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AK Race Discussion

W

Wylieguy

New member
Bob, I was also very much interested in the purpose-build Proa and it looked good. I don't know what happened, but somewhere I read it began taking on water during Leg 1. It would have been an interesting competitor for the tri, if it had worked.

I sailed on a smaller proa back in the 1970s. A Sausalito Cruising Club guy was into building "different" sailboats, including moving the mast on a sloop to the stern and rigging a staysail main, junk rigs, and such. He took two old cat hulls (I don't know the vintage), cut them in half and glassed two together to create the main hull, then built the outrigger. It sailed pretty good back and forth along Sausalito's waterfront, although coming about took quite a bit of time moving the rudder and dagger board. Didn't do so good out on the Bay. Luckily we had a crash boat along; the only time I've gone swimming in the Bay! The last time I saw it was in the back of Anderson's Boatyard before KKMI took over.

Maybe the idea behind the AKR is the same as the first SSS Farallones and Hawaii races - not so much a "race" as the sense of accomplishment of competing in and completing a difficult adventure.
 
My understanding is that the boat that is leading by an insane amount of miles has an SSS member/alumni on board. There has been a lot of attrition amongst the main fleet as our normal summer time westerly flow has slowed down or stopped many of those who imagined it was primarily a rowing race. These westerlies throw up a short steep chop and 20 to 30 knots is quite common. For those who haven't been following the race, almost the only rule is that there are no motors allowed on board and of course no outside assistance altho you are allowed to stop and go to a hotel etc. I have made the trip a thousand times and am very very happy that I'm not in the race.
 
peter00 said:
. I have made the trip a thousand times and am very very happy that I'm not in the race.
Click to expand...

Peter, I read somewhere that racers are discouraged from stopping to rest along the way because of grizzlies. Perhaps this additional hazard explains the appeal of the race for former SSS Transpac participants. I notice 10 knot currents. Hoo whee! And we complain about 2-4 knots!
 
Well grizzlies are definitely something to keep in mind when beach camping altho it is pretty rare for anyone to be hurt. The very fast currents at Seymour Narrows are only very strong for less than a mile and if you stick to the Maude Island shore there are very few (if any) real whirlpools etc. Having said that I have never rowed or sailed through. Seymour Narrows is a mark of the course so they have to pass through but over the whole course 2-4 knots would be much more typical current flow. I think I would prefer the beach and the grizzlies rather than bucking into a 30 knot westerly and 4 knots of current in a small boat in Johnston Strait.
 
Al Hughes (SHTP 04, 06, 08) is ELSIE PIDDOCK's skipper and according to the race site, Al also has six Van Isle 360's under his belt. They sailed through Seymour Narrows at the end of the ebb, then camped for the night.

I'm impressed with how well these small, light trimarans go upwind in heavy conditions. I'd noticed it in races here on the Bay but this confirms it.
 
If you look at the tracker you can see they are just killing everyone and in conditions that have made me stop in 40' diesel powered
fishboats. Last I looked they were off Cape Caution which is one of the two open ocean stretches on the course. Once they reach Calvert Is. they are 'inside' again and in relatively protected water until they reach Dixon Entrance which is the AK border.
 
I was DH crew on a F24 for a Moonlight Marathon down though San Pablo Bay one choppy night. We blasted down Bay (upwind) with very little loss of point compared to the lead mines, who we passed regardless of size. My sole job was to sit at the forward end of the trampoline so the stern wouldn't drag. Wet ride. The boat was owned by my neighbor who built his own sails in his garage. He won our SH Farallones one year with that boat.

I'll be interested to hear how Al compares the F25C's ride to DOGBARK (his first-generation Open 60).
 
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So Al and crew have headed OUTSIDE Calvert Is. I have to admit that I never would of thought of doing that in a million years since inside is generally flat water and quite wide (except for Llama Pass). Anyone who has read my book Lee Shore Blues will understand that the course they have taken passes very close to the mayday call I wrote about when the Canadian herring fisherman risked their lives to rescue the Americans on the packer that had got up on the Virgins. It is an area full of rock piles. Very aggressive innovative sailing/piloting. Their lead has been reduced somewhat I think.
 
I was just down on Scaramouche and a retiring team (something express) straggled in out of the Strait. I think they will be retiring after beating their heads against the westerlies since Sunday. They were in about a 16 foot open boat. I know the guys on "the Boatyard Boys". They left Silva Bay last night and are back in Silva Bay this aft. May be a small window of opportunity tomorrow and Friday for some of the smaller boats to get north. While I have totally relied on Passageweather in the past, not so much so for the inside passage.
 
Yes, PassageWeather uses the GFS (offshore) model. A Coamps forecast would account for land effects - maybe someone could post a link.
 
Interesting that Por Favor, a Hobie 33 and multiple time Pac Cup vet is a solid second. It seems that ocean racing experience may be a key difference among the boats. That and the first two boats both have, I believe, numerous Van Isle 360's under their belt. Experience, simple, but tried and true boats are good way to roll if you want to keep making miles, day after day.

I was just up in the area earlier this week and saw a few of pack heading the opposite way in the Straits of Georgia. I don't envy the stronger than normal upwind slog they had the first few days. I'm sure most entrants didn't read the brochure that said 30-40 knots, upwind, and square waves. I imagine most of them thought of light air, currents, and flat water.

Al is also sailing with Graeme Esarey who has crossed the Pacific with his wife and did very well on his Farr 1220 in the 2012 Pac Cup. These guys are no slouches when it comes to sailing fast in tough conditions.
 
Bella Bella is one of the two gates on the course and you can see Al heading there now. After that there is a long series of narrow channels all the way to Prince Rupert. To avoid these narrow channels you are free to go up Hecate Strait between the Charlottes and the mainland islands. Unfortunately Hecate Strait is very shallow in places and virtually not survivable for the boats in this race when there is a gale of wind against the tide. The drama is getting to me and I'm sorry I have to go sailing tomorrow and won't get to watch. For local weather go to the Environment Canada website and click on mid-coast or north coast. Sorry, don't know how to link etc.
 
The finish line is the entrance to Thomas Basin. This webcam will get overwhelmed as ELSIE PIDDOCK approaches but here it is:

http://webcamketchikan.com/mega-view-cam-6/

It was slow going for ELSIE from 0400-0800 but they're back up to 5 knots and pointed towards the finish. Either the wind died at dawn or they paused for shaves, showers and to don their best bib and tucker!
 
From R2AK HQ: "Just in: Local Port Townsend Team Hexagram 59 officially has withdrawn. Norton and Piper, not feeling real wordy. They just said, 'Hex 59 is officially retiring. All's well. Sailing home.' Must be with a heavy heart that was written. Gives us one to read it."

It's still blowing in Johnstone Strait and many of the boats are pinned down, as they have been since they reached it. If you're wondering what this looks like, watch this slide show (repost from R2AK's FaceBook page) - scroll to the bottom to see the captions:

http://www.annwelch.com/r2ak/MissionAirWing.html

At some point Race HQ sends a "sweep boat" and the race is officially over. I'm not sure how that works - I hope the rest of the fleet can get going soon.
 
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BobJ said:
From R2AK HQ: "Just in: Local Port Townsend Team Hexagram 59 officially has withdrawn. Norton and Piper, not feeling real wordy. They just said, 'Hex 59 is officially retiring. All's well. Sailing home.' Must be with a heavy heart that was written. Gives us one to read it."

It's still blowing in Johnstone Strait and many of the boats are pinned down, as they have been since they reached it. If you're wondering what this looks like, watch this slide show (repost from R2AK's FaceBook page) - scroll to the bottom to see the captions:

http://www.annwelch.com/r2ak/MissionAirWing.html

At some point Race HQ sends a "sweep boat" and the race is officially over. I'm not sure how that works - I hope the rest of the fleet can get going soon.
Click to expand...

Too bad about Hex 59. Norton Smith is also an SSS Transpac veteran, and the one person who sailed into Hanalei Bay ahead of Skip in 1978. That is a great shot of the S/V Shaken Not Stirred, but I can't tell which team it represents. Do you know?
 
Team POR FAVOR, the Hobie 33. They are also Pacific Cup vets so they share Team ELSIE's offshore experience.

I was going to sail Rags back to her slip this morning but I've been glued to the tracker (and also trying to do some real work). I'll head out after watching ELSIE finish.
 
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