Before I knew that I was going to move to the Pacific Northwest, I had my eye on this region. Over the years we have made occasional trips to the Seattle Area, visiting my brother who has lived on Whidby Island in the past though he now lives on the mainland at Lynnwood, a bit south of where we now live. Later, our destination was Olympia when our son and his wife lived there. Our two grandchildren were born in Olympia. After the birth of our first grandchild we made a trip to this region at least once each year. When our son and his family moved north from Olympia to Mount Vernon, I made a trip to help with the move.

During our 2006 sabbatical we took the ferry from Victoria BC to Port Townsend WA on our way from camping adventures in British Columbia to Portland, OR, where we departed by airliner to Australia.

Another summer we made the trek up the Olympic Peninsula from Olympia to Port Townsend to visit the town famous for wooden boatbuilding, scout out some kit manufacturers, and shop for cedar for building canoes and kayaks. We traveled back to South Dakota from that trip with cedar boards strapped to the roof rack of our pickup. Port Townsend is one of the places I plan to visit again when my schedule allows. On the other hand, we’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for nearly four years now and I have not made it over there yet.

Were my schedule different, I might have enjoyed being in Port Townsend yesterday. For that matter, were my schedule different, it would be fun to be in Victoria, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Townsend. Today at noon, most of the small fleet of boats participating in this year’s Y2AK race will depart Victoria, round the end of the big island and head north. Y2AK is a famous boating race only if you are a fan of ocean racing, or a follower of wooden boats, or perhaps just a follower of little known trivia.

I don’t know the complete story, but it has been reported that Y2AK began with a bar bet made during the 2014 Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend. The bet was about which sailboat could get to Alaska from Port Townsend first. The bet turned into a formal race which now has been run seven times since 2015, missing two years due to the pandemic. The rules of the race are simple. The race is open to any boat that does not have a motor of any kind. The race starts in Port Townsend and runs to Ketchikan, Alaska up the inside passage. Crews must run the race unsupported, sleeping in their boats or camping ashore along the way. The first place prize is $10,000 cash, awarded to the first boat to finish without any type of handicapping. The second place prize is a set of steak knives.

That’s it. The race is mostly about bragging rights. Most years there are only 30 or 40 craft entered in the race, though some have been pretty spectacular. Per the race rules, the fastest boats are sailboats, but kayaks are eligible for the race. Of course a sailboat with a crew can run 24 hours a day, typically with crews keeping watch 4 hours on, 4 hours off around the clock. A kayak needs to go ashore and camp, which introduces the additional challenge of avoiding bears that frequent the remote coastal areas where the race is run.

Karl set a record in the race in 2017 when he became the first, and only, person to paddle the full 750 mile race course on a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), completing the race in 14 days and 6 hours. He has since completed two legs of paddling the Northwest Passage on a SUP.

Karl isn’t the only member of his family worth watching. This year I’ll be following his daughter, Raven, who is 17 years old and is competing on her own 29-foot sailboat crewed by Raven with three of her teenage friends. The Y2AK is a daunting race. Typically only about half of the entrants complete the race course. I’m confident that this young team has a very good chance.

They proved themselves already yesterday, sailing across the Straight of Juan de Fuca on a day when the winds were really ripping in our area. The passage is a test of the fleet. Those who make it are officially on the list of competitors for the official start this noon. Those who fail to make the crossing on time or who need to be rescued are out of the race. Remember these are sailing vessels, traveling at very slow paces. The Strait is 30 miles across at its closest point and can be a place of violent weather. The waves are typically high enough that the small boats in the Y2AK race disappear from sight between them. Yesterday was a good example of the brutal weather than can hamper the passage. It isn’t just a matter of managing the wind in a wind-powered or paddled vessel. Crews also need to understand the currents that frequently flow through the strait at speeds that exceed the speed of the boats. Timing is everything. Add to the wind and ocean currents the fact that the passage crosses an international border and requires customs inspection upon landing at specific locations. To make matters even more challenging the Strait is filled with shipping. Huge cargo ships and tankers traverse the Straight at speeds up to three times that of the tiny sailboats. The passage is a good test of the crews.

Raven’s crew, which call themselves “The Juvenile Delinquents,” passed that first test and are set to launch with the rest of the field today. Something tells me that this crew of teens are not only out for the adventure of their lives, but that they will demonstrate skills that will enable them to go on to even greater adventures throughout their lives. After they complete this race there are lots of other goals they might tackle.

You can follow the race at this link. I wish all of the boats fair winds and following seas. Be safe out there. We count you as you depart and we count you when you return, hoping for the same number each time.