KETCHIKAN — The team that won second place in the Race to Alaska had claimed its steak knives and nine others had reached the finish line by Saturday afternoon.
First-place winner Team Mad Dog Racing crossed the finish line at Ketchikan, Alaska, at 7:30 a.m. Thursday with a time of three days, 20 hours and 13 minutes, winning the $10,000 prize.
Team Skiff Foundation Jungle Kitty came in second at 11:59 p.m. Thursday and earned a set of eight steak knives.
Since there were nine crew members, one did not get his own knife, said Jake Beattie, executive director of the Northwest Maritime Center, which sponsored the race.
Ten boats had reached the Race to Alaska finish line by Saturday afternoon. Twenty-two boats were still in the 750-mile race that began in Port Townsend.
Jared Scott, Race to Alaska communications manager, expected another three teams to cross the finish line today.
The atmosphere at the finish line was “more collegial than competitive,” Beattie said.
“This is like the fantasy league for sailing,” he said.
“The participants represent some of the best sailors on the West Coast.”
The Mad Dog Racing team made better time than the winner of last year’s race, the inaugural event.
Team Elsie Piddock completed the 2015 race in five days.
Despite Mad Dog Racing’s early lead, winning was uncertain right up to the finish line, according to Randy Miller, the captain of the M32 catamaran crewed by three people.
“We were unsure about winning right up to the end, thinking that something could go wrong,” Miller said.
“But when we crossed the line, there was a feeling of deep satisfaction.”
Mad Dog Racing’s $10,000 cash prize was nailed to a piece of firewood.
Two legs to race
The race was divided into two parts: a 40-mile qualifying leg from Port Townsend to Victoria and the competitive 710-mile sprint from Victoria to Ketchikan.
This year, 58 teams began the race, with 55 successfully completing the first leg.
Thirty-two teams sailed in the competitive portion.
Teams that had completed the race as of Saturday afternoon were Big Broderna, Madrona, Mail Order Bride, Pure and Wild, Un-Cruise Adventures, Turn Point Design, It Ain’t Brain Surgery and Golden Oldies Ghost Rider.
The next boats back were the Hot Mess and the Salish Express just outside of Prince Rupert, 117 miles away, followed by a larger contingent west of Duke Island, about 400 miles from the destination.
Team Kraken Up was in last place, beached on Sandy Island in the Strait of Georgia about 600 miles from the finish line.
Faster boats
“The boats were much faster this year, with five of them beating last year’s time,” Beattie said.
The winner arrived at the finish line almost one week after the beginning of the qualifying run, which started at 6:05 a.m. June 23 in Port Townsend Bay.
The rules of the race are simple: no boats with engines and no supply drops or other safety nets provided.
Team Mad Dog Racing took an early lead and finished first in the qualifying race to Victoria.
This put it in the last position when the competitive race began, but the vessel “sailed right through” the other boats, gaining a first-place position it held until the end of the race.
“We had a superfast boat that was superlight,” Miller said.
Exhausted crew
Miller said all the crew’s thoughts and actions were filtered through a layer of exhaustion.
“We talked about the race and bantered back and forth, but you are reduced to the basic needs of eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom,” Miller said.
“The things we take for granted at home become huge challenges.”
The crew ate food pellets and slept in a “dizzy bag,” which Miller described as a cross between a sleeping bag and a small tent.
It wasn’t especially restful, he said, because anyone in the bag when the boat capsized would be trapped.
The crew used a waste bucket and emptied it over the side, Miller said.
For more information, go to www.r2ak.com or the race’s Facebook page, http://tinyurl.com/PDN-racebook.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
