Race to Alaska: The winner has won

Team Northbound Nutters won the 2026 Race to Alaska, riding their Farrier F-32SR across the finish line at 7:04pm (local time) on June 22 in Ketchikan, AK. While not a record breaker, their victory was convincing.

The big yellow trimaran was the boat to beat from the start, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the way they sailed. Captain Nige Oswald, Michael Holt, Gavin Brackett, and Rob Woelfel finished in 5 days, 8 hours, and 4 minutes, putting together a race that was as smart as it was fast.

What stood out wasn’t just the speed. Nutters made two full stops along the way, one in Campbell River and another in Port Hardy. Later, they spent time drifting roughly 40 miles offshore while making repairs before getting underway again.

In a race that often rewards relentless forward motion, they showed that sometimes it pays to stop, regroup, and wait for the right moment. Then, when the time came, they unleashed the trimaran equivalent of a cheetah being fired from a t-shirt cannon.

Northbound Nutters may have finished the race, but the Race to Alaska is nowhere near finished. There are still more than fifty teams out there threading channels, breaking things, fixing things, and making decisions all across the spectrum of “good/bad.”

Event information – Tracker – Facebook

The 9th edition of the Race to Alaska (R2AK) in 2026 once again takes the ill-advised 750 mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Ketchikan, AK. No handicap… race what you bring. First place gets $10,000, cash. Second place gets a set of steak knives. Everyone else gets to find out what they’re made of.

Stage 1: The Proving Ground – June 14 start
Port Townsend, WA to Victoria, BC (40 miles)

R2AK starts with an initial jaunt across open water, two sets of shipping lanes, and an international border. While not a race in itself, the Proving Ground 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 – June 17 start
Victoria, BC to Ketchikan, AK (710 miles)

Racers start in Victoria at high noon and continue until they reach Ketchikan—or are tapped out by the sweep boat. Unlike the 2022 and 2023 races, the western side of Vancouver Island is no longer an option as the course has returned to the original format with two waypoints at Seymour Narrows and Bella Bella.

Source: R2AK