Originally published on Duckworks Magazine, 2015. This version is updated and rewritten for clarity and current facts.
What Is R2AK?
A 750 mile race.
From Port Townsend, WA to Ketchikan, AK.
No engines. No support boats. No second chances.
Started in 2015 by the Northwest Maritime Center.
Now a decade-old test of guts and sail.
You can paddle.
You can row.
You can sail.
Just don’t ask for help, and don’t bring a motor.
2025 Update
Still running strong.
Solo kayaks to racing trimarans.
Improved tracking and media tools.
Same old wilderness.
Same cold water. Same log hazards. Same bear country.
Myth vs Reality
Myth: Anyone can enter the first stage and try it out.
Reality: Teams must register early. Most quit before Victoria.
Myth: Safety boats follow the fleet.
Reality: One sweep boat. No rescue boat. You break, you fix.
Myth: Only rich teams win.
Reality: High-end boats break too. Smart planning wins races.
Myth: No classes makes it unfair.
Reality: That’s the point. Strategy matters more than hull type.
Hard Facts
Launched in 2015.
Approved by U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards.
Tribal coordination and safety review.
No motors allowed. Not even for docking.
VHF radios and SPOT trackers required.
Freighters offshore. Bears onshore.
Night sailing = log dodging.
Not for the faint of heart.
The Prize
$10,000 for first place.
Nailed to a tree in Ketchikan.
Second place gets steak knives.
Really. Actual knives.
Finishing is the real trophy.
Foggy Sailing – Throwback
Quote from original PR release:
“Team Foggy Sailing’s watery trajectory began on small lakes in Colorado in the early 1980s.
They started with 2-person canoes and home-rigged sails.
That led to trailering a Hobie 16 all over the west.
Then came the Navy.
Submarine deployments.
Back to the surface.
One-man racing canoes.
Long solo sails out of Bremerton.They’re old school and fully human-powered.
Using their own design—a hybrid sailing outrigger.
Handbuilt in a garage.
Sail by wind. Push by foot.
Team Foggy brings back the spirit of Joshua Slocum.
Their boat, their rules, their sweat.
Expect grit. Expect jokes. Expect to see them in Alaska—whether they win or not.”
Why It Matters
No other race like it.
No motors. No bailouts.
Just human power and weather.
Sail fast. Paddle when you must.
Plan well. Pray harder.
