie Piddock – Al Hughes, Graeme Esarey, and Matt Steverson – that crushed the fleet in a F-25c, completing Stage 2 in 5 days, 1 hour, 55 minutes. They finished almost 40 hours ahead of the second place finisher Team MOB Mentality (F85SR, a 28’ Farrier “Super Racer”) which just edged by 4 minutes third place finisher Team Por Favor (Hobie 33).