Race to Alaska (R2AK) 2022 “Proving Ground” - What Happened?!?!?

[@pakkelly]

Superb compilation and analysis. Thank you.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Glad you liked it!

[@DmacDomage]

What a great effort by Eric. There is no way I would have the skill or big enough agates to pull that off. Nice work

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes Eric is the real deal - glad he got the single-handed record last year!

[@stevenwarner7348]

Not gonna lie. I am spellbound. Just discovered "all of this" about two weeks ago so I'm binging on all the posts over the years about this crazy activity. It really is a community event with the attention of so many people. Just great. Amazing. So there is a 10 G prize at the end. At this point The Guy who runs the race probably is finding himself successful. I am just wondering if there could be a 10 G prize for the first SOLO participant too. AND a 10 G prize for the first TWO PERSON participant. Three prizes for these categories. ???

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes it would be nice to provide incentives for various categories. At the same time, part of the appeal of this race is the simple rules and run-what-you-brung approach, which is a stark departure from the complex 188 pages of the Racing Rules of Sailing. That said, there are “side bets” for various categories as you’ve noted: r2ak.com/payouts/

[@marcantoineroussel]

Wow, team Pestou(Éric) is impressive! Hope he beat the solo record! He seem to have the skills and be ready for it. I wasn't expecting to follow R2AK but you captivated me with another great video!

[@SailingTipsCa]

Eric / Pestou is totally amazing! I’ll try to post another update soon!

[@mghemke]

@@SailingTipsCa Might be time for another update!

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@mghemke Yes I’ll see if Pestou is willing to do another interview!

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@mghemke Yes Pestou was taken out by some log strikes last year (see interview at kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmXIZoGvadl5nqc) but this year he did break the solo record! I’ll see if he’s interested in doing another interview!

[@mastpg]

Those Farier design trimarans are fast and stable. He should have a good shot at being fast.

[@ElSantoLuchador]

Reefing the sail in those waves single-handed with waves coming over the bow? That's some seriously nautical sht.

[@SailingTipsCa]

I know - he’s the real deal!!!

[@garthharrington9683]

Thanks for the explanation. Most of the media gets it wrong. I think on purpose.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks! They are trying to sell news, but also aren't always subject matter experts (SMEs) on the topics they are covering. Given that I've found that if they provide 75% accuracy in their reporting it's pretty good!

[@garthharrington9683]

@@SailingTipsCa What is annoying is the number of people who don’t explore past the nonSME report. At least with social media and SME’s like yourself we can enjoy learning.

[@SailingTipsCa]

@Garth Harrington There's definitely some conflation going on. The tides are pretty extreme at the moment, but the conditions on Monday are not particularly unusual around here, nor would they be at several locations along the R2AK course. For example Johnstone Strait and Nahwitti Bar are well-known for conditions far worse than the competitors encountered on Monday.

[@adrianbaker9804]

Keep it coming awesome stuff

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks - will do!!!

[@DCBELLAFAIRY]

The race is to my home town 🥰

[@SailingTipsCa]

Nice - seems like a cool place!!!

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

In many countries holding your fingers up that way is the same as giving the middle finger. So you don't piss people off you should turn your hand around more like the peace symbol.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Excellent tip! Doesn’t it have something to do with archers?

[@SailingTipsCa]

Editorial Correction: A viewer has pointed out that the video clip of the helicopter rescue may have been from another competing boat and not the Weta trimaran. A total of four people were rescued from the water, including the Weta.

[@ausweta44]

The Weta sailor was sailing solo so it wasn’t him. Also the rescued guy was wearing a sailing jacket with no gloves which you couldn’t wear in an exposed boat like the Weta. The Weta can be righted solo even in those conditions by flooding a hull but the cold had probably got to the skipper.

[@SailingTipsCa]

@Aus Weta It would be great to hear from the Weta skipper to understand why he didn’t right it and carry on.

[@ausweta44]

@@SailingTipsCa I think the cold got to him - 30 knot gusts, 9 deg water, 20 knot windchill and no way to keep out of the spray isn’t going to make for fun sailing conditions

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@ausweta44 I think your probably right!

[@colonelfustercluck486]

A Weta trimaran is a 14 footer. Really nice boats..... but 4 crew (mum, dad and the kids on a nice relaxing summers day... yes)?? No cabin.... this cannot be correct. PS... you can roll them, but they are easy to right and continue on with... if you've been to the Weta webpage and viewed and comprehended the appropriate guide

[@pbpx]

I own a weta and those are some insane conditions. Pretty foolish

[@SailingTipsCa]

I certainly wouldn’t have been out there on a Weta in that either!

[@eurotrash4629]

How did Team Narwal make it back de-masted with "No Motor"? R2AK is a no motor race, correct? Is a truly a "no motor" installed race? or are there provisions for inboards?

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes it’s a “no motor installed” race so Pure & WIld / Dark Star that won actually removed their inboard! That said, boats can have human propulsion, including oars, pedal drives etc. Narwhal lost their mast not far from the race start, and there were lots of support boats around. A few boats were towed back, which would have disqualified them.

[@NICOLAS25478]

Nice explenations, for a European like me.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks - glad it was helpful!

[@pointnemo72]

Honestly though, it really doesn't matter what you're wearing, exposure to the cold water and wind of the ocean will get to you. Especially if you have no way to shelter.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes exposure is a huge risk with this race but your clothing can make a big difference! A few have finished on beach cats which wouldn't be possible without dry suits.

[@rogjackson]

Great content!

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@HAP072770]

Sketch!!😮

[@SailingTipsCa]

It will be interesting to see how this year’s race goes!

[@JohnJohn-cu7nk]

The French have become the capital of sailing.Us Brits on this tiny island made for sailing need to fight back and grow the sport .

[@SailingTipsCa]

The French certainly dominate in long-distance and short-handed sailing, but the Kiwis also have a notable presence in shorter-distance high-performance sailing (e.g. SailGP, Americas Cup)!

[@patlorch8478]

Looks like the cold dude had a dry suit on. They weren’t swimming, they were clinging to the boat.

[@SailingTipsCa]

I sure hope so on both accounts!

[@ausweta44]

It’s not a dry suit it’s just a sailing jacket - you can see the open cuffs on his wrists. Not ideal for swimming in 9 deg water.

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@ausweta44 That’s what it looked like to me too.

[@ElSantoLuchador]

It was standard inshore sailing gear with a wool or pile shirt underneath. He should have been wearing a dry suit, or at least a wetsuit under his sailing outfit. He's lucky the race has assistance. He was well into the early stages of hypothermia.

[@TomKirkman1]

Can't go wrong with a wet suit. In those waters, 5mm. Won't matter if you get wet - you'll be warm.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes a wetsuit also helps, much cheaper than a dry suit, but also less comfortable, and only comes with one “temperature setting”!

[@ausweta44]

In 9 deg water a wetsuit isn’t going to keep you warm on an exposed boat like a Weta. A dry suit as used by artic divers is going to be more effective - preferably with heated under layers

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@ausweta44 I would certainly choose the dry suit!

[@erindanelleavilaavilaguerr7251]

He says your in this level of chop and you pick a dingy. I said, I'm de-escalating and detaching into township. This is what I consider normal. I said my object was to create something small and wonderful that is small enough that I can manage and it gets stolen and made into something I never intended, an entirely different thing.

[@SailingTipsCa]

I certainly wouldn't sail the Race to Alaska in a Weta!

[@mastpg]

They were sailing an Fing 14ft trimaran? Thinking about a way to do this solo in the smallest boat possible, I figured an upscaled, ~6m Windrider design (more stable than the Weta) would be just about the smallest I'd go solo. Can't believe these guys were trying it as a pair in a significantly smaller, less stable boat. Also, who the hell braves this race without a drysuit? That's insane! Yeeesh, I'd definitely be doing a neoprene balaclava, thick-wool base and a bulletproof dry suit...at least tethered to my person at all times. Yikes...

[@SailingTipsCa]

I know - I sail in these waters regularly and I certainly wouldn’t take a Weta out for more than just a day sail around here! I have an F-82R trimaran which I think is about the smallest I’d take, or possibly an F-24. On the F-82R, which is substantially larger than the Weta I also always wear a dry suit when there’s more than ~15 knots of breeze. These guys were seriously under prepared!!!

[@mastpg]

@@SailingTipsCa I'd love to have one, but it's typically 85deg with maybe 2ft swells when I'm out. Yep, grossed up WindRider, 6-7m vaka, with an 8m mast and code 0. Steer, pedal and sleep in the same chair. Maybe a dagger board. Wish I knew carbon fiber construction. Water, food, gear for 9-12 days. ~200lbs. Tools, extra rigging, emergency sails...seems like you'd still be decently light on such a trimaran if you keep the load under 500lbs....

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@mastpg Weight has a HUGE impact on the sailing performance of light boats so you really want to keep it as light as possible!

[@mastpg]

@@SailingTipsCa Sure, but what's the workaround for this race if you wanted to go as small as possible solo? Wouldn't 500lbs total payload be relatively light for a 6-7m trimaran of a Windrider/F24 hybrid design? Seems like, for maxing out speed and efficiency in a race like this, a traditional cabin is wasted space. Put yourself in a reclined rigwhere you can rudder, pedal & sleep...kayak skirt yourself into the cockpit in a dry suit. Go 8:1 at the water line. Maybe rig up some basic auto pilot for power naps. Three sails....how isn't that the ideal getup? Of course, this seems like insanity, but it's a good thought exercise.

[@SailingTipsCa]

@@mastpg There is an exhaustion factor whereby Pestou had to stop and anchor a couple of times to nap and another time to wait out a storm in his F-24 when he broke the solo record this past year, and at those times I think the cabin is a really great feature. Also if you start to get hypothermic you can crawl inside to warm up. I think a 500 lb payload with a solo sailor is fine on an F-24. Others have done it on smaller boats, although if you can’t sleep on board I think you’d need to be prepared to pitch a tent if required. I’m not as familiar with the Windrider as I am with the F-24 so I’m having more trouble envisioning myself doing it on that although others have completed the race on similar craft!

[@mark6302]

that's some hardcore shit

[@SailingTipsCa]

Things were pretty "sporty" that day!!!