WA360
360 miles of engineless, unsupported boat racing circling Puget Sound
RACE START: June 28, 2025 | 11 AM PDT
WA360: Racing In Place
WA360 is an adventure race that celebrates pushing limits without the constraints of rules or the fuss of fancy galas—just raw, unfiltered competition, right here in the Pacific Northwest. The race is a 360(ish)-mile loop from Port Townsend to Port Townsend, threading through Washington’s waterways and bringing you within spitting distance of dozens of PNW communities. With so many eyes on you, there’s no room for slacking—whether you choose a run on Deception Pass or traveling Swinomish Slough, there’s no easy way through. This race isn’t about making life easier. It’s about testing your grit and embracing the challenge.
When it comes to your race craft, anything that floats and abides by maritime law is eligible—whether it’s a sailboat, paddle craft, or something you cobbled together in your garage, it’s welcome in WA360.
And don’t forget—the possible conditions you could encounter are as diverse as they come. Big summer squalls, commercial traffic bearing down on you, ripping currents, windless doldrums—you’ll need to be ready to move your boat no matter what the Salish Sea throws at you, all without using your engine.
Few Details Matter (Basic Rules)
- Unlike Race to Alaska (R2AK), you can keep your engine aboard, but if you use it, you’re out.
- First boat to finish for each class wins.
- Two weeks. That’s how long teams have to call themselves a finisher before we close up shop.
- No support. This means no food or equipment drops, weather experts on shore giving you the inside tips, or making use of resources along the way that are only available to you. If the support isn’t preplanned, and generally available to any and all racers, it’s okay.
- Grabbing lunch or stopping at a casino along the way is… just fine.
Test It All
Sure, you can do one thing really well. Hell, maybe a few, but how will you fare when everything is asked of you? Weather forecasting, night navigation, endless paddling, light air sailing, open water, equipment maintenance, current predictions, race tactics, endurance, patience, and the near-constant nagging desire to head to the nearest bar and call it a day.
Classes
At WA360, we’re just as loose with rules and “traditional” race management as R2AK. We’ve boiled “any type of boat” down to two classes:
The Wind Division. Using sails? This is your class.
The Muscle Group. Nothing besides grit and protein propelling your vessel? Welcome to this human-powered-only class.
© Jeremy J Johnson
The Youth Bonus
If we have learned one thing from the last few years of R2AK, it’s that young people are just as good (or better) at sailing and paddling as anybody else. It’s also true that they’re more likely than not to be broke and can need a little help getting a team off the ground. For this reason, we’re incentivizing skippers to take youth crew members on their team. We are waiving crew fees for racers under 18.
Keep an eye out for ways crew can connect.
Even better? Any team composed entirely of youth (under 18) pay no crew fees whatsoever and get a 20% discount on the base registration.
Prizes
Winning means something, but it doesn’t mean new cars, a miracle Instagram account with a million followers, or a personal attendant to sweep the path before you as you walk.
It does mean you met a personal triumph and likely overcame struggles you didn’t want or never thought you’d endure. That’s the first way to win in WA360: Finish, and finish in a way that makes you proud.
All of that participation award business aside, the winner of each class will forever be glorified with their name emblazoned upon the WA360 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS BELTS, which will then be theirs to steward until the next champion arises.
Also throughout the build-up to the race, several Side Bets will be announced. Think superlatives with a race edge. Care to sponsor a Side Bet? Reach out to us at sponsorships@nwmaritime.org
Race Route
Port Townsend is the starting place of WA360.
After traveling the length of the Puget Sound, racers’ first mission is to round Olympia Shoal in Budd Inlet.
Next up is to pass within two miles of Goat Island—the sentinel standing guard at the decision point between shooting Deception Pass or traveling the length of the Swinomish Channel.
Find the FL Y 10s PRIV buoy in Bellingham Bay (about a mile north of Fairhaven), and put it to port as you head north before continuing on to:
Point Roberts. This nubbin of America hanging like Alex Honnold off of Canada will show you some love before you head back south to:
Port Townsend. Right back where you started.
Time Limit
Two weeks. That’s how long you’ve got before the finish line closes up shop at 12:00 noon on Saturday, July 12.
Applying, Getting Vetted, Registration
Applications open November 15.
Teams have between November 15, 2024, and May 1, 2025, to apply. That’ll cost ya 50 bucks and get you in front of the Vetting Team. Once you’re accepted, you have until May 15, 2025, to complete registration. Cost is $25 per foot of boat plus $50 per each additional crew member. (Racers under 18 race for free.)
After greasing the palms that need greasing, the remaining proceeds go towards supporting the programs of Northwest Maritime. Learn about that here.
Support The Race
Here at Northwest Maritime, we’re building coalitions. Become a part of the connective tissue that we are knitting together throughout the waterways of the Puget Sound and Salish Sea by sponsoring WA360. Want to learn more? Email sponsorship@nwmaritime.org
Partnerships
Are you an organization with feet in the Puget Sound? Want to get in at the ground level and create programming around WA360? Contact the Race Boss at raceboss@nwmaritime.org
Header photo by Jeremy J Johnson