Volunteer for R2AK and SEVENTY48

Volunteer Highlight

My name is Beth O’Neal. I have lived in Port Townsend for 22 years and raised my two daughters here. I love being surrounded by the water, marine life, and this charming town. After graduating from massage school in Seattle, I moved to Port Townsend and began to build my own practice. The Wooden Boat Festival is something I have always looked forward to; I loved the great music and checking out the beautiful boats many years before I signed up as a volunteer.

My husband, Andi Neisen, took the WSU Beach Watchers class in 2009. He shared what he learned in regards to plastic covering our beaches and... read more.

Volunteer in the Wooden Boat Chandlery!

Get in on the best volunteer gig in town! If you're looking for a spot to volunteer where you're treated like family, this is it. Volunteers in the Chandlery act as ambassadors for the Northwest Maritime Center and help connect visitors with the best outdoor items and apparel. They work on an incredible, fun-loving team of Chandlery staff and other volunteers, and they get to connect with locals and visitor alike. If you enjoy retail, boats, the outdoors, or just chatting with others about our awesome town, you might be a great fit for the Chandlery! If you’re interested, please email volunteer@nwmaritime.org.

Volunteer for Race to Alaska & SEVENTY48

R2AK

750-mile engineless boat race beginning in Port Townsend, WA and ending in Ketchikan, AK.

Ruckus: June 4, 2023
Stage One Race Start: June 5, 2023
Stage Two Race Start: June 8, 2023

SEVENTY48

Seventy miles. 48 hours. Tacoma to Port Townsend. Rules are simple: no motors, no support, and no wind. That’s right. Muscles only. Pedal, paddle, or row. We don’t care. It’s up to you.

Race Start: June 2, 2023

R2AK

750-mile engineless boat race beginning in Port Townsend, WA and ending in Ketchikan, AK.

Race Start: June 13, 2022

SEVENTY48

Seventy miles. 48 hours. Tacoma to Port Townsend. Rules are simple: no motors, no support, and no wind. That’s right. Human power only. Pedal, paddle, or row. We don’t care. It’s up to you.

Race Start: June 10, 2022

WA360

360 miles of engineless, unsupported boat racing circling Puget Sound. It’s COVID conscious, logistically light, and demands all the skill, tenacity, and patience you can muster.

Race to Alaska & SEVENTY48 volunteer shifts

Help us keep our races thriving! Volunteer opportunities in Tacoma, Port Townsend, and Victoria include registration help, finish line operations, photography, traffic, and more! You'll want to be a part of it, and we want you to be, too.

If you're new to volunteering for the Northwest Maritime Center and our events, please fill out our volunteer application. If you're a returning volunteer, just sign our 2024 Release Waiver.

Volunteer T-Shirts

Hey, guess what? When you volunteer for the races, you'll get a volunteer t-shirt. Sign up to volunteer for at least 8 hours and that shirt is yours! The sense of being part of a team, supporting a community, and keeping folks safe is yours to keep no matter how long you volunteer.

Volunteer Orientation

All volunteers are highly encouraged to attend in person at the Northwest Maritime Center Campus on May 23, 2024. Doors open at 6 PM, program begins at 6:30 PM Look out for an email invitation. Volunteers who sign up for 8 hours will obtain their T-shirts. (A Zoom option and recording will be made available for out-of-towners and others with unbudging schedule conflicts.

SEVENTY48 Finish Line volunteer shifts coming soon.

Ready to be a part of the crew that celebrates and supports the SEVENTY48 teams crossing the finish line in Port Townsend? Our Finish Line Crew is responsible for recording finish times, photographing teams, and supporting the safety operations at the finish line. Sign up for shifts today, but first read through the following information.

If you're new to volunteering for the Northwest Maritime Center and our events, please fill out our volunteer application. If you're a returning volunteer, just sign our 2022 Release Waiver.

Volunteer T-Shirts

Hey, guess what? When you volunteer for the adventure races, you'll get a volunteer t-shirt. Sign up for at least two shifts or one of the longer time commitments and that shirt is yours! The sense of being part of a team, supporting a community, and keeping folks safe is yours to keep no matter how long you volunteer.

Required Volunteer Orientation

All volunteers are required to attend the Volunteer Orientation. This will be a virtual orientation via Zoom—you will receive the Zoom link in the confirmation email after signing up for your shift(s). If you cannot make this training, please email volunteer@nwmaritime.org.

Sign up for shifts below

Volunteer in Tacoma at the SEVENTY48 Race Start (May 31).

Volunteer in Port Townsend for the SEVENTY48 Finish Line Clubhouse (June 1 & 2), and/or at the R2AK Race Ruckus (June 8).

Volunteer in Victoria June 9–12. Welcome in our racers and sell R2AK swag.

Port townsend Shifts

Tacoma Shifts

Victoria Shifts

Volunteer in Port Townsend

Volunteer in Victoria

Volunteer in Tacoma

Safety & Paparazzi Crew Volunteers

Safety Support Volunteers
Positions for racer safety support are skill-specific. We aren’t looking for master mariners in every position, but we need people who can think on their feet, work well within a structured safety system, have the ability for hard work and sometimes long hours, and, most importantly, understand that this hard work is what keeps race teams safe during this focused challenge.

Paparazzi Crew Volunteers
We are looking for camera folk, social media jockeys, and folks willing to even take some short video for places like Facebook and our own website. Have a drone? We’ll buy it lunch! Join the teams that run around our race courses helping to document these incredible efforts of racers.

VOLUNTEER for SAFETY SUPPORT

Volunteer for Paparazzi Crew

Questions?

Contact us at volunteer@nwmaritime.org.