No Engines. No Guarantees. All In.
Sleep deprivation, hypothermia, boat breaking logs, currents that run over 10 knots, no guarantee of even getting to the finish line; these are just a few of the hurdles we could face in the upcoming Race to Alaska. So why take on something so difficult and dangerous? When it comes down to it, we’re all adventurers at heart. Once you’ve had one adventure you just want to come back for more. There’s something exhilarating about working through a hardship that you chose to take on, pushing through the tough moments, and coming out on the other side with a new perspective and growing confidence.
Without those who came before, we wouldn’t be here. Past R2AK teams have inspired us to take on this challenge and we want to do the same for future racers. Beyond the thrill of the adventure and the challenge of sailing engineless to Alaska, we’re here to create visibility, to inspire and make space so the next generation of sailors can see themselves on the start line. It’s one thing to dream about taking on an adventure like this, it’s another to actually do it. Hopefully through sharing our story of the race we can help some future racers get over that hurdle.
We are definitely not in it to win it, we’ll leave that to the big racing trimarans. We are here to make it to the finish line. One of the toughest parts of this race is sure to be the constant decision making on very little sleep. In adventure sailing, small mistakes add up quickly and too many lead to dire consequences. Our team has taken on WA360, traversed glaciers in Greenland, and summited Kilimanjaro. We know we’ll face tough moments during R2AK, but our past experiences show us that we will have the fortitude to get through it.
One thing we won’t need to worry about is our rigging! Thanks to Ronstan’s support we were able to upgrade our mainsheet purchase, install a second reef point, and a proper topping lift. With our previous mainsheet the fine tune got in the way of the traveller, pulling against it. Now with an in-line fine tune and more purchase overall we’ll have a much easier time playing the mainsheet and/or traveller when winds pick up.
Getting to the start line is always one of the biggest hurdles and we couldn’t do it without the help of friends, family, fans, and supporters along the way!
- Norn to be Wild
R2AK will be a test in ways that cannot be fully predicted, but that uncertainty is exactly why they're there. Follow along the journey Norn To Be Wild & R2AK
