The first of the boats racing in WA360 have rolled into town. Now is the moment when things click into focus. The prep’s been done. The gear’s packed. The start line is just hours away, and over 200 racers are getting ready to throw themselves into 360 miles of grind, grit, and maybe even glory.
Make no mistake: this race is hard. Like, capital-H Hard. But you may have misfiled it under “fun local event”—as though it’s just another gentle sail-around where the breeze dies and you sip a LaCroix and contemplate your tan lines.
WA360 is not that.
It’s late June in Puget Sound, and while there’s wind, it rarely shows up in big, easy patterns. Regional weather is often dominated by large high-pressure systems—sunny skies, flat gradients, and nothing you can count on for long. What’s left is local and constantly shifting: sea breezes, terrain effects, short-term patterns you have to read in real time. That puts the pressure on the teams. This race rewards strategy as much as strength. The wind is there—but you have to know how to find it, and what to do with it when it shows up.
Picture it: ten miles in, you’re already beat, becalmed, rowing a thing that definitely wasn’t designed to be rowed. You’re going 1.8 knots, scanning the horizon for the faintest whisper of breeze, and questioning the choices that led to this moment.
For human-powered teams, it’s a whole different beast. For even a chance of finishing, teams have to average 25 miles a day, every day, for two full weeks. Add in summer sun that cooks boats like climate change isn’t a hoax, surprise squalls, ship traffic, ferry dodging, tidal passages, and you start to understand what this race really demands.
So yeah, we’re excited. Not just because we love the race—but mainly because we love the racers. These are people who chose effort. Who chose the long way. Who signed up for something that might break them a little.
That kind of effort deserves recognition. That’s where you come in.
Here’s how to get involved:
- Come to the WA360 BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.
Saturday morning at 8:30 AM in Port Townsend at Northwest Maritime. Coffee, pancakes, community, racers saturated with anxiety/excitement. Stay for the Race Start at 11 AM and send them off with your cheers, your cowbells, your “we-love-you-even-if-you-don’t-finish” energy. - Track the race.
You know it, you love it: It’s The Tracker. It’s there 24 hours a day—but go a step further and use it as a homing beacon as you show up in the real world to cheer from a beach, a boat, a bridge, a ferry. - Read the Daily Updates.
Every afternoon, we send a recap—what happened, what it means, what’s next. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already on the list. Stay on it. Tell your friends about it. - Watch the daily videos.
Palme D’or-worthy videos from the race, filmed and edited at warp speed to keep you as close to the stories as possible: posted every day to the Northwest Maritime YouTube channel, and linked to in the Daily Update. - Follow the race on social.
WA360 on Facebook
@wa360race on Instagram - Share it.
With a friend, a neighbor, your grumpy coworker who needs something to believe in.
Before we hit the GO button, thanks.
Showing up—for the racers, the race, and this community—means a lot.
WA360 is one of three adventure races from Northwest Maritime, alongside SEVENTY48 and Race to Alaska. Connecting them is challenge, grit, and the choice to take the long way—even when no one’s making you.
Over the next two weeks, you’ll see stories taking shape. You’ll see teams surprise you—some you thought would drop will dig deep and go the distance, and others that looked unstoppable will hit the wall. You’ll see new angles on this place: shorelines you’ve driven past a hundred times, now crossed by people earning every mile.
That’s the race.
Photo by Nick Reid