Race to Alaska and a listing of race entrants so far

Yeah Gary, Phil, these are my cruising grounds, I try to sail through here every year. We motor very little so the knowledge is there. Between sailing and commercial fishing years ago I've been from Puget Sound up the BC Coast and up the Alaska Coast through the Aleutians and into the Bering Sea. Some has been hard won and a lot has been without gas.

Phil, I only read the facebook page about getting ready that Richard posted. I wouldn't expect him to have much blogging time while sailing, and when racing playing your cards close is a good idea.

I'll keep posting the points of interest as the fleet heads North and there will be some humdingers, to show what the dots on the tracker are facing. A good boat is important but the chess game is in playing the winds and tides through the route alternatives.

If you can look up the satellite views on google earth, it is beautiful country.

 

My bad guys, Richard is blogging on the facebook page he posted a link to. Good man in the boat updates. Love the Golden Oldies tag for our French friends...I'm into vintage.

 

A wealth of pictures from the arrival in Victoria in the link from Angus Adventures.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/angusadventures/sets/72157653630525278

 

Sailing Magazine 48° North also writes reports of the R2AK.

http://48north.com/r2ak_reports.php?report_num=1

 

Hopefully the crews have picked up their Canadian tide and current tables because they'll need them for the passes and narrows. And remember that they use standard time not daylight savings.....

 

They start at noon our time. First couple hours are bucking the end of the tides and the wind looks light which will favor the rowers. The BC forecast I saw shows a strong wind warning for Georgia over the next few days but light inside. Have to be there to see what is really going on. We've been in calms with that forecast before. If it does blow Georgia often gets strong wind for 3 day stretches. the Indians used to paddle across at night after the wind dropped. Paddlers will do better inside on the Gulf Island route.

 

Looks like there is enough wind for the multihulls to start pulling up now. The real race is with the wind and tide for everyone. Up here in the PNW it is a bidiurnal tide system with 2 cycles of tide and current, in and out, every 24 hours like the ocean breathing. It will change against them again this evening. If there isn't enough wind to go against 2-3 knots on the average they will stop making progress and can go backwards in places where it gets stronger. Where the fleet is now the incoming tide takes them North and the outgoing tide pushes south.As they get up around Quadra Island and the Seymour Narrows way point at the end of the Straights of Georgia the current srarts flowing from the other direction, the ocean breaths now incoming from the North end of Vancouver Island. First they have to get into Georgia, the route choices will be interesting and forecast dependent.

Richard is in home waters here as he lives on Saturna Island part of the year. which will come in handy. I chatted with Steven Marco back when he was joining the French Golden Oldies group, their entry name. At the time I was signed up with Golden Oldies (the Nicol qualifies) and they were interested in his boats. Golden Oldies is a group that collects, preserves and races old multihull racers. They have managed to enlist and their members acquire a large number of famous boats. It is a good fit for Steven as he has owned a large number of multihulls and is an enthusiast in the grand tradition. He often posts over on cruising world, usually trying to rescue a boat or unite one with a new owner.

 

Some of the teams have gotten a big jump going through the Gulf Islands and are heading out Porlier Pass. Another big group is heading out Active Pass while the group Richard is in tried the end run around Saturna Island to get into Georgia early, looks like the wind isn't there yet. The tide will now be turning and the fun starts, the passes could flush people back if they don't get through. further back some of the small guys are now back in the USA and others could wind up there too. Rather than beat yourself against the tide at that point it might be best to anchor and rest for the change if there isn't enough wind. The Soggy Beaver man powered team is doing an excellent job of going straight up the inside pike, right now they are ahead of many sailors. It is always a crap shoot with the wind up here...

 

Thanks for the insides Cavalier, really appreciated here. Wish I was there to follow, or even participate, this fascinating race.


For diehard R2AK followers there is also an interesting thread on SA with a lot of local knowledge:http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=159707&page=1

Search link on Twitter for all R2AK messages:https://twitter.com/search?q=%23r2ak&src=tyah

 

The best part of watching the race is getting a good nights sleep then checking in to see the carnage. I should mention the weather forecasting, it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The Canadians try to guess but NOAH tends to report what has already happened. What happens when the Northerly flow meets the Southerly flow piped in from Juan De Fuca? The dreaded dead air doldrum zone. This location will move North and South so Navigators should chart the centers of the highs and lows to know what to expect and where the stalled air is likely to be. South Georgia is often a lake because of this. The Gulf Islands can act like a pipe for the southerly zephyrs but I assume paddling was also used to get people through the Porlier Pass window. The F boats are doing great in this race. I might have tried to hang off Dodd Narrows then sail through as the Pass times run a bit different than the high and low tide currents. I travel this way, after a while you notice the rhythms. It is important to remember this fight between prevailing winds can create the dead zone anywhere on the course.

If they do get the strong wind the route through Malaspina Straight on the North side of Texada Island can offer a bit smaller waves, the islands North of there also off some shelter though at some point everyone has to head to Quadra Island and the approach to Seymour Narrows. Assuming the Northerly kicks in that is....

In light air the straight route is best, keeping an eye out for shore breezes etc... Shores should be treated carefully after dark especially around places like Lasquiti Island where there are rocks.

By day 3 I expect fatigue to begin showing up with the craft not offering as much shelter which will be another element. Definitely a challenge, at the least they'll get some morning breeze.

 

The real start of the race in Victoria:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3AOhudnBUA

 

Daylight reveals the fleet well spread out from the Gulf Islands to the leader, tri Elsie Piddock in the Straight of Georgia off Qualicom Beach. Typical frustrating conditions for many.

 

Team Turn Point Design is out. Too many issue's on a brand-new very promising boat.

https://www.facebook.com/R2AK.TurnPointDesign

 

Weenies...real PNW voyagers repair and sort underway....which is why last year we had to hike inland for a suitable sapling to use as a tiller....

The proa seems to be heading south at 6 knots....an odd strategy, maybe they got the ends mixed up.

 

Looks like the Northerly flow will win out...the real fun will be in Johnstone Straight where they are expecting gale force winds. Johnstone is a venturi for wind with mountains for sides of the funnel, lots of current too. There are ways to get out and around some of it more inland but they add distance.