RACE TO ALASKA: Pedal boat makes it to Ketchikan

Published 4:15 pm Monday, June 29, 2026

PORT TOWNSEND — Boogie Barge, a pedal craft from Tacoma, is the first human-powered vessel to complete the 750-mile Race To Alaska journey from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska, coming in to the harbor in Ketchikan at 5:58 p.m. Sunday.

Boogie Barge, pedaled by Blake Hansen of Tacoma, was the 19th boat to arrive in Ketchikan in a time of 11 days, six hours and 58 minutes. Hansen beat 17 sailboats to the finish line.

The Race to Alaska was won last week by the team of Northbound Nutters out of Friday Harbor in a Farrier 32SR trimaran. They won in 5 days, 8 hours and 4 minutes, winning a $10,000 first-place prize. Second place and the steak knives went to Celerity in a Hobie 33 monohull out of Kelowna, B.C., which finished in 6 days, 21 hours and 48 minutes.

A total of 22 boats have made it to Ketchikan, with 17 boats still active. Sea Peas, a monohull team out of San Francisco, was just outside of Alaskan waters as of 2 p.m. Monday and appears to be the next boat to finish.

Leading the kayakers continues to be Let’s Wing It, paddled by Martin Rother of North Vancouver, B.C., and Rainy, paddled by Yato Kano out of Prince Rupert, B.C. They both made it to the Bella Bella, B.C., checkpoint and were side-by-side at 2 p.m. Monday going up a narrow channel near Dowager Island, B.C.

Lillian Signed up to Suffer, a wherry rowed by Lillian Kuehl of Port Angeles, is also still active in the race and is currently on a beach about 20 miles north of the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

A total of 69 boats began the race with 67 making it from Port Townsend to Victoria, B.C., the largest number of competitors ever in the race. A total of 26 boats have dropped out.