RACE TO ALASKA 2017

Looks like the wind has fallen away to almost nothing near Cape Caution this morning. Boats in Charlotte Strait heading for the cape are doing 4 knots or less.

Northwest Marine Center is reporting they've lost tracking on "Rod Price Adventures." Last sighting was near Seymour Narrows. The boat is a solo expedition canoe - rigged with a sail.
 
Posted by NMC just now:

"Breathe deep everyone. Team Rod Price Adventures is safe and sound. Team Viz Reporter found Rod this morning right at the campsite where he holed up to wait out the weather. All good"
 
Here is another link with some really great video footage, called "Clip of the Day"

https://r2ak.com/2017-clip-of-the-day/

and there is one clip (at least) for each day. Some nice variety, and some great shots.

The R2AK is still on, and there is liable to be a race for 4th place as well. It is a pretty tightly set pair for the next spot. Decent weather (light) over the course so the paddlers and SUP's should be in good shape for the night and into the next day.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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So... if you took your c-dory on this course, do you think you could arrive before the first human powered craft? This is a hypothetical question as a power boat cant enter... But still, think you could pull it off?
 
With the original seats, no way. With the new seats, sure thing.

Solo, it would be tiring but still pretty doable in our 19 within the sailing boats time of 4+days. Cruising at 15 knots in decent water, 11 in bad water, and 6 in worse water. Conditions bad enough to keep off the water could be a factor but our little dorys can take a lot. Pack on the gas cans and go. This trip might be predictably smoother than our Alaska Brats commonly fish in for fun.

With another driver, a boat could push on more continuously and make it a tree day trip even at our boats slow planing cruise speed.

A 23-25-26 or tomcat could do better yet with higher sustained speeds.

The record from Seattle to Ketchikan in an outboard powered boat (twin 300s) is under 12 hours. The lead boat in this race took nearly that long to cross from Port Townsend to Victoria.

We ran our 25 from Telegraph Cove south to Comox (125 miles) in under 5 hours with a toddler playing happily the whole way and arrived with ample time for grocery shopping, dock walking, playground time, and dinner out and toddler bedtime. That 25 did cover some water.

Motors are in a different league so they are not allowed.

Greg
 
chromer":zujhaqmd said:
So... if you took your c-dory on this course, do you think you could arrive before the first human powered craft? This is a hypothetical question as a power boat cant enter... But still, think you could pull it off?
Click to expand...

I think you could pull it off, beating the first human powered boat, because they are not going to paddle 24/7, so given that you are both moving during daylight hours, I think you could easily beat a human powered craft.

But, You would be hard pressed to match the multi hulls, with crews of 3 or more and who are traveling 24 hours a day. They have been doing 710 miles in 3-4 days. it might be a close race and it would be weather dependent. This year, maybe a C-Dory could have done it because of the light winds for the first part of the race. I would say, last year, no chance.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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To me the most amazing feat is "Heart of Gold"--stand up paddle board. Currently about 12 miles from the finish. I never thought he would make it. Amazing man. Talk about "Grit"!
 
thataway":5s9e6yxj said:
To me the most amazing feat is "Heart of Gold"--stand up paddle board. Currently about 12 miles from the finish. I never thought he would make it. Amazing man. Talk about "Grit"!
Click to expand...

That is the definition of an athlete! Truly amazing effort!
 
thataway":2cmajwr1 said:
To me the most amazing feat is "Heart of Gold"--stand up paddle board. Currently about 12 miles from the finish. I never thought he would make it. Amazing man. Talk about "Grit"!
Click to expand...

Karl Kruger, the "Captain" of that SUP was a student of mine here at WWU. He runs a sailboat charter business out of Orcas Island. I can't wrap my mind around what it took to complete that race on an SUP, basically surviving on energy gels the entire way because he couldn't carry enough regular food on the SUP. He didn't even have a sleeping bag, sleeping instead in his coat. He paddled as much as 70 miles per day. The two other SUPs withdrew from the race, making it about half way after a good effort.
 
Karl sounds like another John Muir! Heck some of the guys on boats complained of being cold, when sleeping in Bivy sacks. I knew about the gels--wonder about water?

Thanks for the heads up on him.
 
Her is a portion of the write up about his finishing, and about him, (Karl), from the R2AK Clip of the Day page.

"On top of the Mt Everest-level physical feat Karl just accomplished is the metaphor defying feat of negotiating his psyche during those 750 optional miles of cold feet and weary muscles. Here the frame of reference is truly challenged to evolve past 4 year-old/magician, and maybe because it is so rare to see victory without a loser. As he stepped from his board to the dock, Karl’s excited and placid demeanor wasn’t that of someone who just won in the classic sense of competition. When he rang the bell in victory, there wasn’t an ounce of ego driven celebration, no bloody-mouthed dance over an opponent still flat on the mat. He didn’t kiss the ground, offer “never agains” then offer the crowd his hardship confessional; sharing the worst of it to validate the experience through applause. He hadn’t conquered the coast, the finish line wasn’t his salvation. He hadn’t left it all on the field, won by KO, extra innings or penalty kicks. Karl’s race had always been with himself, and rather than the dramatic punctuation of a buzzer, the final point, or nosing across 6 minutes ahead of the next guy. His victory emerged from within, seemingly by better aligning his being with the everything happening both inside and outside of head. The waves, the weather, himself. His body was weary, visibly smaller than when he left, but his core seemed unmoved and if anything larger, more settled, more rooted."

He is obviously a very special person.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Just like to mention that the last boat crossed the finish line: Team Oaracle, a Merry Sea II Double rowboat, rowed by Janice & Ian. They took 23d 5h 25m, whereas the winners spent 4d 3h 5m on course.

Also for the SUP Heart of Gold oared by Karl Kruger, who did it in 14d 6h 17m.

That's determination and muscle power and I don't know (or care) which one took more. We may have taken that long when we went North on Our Journey but we stopped at many places along the way and used diesel power.

Boris
 
What a race :!:

Great to be able to follow from afar. Could not be there personally this year so "enjoyed" the tech version. Don't have my Race Tracker T-Shirt, but have spent some hours following "from afar".

Incredible athletes and super people.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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