Crowds were already gathered around the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend by 4:30 a.m. Monday,
June 5, to cheer the launch of the seventh annual Race to Alaska.

Onlookers clutched travel coffee mugs and jockeyed for the best spot to witness the adventurers begin their 750-mile motorless journey to Ketchikan, Alaska.

Velocity coffee shop opened hours earlier than normal, and a long line of bleary-eyed boat fans lined up for some liquid energy, while outside, a brass band added to the festive atmosphere.

“It was the most beautiful sailing day of the year,” said race boss Jesse Wiegel.

Boaters began the first leg of R2AK, known as the “Proving Ground,” at
5 a.m., and rounded Point Hudson as the sun began to peek over the Cascades. The 40-mile push to Victoria, British Columbia must be completed within
36 hours to qualify for participation in the rest of the race.

Though it does not affect the final race results, bragging rights for this year’s “Proving Ground” go to team We Brake for Whales, who arrived in Victoria Harbor just before 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Only one craft didn’t make it across; former race finisher Satchel Douglas of single-person Team Flow State fell victim to the beautiful weather and didn’t have the necessary wind to make the crossing on his Wing Foil.

“He’s in good spirits,” said Wiegel. “He’s headed over to the Blue Moose for a scooter.”

The inaugural R2AK took place in 2015 and quickly became a favorite annual event for locals and visitors alike. After a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic, the race resumed in 2022.

Any type of watercraft is permitted, as long as it does not have a motor. The sailors, paddlers, pedalers, and rowers are required to be self-sufficient and are not allowed to pre-arrange support along the route. Known hazards include dangerously frigid water, freighters, driftwood, and bears.

There is a $10,000 first-place prize, cash in an envelope nailed to a tree or a wood wall at the landing spot in Ketchikan, and the second-place team receives a set of steak knives. Everyone who finishes the course is entitled to boasting rights, and the approximately half of teams who do not finish earn a great cautionary tale to tell.

Several of the Northwest Maritime Center’s planning team followed along on the “Proving Ground,” and enjoyed the layover in Victoria before the launch of the meatier portion of the race called “To the Bitter End.” High noon Thursday, June 8 marks the beginning of the Victoria-to-Ketchikan stretch.

Fans who are dry and warm at home can follow the progress on the live tracker at https://r2ak.com/race-to-alaska-trackers.

“The Proving Ground is where the racers shake out all the kinks. And this year we had to shake the kinks out of the tracking system as well,” said Wiegel, after experiencing technical difficulties on the first day. The tracking system will reset for the second portion of the race beginning Thursday.

The standing R2AK record was set in 2016 by Team MAD Dog Racing, who completed the 710 miles from Victoria to Ketchikan in three days, 20 hours and 13 minutes on a 32-foot Marstrom catamaran with a three-person crew.

SEVENTY48

In 2018, someone had the idea to add another cold water race event, and so was born the SEVENTY48, a 70-mile human-powered boat race from Tacoma to Port Townsend that must be completed in 48 hours.

This year, 131 race teams competed in the SEVENTY48.

Unlike the Race to Alaska, in which all vessels compete in the same group, the SEVENTY48 race has been divided into four classes: Standing Up, By Yourself, Facing Forward, and Facing Backward.

The 2023 First Overall winner was Team Beasts from the East, from the Facing Forward class, who finished at 5:27 a.m., after a race time of 10 hours and 27 minutes. The By Yourself category went to Team Gorge Downwind Champs: Paddlepaluza, coming in at 10 hours, 48 minutes.

Winner of the Facing Backwards class was Team 2 Bro Row (11 hours,
54 minutes), and the Standing Up award was won by Team Seychelle, who completed the course in
15 hours, 28 minutes.