Race to Alaska

Race Start: June 13, 2022 in Port Townsend, WA
Back this year after a 2-year pandemic-induced hiatus.

No motor, no support, all the way to Alaska.
The physical endurance, saltwater know-how, and bulldog tenacity to navigate the 750 cold water miles from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska.

The inside passage to Alaska has been paddled by native canoes since time immemorial, sailing craft for centuries, and after someone found gold in the Klondike the route was jammed with steamboats full of prospectors elbowing each other out of the way for the promise of fortune.

It’s in the spirit of tradition, exploration, and the lawless self-reliance of the gold rush that Race to Alaska was born. R2AK is the first of its kind and North America’s longest human and wind powered race, and currently the largest cash prize for a race of its kind—$1000 nailed to wood for the winner, or a set of steak knives for second place.

This isn’t for everyone.

It’s like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter, or eaten by a grizzly bear. There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.

Race to Alaska is a project of the Northwest Maritime Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Port Townsend, WA. nwmaritime.org