Pursuit of adventure aims for Alaska

Race to Alaska is back for year seven with 39 teams registered to depart on June 5 from Port Townsend, WA. No motors or support allowed—the Race to Alaska (R2AK) is about the physical endurance, saltwater know-how, and the bulldog tenacity that it takes to navigate the 750 cold water miles to Ketchikan, Alaska.

First place wins $10K; second place, a set of actual steak knives. On June 5, entrants embark on Stage 1, “The Proving Ground,” from Port Townsend at 5:00 am and have 36 hours to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca and make it to Victoria, BC. If they pass that test, then on June 8 at high noon marks the start of Stage 2 for the 710-mile trek from Victoria to Alaska.

This year’s racers include recreational boaters through to world-class professional ocean sailors, including a former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year; vessels range from home-built rowing boats through brand new, purpose-built racing sleds. Human-powered teams in kayaks and rowboats will be jockeying for position with go-fast boats, solo racers, and even those attempting to drag the equivalent of engine-less houseboats up the Inside Passage.

“For some, Race to Alaska is about getting the cash,” said Race Boss Jesse Wigel. “But for the majority, whether they end up with a broken boat on a beach or basking in the afterglow in Ketchikan – it’s all about what happens between the start and the end.”

The 2022 removal of one of only two waypoints between Victoria and Ketchikan, Seymour Narrows, gives racers the choice of going up the inside of Vancouver Island or going out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the Pacific Ocean—opening up different possibilities as teams endeavor to solve the R2AK puzzle.

By the Bella Bella waypoint, the puzzle is solved, with the engineless mission continuing to the finish line.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook

The 7th edition of the Race to Alaska in 2023 will follow the same general rules which launched this madness in 2015. No motor, no support, through wild frontier, navigating by sail or peddle/paddle (but at some point both) the 750 cold water miles from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska.

To save people from themselves, and possibly fulfill event insurance coverage requirements, the distance is divided into two stages. Anyone that completes the 40-mile crossing from Port Townsend to Victoria, BC can pass Go and proceed. Those that fail Stage 1 go to R2AK Jail. Their race is done. Here is the 2023 plan:

Stage 1 Race start: June 5 – Port Townsend, Washington
Stage 2 Race start: June 8 – Victoria, BC

While the Stage 1 course is simple enough, the route to Ketchikan is less so. Other than a waypoint at Bella Bella, there is no official course. Whereas previous races mandated an inside passage of Vancouver Island via Seymour Narrows, the gloves came off in 2022. For teams that can prove their seaworthiness, they now had the option of the western route.

There is $10,000 if you finish first, a set of steak knives if you’re second. Cathartic elation if you can simply complete the course. R2AK is a self-supported race with no supply drops and no safety net. Any boat without an engine can enter.

There were no races in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In 2022, there were 45 starters for Stage 1 and 34 finishers. Of those finishers, 32 took on Stage 2 of which 19 made it to Ketchikan.

Source: R2AK