RACE TO ALASKA: Calm water, hot temps greet qualifying jaunt to Victoria
Published 4:30 pm Tuesday, June 16, 2026
PORT TOWNSEND — A hot, windless day met the largest fleet ever to take on the Race to Alaska on Sunday, with 67 of the 69 teams expected to take off on the second stage Wednesday.
The first stage was a cross-channel qualifying leg between Port Townsend and Victoria, B.C., called “The Proving Ground.” Competitors have until 5 p.m. today to reach Victoria so they can move on to the next stretch to Ketchikan, Alaska. One competitor was not able to start and another had to quickly retire.
The Race to Alaska is an engine-less race featuring a variety of sailboats and human-powered boats such as canoes, rowboats, kayaks and even a stand-up paddleboard in an 750-mile endurance race up the British Columbia coast.
Competitors have come from as far as England and The Netherlands, with American boats coming from as far away as New Jersey, Hawaii and Connecticut. A Port Angeles woman, Lillian Kuehl, is attempting to row solo to Ketchikan in a Chesapeake Light Craft Expedition wherry.
“The Proving Ground has flat water. It was hot with no wind,” said race boss Jesse Wiegel. “The current did as predicted and shoved boats east.”
In fact, a pair of sailboats, the Kostamo and Salmon Hat, went all the way east to the west shore of San Juan Island.
All total, the boats mostly paddled a cumulative 2,000 miles from Port Townsend to Victoria.
The race began at 5 a.m. Sunday with the kayakers doing well on the windless day. Though there is no official qualifier stage winner, the first boat to arrive in Victoria at 10:42 a.m. Sunday was “Let’s Wing It,” a kayak paddled by Martin Rother of North Vancouver, B.C., followed closely at 10:58 a.m. by “Rainy,” another kayak paddled by Yato Kano of Prince Rupert, B.C. The Bristol Bear, a Liteboat X-row rowed by Alex Fawcett of Bristol, England, finished third at 11:32 a.m.
While Sunday was hot and calm, which causes its own issues with dehydration and sunburn, cooler temps and high winds were forecast for later in the week, though that forecast has settled down to light winds up to 10 to 15 miles an hour over the water.
“For the race, weather is good for chaos and destruction. It’s not always good for the racers,” Weigel said.
Competitors can take whatever route they want Wednesday, but there are two waypoints they must check in at Seymour Narrows and Bella Bella, B.C. There is a $10,000 prize for first place and a set of steak knives for second.
