← WA360 Home ← 2025 WA360 Teams
Crew: Nolan Gerlach, Ryan McCarthy, Andrew Bembry, and Ben Pascal
Hometown: Bellevue, WA
Vessel: F27 Corsair Trimaran
Class: The Wind Division
Connect: Facebook
Get to know Team Ability Experience
First thing first. Why race in WA360?
Because the Race 2 Alaska is every other year now, and we got super stoked about a race….
This race is all about raising money and awareness for people with disabilities via The Ability Experience and honoring two fallen teammates.
25 Years ago, each of the team members participated in The Ability Experience’s annual Journey of Hope, a 4,000 miles bike ride from SF to DC to raise money and awareness of people with disabilities. Each day the team rides 75-120 miles and then participates in friendship visits with people with disabilities (think wheelchair basketball, dances, etc).
5 Days before our team reached DC, our teammate, Todd Porterfield, was struck by a car and killed. We race in his honor as well as in honor of Jason Tirado, a project manager of The Ability Experience who died three months prior in a hiking accident. Our funds raised will go towards their memorial fund which provides grants to organization that support people with disabilities
What’s your connection to these waters?
Our captain, Nolan, grew up in Anacorters. He grew up sailing in the waters around there including racing, overnights, etc. We like Nolan. Where he goes, we go.
Superpowers. Each crew member gets one. What are they and why?
Nolan Gerlach – Captain, my captain. He led us across the country 25 years ago and is still doing the same in our lives now.
Ben Pascal – Our Spiritual guide and pilot in his free time. He can fly, literally.
Andrew Bembry – Part time male model. Part time meteorologist Mr. Zen nothing rattles him.
Ryan- Call (555) 000-0000 for a good time. Endurance – name the goal he will figure out how to get there. Hold my beer.
Defend your vessel choice for WA360. What makes it so cool and worthy?
F27 Corsair Trimaran…. perfect blend of speed and comfort. We brought this boat specifically for WA360 (and hopefully R2AK)
What are your adventure qualifications for WA360? What makes you (y’all) cool and capable?
We all met 24 years ago, when we participated in The Ability Experience’s (https://www.abilityexperience.org/) 2000 Journey of Hope – a student led 4,000-mile bicycle ride from SF to DC with the sole purpose of raising money and awareness for people with disabilities. We would ride approx. 75-125 miles a day and then do “friendship visits” with people with disabilities, perform puppet shows called “Kids on The Block” to educate school children about different type of disabilities, play wheelchair basketball and put on dances at camps for people with disabilities.
Our team consists of a highly experienced sailor, a boat builder, an Ironman, scuba divers, a pilot, a backpacking enthusiast, etc, etc…. Not sure if that makes us cool or capable, but we like to do fund stuff and have a good time.
What is going to break?
Our spirit won’t and in the end that is all that matters.