PORT TOWNSEND — The second Race to Alaska, which begins at 6 a.m. Thursday, will be bigger and faster than last year’s inaugural event, organizers say.
Sixty-six teams have registered for at least part of the race, which is open to any boat without an engine. Forty-four of those plan to make the full trip from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska.
The first stretch, which will be to Victoria, is a qualifying leg. The main race to Alaska will begin from Victoria at noon Sunday.
“The boats have all gotten better and faster, but a lot of people are just doing it because they want to and have no reasonable chance of winning, ” said Jack Beattie, Northwest Maritime Center executive director.
“That doesn’t mean they don’t have a reasonable chance of finishing.”
The boats were trickling into Port Townsend Bay this week in preparation for Thursday’s launch.
The race experience will kick off today with a Pre-Race Ruckus, a free all-ages party featuring food carts, beer service and challenging activities.
“The Race to Alaska is on the edge of many people’s comfort zones,” Beattie said.
“We want them to bring that conflict and strife to the everyday person,” Beattie said.
The ruckus will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. behind the maritime center, 431 Water St.
“One of the activities is the Ocean Rodeo, where we put you in a box wearing goggles and a dry suit and blast them with a fire hose,” Beattie said.
“If you are still standing after eight seconds, you win.”
When asked exactly what the person would win, Beattie said, “Good question.”
Racers, some of whom are traveling from as far away as France, will be on hand at the ruckus to meet people and answer questions.
The 8 p.m. ending accommodates the early rising necessary to get to the starting line, Beattie said.
The only rules for contestants is to use a boat of any size or crew configuration that does not have an engine and to make it to Ketchikan.
Anyone who needs help on the first leg of the trip is disqualified.
Last year, Team Elsie Piddock won the race, completing the 750-mile race in five days.
The first prize is $10,000 cash, while second prize is a set of steak knives.
Another prize is a permanent tattoo of the Race to Alaska logo, free to anyone willing to wear the logo for the rest of their lives.
The preparations often fall into place at the last minute, Beattie said; last year, several participants made last-minute adjustments on their boat the day of the race.
This year, several teams have experienced last-minute obstacles that have forced them to switch out damaged boats and, in some cases, put their arrival at the starting line in doubt, according to race spokesman Jared Scott.
Team Tritium Racing intended to pilot a 73-foot trimaran, the largest boat to register for this year’s Race to Alaska.
The lifting foils and steering gear were damaged during the initial stages of the boat’s transit from Los Angeles last week and had to return for repairs.
The large racing craft will be laid up for some time, but the crew was able to borrow a 32-foot trimaran that is less than half the length of their first choice.
“That they were not going to participate disappointed a lot of people, except for some of the other racers,” Beattie said.
An automotive breakdown has cast doubts on the arrival of Roger Mann, the first solo finisher in last year’s race.
Mann was driving from his home in North Carolina with a new custom vessel he built when his car broke down late Sunday near Denver.
Whether he arrives in Port Townsend by race time is now questionable, Scott said.
The event is billed as the second Race to Alaska, sponsors having decided against using the word “annual” because it has not been determined if they will hold a 2017 race.
Like last year, the decision as to whether to schedule another race will be made and announced this summer, with details provided at the Wooden Boat Festival, scheduled Sept. 9-11.
For more information, go to www.r2ak.com.
_________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
