Wind returns for Day 3 of Race to Alaska

Teams pushing north along Vancouver Island

VANCOUVER ISLAND — Winds started to pick up on the third day of the Race to Alaska, giving sailing teams a welcome rest from paddling their boats as they pushed north along Vancouver Island.

“There’s some nice breeze picking up near the Comox, Courtenay area, so bunch of teams are putting up sail,” said Jesse Wiegel, race boss for Northwest Maritime, which hosts the race. Wiegel said wind was starting to blow from the south, but it wasn’t forecast to last very long, so teams were trying to get the most out of the weather while they could.

The second day of the race saw several of the sail-powered teams having to rely on rowing or pedal power to move their boats forward.

“Just two days after full-on gales, there were pockets of wind, but like women’s pants — the pockets were barely there and not that useful,” Thursday’s race update said.

The trimaran team Malolo maintained its first-place position Friday with a healthy lead over the rest of fleet. At mid-day, the team was at least 20 miles ahead of the second-place team, Hullabaloo, in the Johnstone Strait on the northwestern side of Vancouver Island.

On Friday, five teams had passed through the race’s first checkpoint at the Seymour Narrows north of Campbell River while the remaining 27 teams were spread out along the island’s west coast.

Aside from the teams that dropped out during the race’s proving ground phase from Port Townsend to Victoria, no additional teams have dropped out of the race, which Wiegel said was unusual. Plenty of things have broken, Wiegel said, but innovative repairs have kept teams afloat.

The weather at Seymour Narrows, where Wiegel was with the race’s media team, was drizzly and partly cloudy Friday, with large dark and foreboding clouds on the horizon.

The Johnstone Strait north of the narrows is notoriously windy, Wiegel said, with few places to take shelter from the weather.

Race to Alaska offers $10,000 to the first team to reach Ketchikan, Alaska, and a set of steak knives to second place.

There are three human-powered teams remaining in this year’s race. On Friday, the four-person, pedal-powered team Boogie Barge was in the middle of the pack in 14th place and the solo kayaker team Let’s Wing It was in 20th.

Bringing up the rear well behind the rest of the fleet was the Jim Heumann of the one-man team Barely Heuman. Heumann’s pedal-powered craft somewhat resembles an egg. On Friday, he was still approaching the city of Nanaimo while the rest of the racers had already pushed north.

Being in last place didn’t seem to bother Heumann though: He texted Wiegel on Friday to say he was headed to the pub.

________

Reporter Peter Segall can be reached by email at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Rear Admiral Charles E. Fosse, right, U.S. Coast Guard District 13 commander, was the guest speaker at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Angeles’ annual Veterans Day celebration on Monday. Chaplain Mike VanProyen, left, and Kelly Higgins, the commanding officer at Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, also participated in the ceremony. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Hundreds gather in Port Angeles to honor service members

High school band, choral groups highlight event

Former Marine Joseph Schwann of Port Townsend smiles as he receives a Quilt of Valor from Kathy Darrow, right, and another member of Quilts of Valor during the Veterans Day event at the American Legion Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post 26 in Port Townsend on Monday. Group leader Kathey Bates, left, was the emcee of the event. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Quilts of Valor

Former Marine Joseph Schwann of Port Townsend smiles as he receives a… Continue reading

Port Townsend ethics complaint dismissed

Officer examines argument on open meetings

Friends of the Library to host annual meeting

The Port Angeles Friends of the Library will conduct… Continue reading

Peninsula College to stage ‘The Thanksgiving Play’

Peninsula College will present its production of “The Thanksgiving… Continue reading

Ceramic sculpture “Flora-Fauna” by Thomas Connery.
Library to host reception for ‘Second Look’ exhibition

The North Olympic Library System will host a reception… Continue reading

Sequim City Council members finalized through their consent agenda to ban the sale of fireworks effective October 2025. They held a public hearing last month that garnered mostly support for the ban. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim finalizes ban on fireworks

Ordinance change will go into effect next October

Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group
Rich Krebsbach, manager of the Highland Irrigation District, asks questions of Rhiana Barkie, Clallam County public works project coordinator. The map is one of four new options for the Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir project. Public input is being taken through the county’s website at https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/188/Dungeness-Off-Channel-Reservoir-Project.
Sequim reservoir project draws crowd, questions

Clallam County, FEMA public comment period open through Nov. 21

Christmas gift inspires playground cleanup

Veteran volunteer collects playground metal

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

World War II veteran Arthur Bradow, right, and his daughter Barbara Cason admire a quilt sewn by his niece for his 100th birthday on Dec. 13. Bradow served in the Merchant Marine in the Pacific Theater of Operations and stateside in the U.S. Army Air Forces. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Veteran has 100 years’ worth of experience

Looks back at long life and wealth of knowledge

Veterans Day ceremonies set

Organizations across the Peninsula will conduct a variety of services in observance… Continue reading