Race to Alaska Podcast

The Race to Alaska will hold its 8th edition in 2024, continuing with its 750-mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Ketchikan, AK. And now there is a podcast series prior to the June 9 start. In this episode, three teams are quizzed on prop choice, sleeping in coffins, and things that could derail the whole endeavor:

Team Boogie Barge
After eight years of R2AK-genuity, a lot of crazy and/or bad ideas have been attempted to get to Ketchikan. And here’s yet another one: build two wooden torpedoes and slap some bikes on it. No sails, no sleep.

Team Make Fetch Happen
Christian Nally has been spying on R2AK since the start, and after all that time with his wheel spinning, his plan is to sail/row a 16-foot-long, 4-foot-wide Fireball dinghy. Perhaps he knows something we don’t.

Team Knot So Fast
Whoever said lake sailors from Idaho can’t R2AK? This team has been rocking out in their Hobie 33 on the high desert lakes, and if the trailer makes it over the mountains, it will have its first taste of salt.

Race details: https://r2ak.com/

The 8th edition of the Race to Alaska (R2AK) returns again in 2024 for the 750 mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Ketchikan, AK.

Stage 1: The Proving Ground – June 9 start
Port Townsend, WA to Victoria, BC (40 miles)

R2AK starts with an initial jaunt across open water, two sets of shipping lanes, and an international border. While not a race in itself, the Proving Ground is designed as a qualifier for the full race and as a stand-alone 40 mile sprint for people who just want to put their toe in.

Stage 2: To the Bitter End – June 12 start
Victoria, BC to Ketchikan, AK (710 miles)

Racers start in Victoria at high noon and continue until they reach Ketchikan—or are tapped out by the sweep boat. Unlike the 2022 and 2023 races, the western side of Vancouver Island is no longer an option as the course has returned to the original format with two waypoints at Seymour Narrows and Bella Bella.