← WA360 Home ← 2025 WA360 Teams
Crew: Aaron Bandstra, Phil Burns, Jill Burns, Jeremy Noet, and Tracy Dahlstedt
Hometown: Bellingham, WA
Vessel: Hobie 33
Class: The Wind Division
Connect: Instagram
Get to know Team Yes!
First thing first. Why race in WA360?
As our team captain, Aaron said at our last meeting, “We got it going on!” We are all brand new to this type of racing, and we are pouring ourselves into the preparation and process. We have a wide range of skills, experiences, and attitudes that will blend so nicely for this adventure. We’re up for it, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we can take some punishing with a collective smile. And we’re hoping this will be a honing for our run for R2AK 2026!
What’s your connection to these waters?
We’ve all been cruising and living near these waters for decades. Kayaking, umiak rowing, canoeing, sailing, paddle boarding, diving, crabbing, fishing, wildlife viewing. We LOVE and respect these waters, with their tides, currents, weather patterns, and outrageous beauty.
Superpowers. Each crew member gets one. What are they and why?
Aaron: superdiplomacy – he can make you feel like you know exactly what you’re doing and feel proud of yourself.
Phil: super-depth – he can listen, draw out, and kindle your truest desires. questions, and longing.
Jill: supersimplification – she can see through the fluff, pare down the excess, and bring focus to what’s most important.
Jeremy: supercomplexity – he can imagine thousands of possibilities and offer them brilliantly and humbly.
Tracy: superbodilyfunctional – she can evoke fascination and care for all things human and bodily with enthusiasm.
Defend your vessel choice for WA360. What makes it so cool and worthy?
This Hobie 33 is FAST. At least that’s what we hear. It’s a perfect size and weight for our crew of five large adults – we’re excited to trick it out and throw our big bodies all over the place to see what it can do. And it has a really cool 80’s stripe pattern on the hull.
What are your adventure qualifications for WA360? What makes you (y’all) cool and capable?
We’re all bikers and sailors and backcountry lovers – we’ve been in enough hairy situations in these waters to have a decent idea of what we may be in for, and we’ve got boat expertise enough to solve problems and fix on the fly. We can all stand a bit of discomfort and suffering. We read poetry and sing and play music – is that cool?
What is going to break?
Probably most of the pedal power system – plenty of redundancies!
Some f%#@ing electronics, I’m sure.
Phil’s glasses (he’ll bring contacts)
Maybe a toe or finger. We are all taking a first aid course in May.