The first stage of the Race to Alaska (R2AK) is underway.
Teams left Port Townsend, Wash. at 5 a.m. on Monday (June 5) and have until 5 p.m. on June 6 to reach Victoria. Dubbed the ‘proving grounds’ this 40-mile sprint is the qualifier for the full race (or second leg).
Last year, gale-force winds caused the U.S. Coast Guard to respond to multiple reports of people in the water with four people being rescued.
The second leg of the race will see teams travel the 710 miles from Victoria to Ketchikan, Ala. between June 8 and July 1. Teams leave Victoria at noon on Thursday and the first team to the finish gets $10,000 while the second gets a set of steak knives.
The catch, all vessels in the race are either wind or human-powered. Any boat without an engine can enter meaning there’s everything from sailboats to kayaks. R2AK is also a self-supported race with no supply drops and no safety nets.
In 2022, 41 teams were registered and 19 finished.
Follow the teams’ progress online at r2ak.com/race-to-alaska-trackers.
ALSO READ: U.S. Coast Guard rescues four people on route to Victoria in race to Alaska