PORT TOWNSEND — For the first time ever, a craft operating on human power was the first to arrive in Victoria for the third annual Race to Alaska.
Sailors, rowers and paddlers made their way out of Port Townsend Bay and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca after the starting gun at 5 a.m. Thursday.
Crowds gathered at Pope Marine Park, at the Northwest Maritime Center and Point Hudson Marina to wave off the 64 teams that raced across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria in the first leg of the 750-mile race.
The race, hosted by the Northwest Maritime Center and sponsored by UnCruise Adventures, has two legs: the “proving ground” — the 40 miles from Port Townsend to Victoria — and the second stage, “to the bitter end,” which will begin at noon Sunday in Victoria and continue 710 miles to Ketchikan, Alaska. Forty-one boats are signed up for the longer leg.
The Race to Alaska mandates no support vehicles and no motors on the vessels.
The Liteboat Team arrived in Victoria right around noon Thursday and was the first team ever to win the 40-mile “proving ground” race from Port Townsend to Victoria using only human power.
Liteboat Team is made up of two rowers, Mathieu Bonnier and Dominique Preney, both from France.
Bonnier raced to Alaska last year, rowing and sailing a Liteboat, and was one of only a few solo finishers.
The Liteboat Team was followed across the finish line in Victoria by Team Take Me To The Volcano, which came in second, and Angus Rowboats in third place. All three raced across the Strait entirely under human power.
The first sailboat came in roughly an hour after the first rowers reached the finish line. Team Pure &Wild is composed of three brothers — Tripp, Chris and Trevor Burd — who will continue to Alaska in their 28-foot boat.
The race’s start did prove challenging for some.
At just about 5 a.m., team North2Alaska was heard over the radio calling for a new tracker.
“Can I ask what happened to the old one?” asked race boss Daniel Evans.
“Um, we lost it,” responded the team.
The team swung by Point Hudson to pick up its new tracker and headed out for the official start.
The team Toms on the Move dropped out early Thursday, shortly after the start. As wind conditions picked up across the Strait and near Victoria later in the day, the R2AK Facebook page posted that some racers were looking for shelter instead of pushing toward Victoria.
Team Hodge capsized and self-rescued just before 4 p.m. but radioed for assistance. Team Chum, which was in the back of the pack almost all day, also called for assistance and was towed to Victoria just after 4 p.m.
A group of three stand-up paddleboarders — Heart of Gold Racing Team, Team TacomaandtheSea and Team Torrent — all made it to Victoria before the weather turned.
Some of the smaller vessels, including the paddleboarding teams Fueled on Stoke and Fueled on Stoke Part Duex, opted to camp at Dungeness Spit for the night.
Kayakers Kelley Watson, a high school teacher from Port Townsend, and Steve Heigel opted to spend the night at North Beach.
Team Harbinger launched at 5 a.m. Thursday but then returned to Boat Haven Marina to finish its boat. According to the R2AK Facebook page, the team is still intending to race.
As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a number of boats were scattered along the south end of the San Juan Islands and near Oak Bay on the east side of Victoria due to weather conditions.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
