Race to Alaska 2022: Victory with a 200-mile lead

Team "Pure and Wild" from Seattle is the first to reach the finish harbour in Ketchikan, securing not only victory by a huge margin, but also $10,000 in prize money. The three-man crew had previously completed the 750 miles of the world's toughest and craziest sailing race in 4 days, 4 hours and 32 minutes. Alongside Jonathan McKee and Alyosha Strum-Palerm, Matt Pistay in particular is no stranger to the race. He won the last edition of this special race in 2019, making him the first person to achieve two successes in the Race to Alaska.

The winning team, along with the current second-placed "Elsewhere" and another team, chose a new route and sailed along the west coast of Vancouver Island instead of passing it on the east side as usual. This paid off, as the 44-foot "Dark Star" outdistanced the field on the open Pacific Ocean and reached the finish line with a lead of around 200 miles, probably days ahead of the remaining participants.

The race from Victoria in Canada to Ketchikan in Alaska allows almost anything, except for engines, which are prohibited by the regulations. The regatta was held for the first time in 2015 and has been attended by boats of all kinds ever since. This year's start was on 13 June with a total of 45 participants, but the preliminary stage alone forced 10 teams to retire. In the meantime, only 26 are still taking part in the race, with some having only covered a fraction of the distance.

The German Joachim Rösler will be competing with Zoë Sheehan Saldaña from Brooklyn in a self-built Angus Row Cruiser that has been extended to 24 feet and can carry up to three masts. Rösler took part for the first time in 2017, but was completely alone at the time. The "Fix oder Nix" team is currently in 18th place and still has over 400 nautical miles to go. A detailed interview with the pair ahead of the event can also be found in the current issue of YACHT 13/2022.

The further course of the Race to Alaska can be here (please click!) live on the tracking, go to the event page here (please click!).