Tis the season of “who knows what will happen” weather, and Tuesday decided that gale warnings should be on the menu across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, creating a decision point for teams heading south after the Point Roberts mark.
Team Shaka anchored early on the east side of James Island, opting for the State Park version of things. Team Narwhal dove in head first, and found themselves stuck off the west side of Whidbey Island, in nasty seas but also in a wind hole without enough wind to run out of there. After much confusion, gnashing of teeth, and a call to the Race Boss for advice (he had none), they reached Port Townsend at 9:11 PM, only to discover the Northwest Maritime dock was unreachable due to the breeze, so they headed down to anchor in the south end of Port Townsend bay for the night.
Team Never Get Off The Boat also tried to make a run for it, leaping southward from the protection of Lopez Island, but after getting beat up for a while, they turned back and aimed for Watmough Bay. While seeking anchorage in the ever-narrowing depths of the storied bay, they were forced to start their engines, earning them the first disqualification of the 2025 race. Yeah, they were disappointed, but they still hit the finish line dock Wednesday morning full of smiles.
Team Ability Experience played it safe and anchored outside Lopez Pass, waiting for daylight to reassess. Nice move.
All the way south, Teams Paddle On, Paddle On and Rogue Kayaker rounded Olympia Shoal, officially leaving the State Capitol behind. Here, the Race Boss must confess to a heinous error: yesterday’s email update stated that all the teams had rounded the mark already. Wrong. Turns out that packing 80+ boats onto one online tracker screen leaves it looking like a kindergarten wall covered in hundreds of multicolored crayon lines. And it’s hard to even tell what you’re seeing. Apologies, Melissa and Travis.
The DNF list (“Did Not Finish”, if you were wondering) has begun to populate. (Check out the Official Record). One team, Team The Tough Shells, who between them have several ocean rowing crossings on their vessel, withdrew from the race after deciding an attempt to punch through tonight’s weather repeat just won’t work since they’re dropping a team member with a few obligations ashore. Sometimes WA360 is about knowing when to call it.
Over in the Muscle Group, Team Boogie Barge made a never-chosen-choice to avoid the worst of the predicted weather. Instead of the usual route south past Whidbey through the Strait, they transited eastbound through Deception Pass, and made for the south end of Whidbey—making a final approach to Port Townsend from a direction never attempted in this race. We think they might have learned something about the Strait of Juan de Fuca during last year’s R2AK Proving Ground.
After four days of racing, the middle and back-of-the-pack teams are shifting gears. They’re in full expedition mode now—these are the ones who planned for a longer journey from the start, knowing showers would be rare and comfort even rarer.
Four days down, ten to go. The race continues.
– Jesse Wiegel, Race Boss at Northwest Maritime
Fresh Footage
Video by Ryder Booth, Header photo by Jim Meyers
