KETCHIKAN, Alaska — The last boat in the race, Team Oaracle, has crossed the finish line in Ketchikan, Alaska, marking the end of the third annual Race to Alaska.
The team arrived in Ketchikan at 5:25 p.m. Tuesday after rowing 710 miles from Victoria, B.C., which is the team’s hometown and was the start of the second leg of the race June 11.
The trek took the team more than three weeks to complete. It finished in 24 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes.
The 750-mile race began June 8 in Port Townsend. Hosted by the Northwest Maritime Center and sponsored by UnCruise Adventures, it had two legs: the “proving ground” — the 40 miles from Port Townsend to Victoria — and the second stage, “to the bitter end” in Ketchikan.
Team Pure &Wild won first place and $10,000, while Team Big Broderna won second place and a set of steak knives.
Members of the accurately named Team Oaracle rowed their way to Alaska in a 22-foot Merry Sea II, propelled only by Janice Mason and Ian Graeme in their two sliding rowing stations.
The two fended off the sweep boat, known as the Grim Sweeper, which trailed them closely until it hit a log and had to stop for repairs, organizers said.
On their Facebook page, the team has been posting photos of heavily callused and blistered hands, but seemed in good spirits during a live stream on Day 5 where they were shown jousting on the beach with their oars at their camp on Tree Island.
Team Oaracle originally had hoped to be the fastest human powered team to make it to Ketchikan. It looked good for Team Oaracle early on. They came in fourth during the race from Port Townsend to Victoria but wind and currents along the coast of British Columbia saw the team fall to the back of the pack.
Stand-up paddle-boarder Karl Kruger claimed the title for fastest human-powered craft and crossed the finish line after 14 days, 6 hours and 17 minutes of paddling.
After that, Team Oaracle just had to finish before the sweep boat caught it, which would have disqualified the team from the race.
Race Boss Daniel Evans and a number of racers still in Ketchikan let Team Oaracle ring the bell again Tuesday night to officially end the race.
Out of the 34 teams that entered this year’s full Race to Alaska, 27 of them finished. A total of seven teams dropped out, all very early in the race.
The winner, Team Pure &Wild, finished in only four days, three hours and five minutes after the race began June 11 in Victoria. Team Big Broderna finished in second only four minutes behind the winners.
Two teams tied this year. Team Rod Price Adventure and VIZ Reporter tied for 23rd with a time of 18 days, 11 hours and 27 minutes.
Both were paddling, VIZ Reporter in a kayak and Rod Price in a canoe, and started the race separately. However after Rod Price was missing June 15, and was found by Matt Prius of VIZ Reporter, the two teamed up to paddle the rest of the race together.
This year’s race had a special twist, the buyback program, which allowed each team five minutes to decide if they wanted to sell their boat for $10,000. Team Ketch Me If U Can, which finished in fourth place, took the Northwest Maritime Center up on that offer, selling their small catamaran which was purchased for only $7,200.
Racers are now heading back from Ketchikan to their respective homes but many will return in Port Townsend for the Race to Alaska Blazer Party, which will be held Sept. 8 during this year’s Wooden Boat Festival.
Awards will be handed out, including the coveted Dirt Bag Award, and those who didn’t make it to the finish line in Ketchikan will lose a sleeve from their blazers. Those who did finish will keep their sleeves for now.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
