The good news: all sailors are safe and sound! The bad news: five teams had to be rescued from distress at sea during the preliminary stage. Some of them after spectacular capsizes and mast breakages. On the way from Port Townsend on the US coast to Victoria on Vancouver Island/Canada, 40 nautical miles away, the Strait of Juan de Fuca in between showed its merciless side. Heavy seas often form in this extension of the Pacific, especially when the wind is against the sometimes powerful tidal current.
This is what happened the day before yesterday, when the participants of the toughest and craziest sailing race in the world, the Race to Alaska (r2ak.com), set off on their journey. The short opening leg was supposed to take them to Victoria, from where the race would really start. However, ten of the 44 crews did not make it to the finish. The organisers and the coastguard had to remove five crews and five more gave up.
The "Fix or nothing" team led by Joachim Rösler and Zoë Sheehan Saldaña made it. Sheehan Saldaña, 49, is an artist, teacher and paraglider from Brooklyn. Joachim Rösler, 65, is an engineer and co-owner of a recycling company. He took part in R2AK for the first time in 2017. Rösler is a multiple German Contender champion and has built numerous boats himself, including dinghies, an ice sailer and a fishing boat.
Born in Stuttgart, Rösler learnt to sail on Lake Constance before moving to the USA near New York in 1990. The duo took on the unusual challenge with an Angus Row Cruiser they built themselves and extended to 24 feet, which can carry up to three masts.
On the first day, both returned to Port Townsend shortly after the start, as did many other race participants. The conditions were too tough. On their second attempt, however, they successfully crossed the strait: they travelled for twelve hours, only 30 minutes of which were spent sailing, the rest rowing! And with the support of a four-knot ebb current.
The fact that rowing is also allowed in addition to sailing is a special feature of this race, which covers more than 700 nautical miles to Ketchikan in Alsaka. It took place for the first time in 2015, with the fastest completing the distance in just under four days. All watercraft are permitted as long as they do not have engines: Sailboats, canoes, pedal boats, paddle boards.
Before the start, we had the opportunity to talk to the "Fix or nothing" team:
YACHT: Sailing 750 nautical miles to Alaska in a rowing sailboat with no engine and no comfort - why are you doing this?
Joachim Rösler: When the sun is shining, it's one of the most beautiful sailing areas in the world! I can hardly wait to get back there. The race is a great excuse to be out on the water there. And it's an exciting challenge - starting with the question of what equipment I'll be racing with. But yes, it takes a long time, it's tiring, cold, wet and uncomfortable. The beauty and elegance of the race lies in its simplicity.
Zoë Sheehan Saldaña: You're part of a community that does it together, each in their own way. It reminds me a lot of paragliding - you never know exactly how it's going to go when you run down the mountain and take off. And I like and know Joe well enough to do it with him.
Some say the R2AK is one of the toughest and craziest races there is for boats. Is that true? You've already taken part twice.
Rösler: It's true! A couple from Canada, who have travelled on the R2AK four times, once said that they wanted to experience the world and this coast with all their senses - and not behind the glass of a cruise ship.
How risky is it not to have an engine in this area?
Rösler: Like a game of chess, you always have to plan a few moves in advance. You don't want to be 100 miles off the coast in a storm or fighting the tide in such a small sailing boat without an engine - so we'll avoid that. But we can hide in any shallow bay, no matter how small, if it's storming at 40 knots outside. That wouldn't be possible with a keelboat.
Many participants sail catamarans or trimarans. But not you. Why not?
Rösler: You can have a lot of fun sailing on the open sea with boats like this - but that's not what this race is about. For example, there is a lot of wood floating in the water on this route, which you can't even see well during the day. Collisions can happen quickly. This risk has to be weighed up.
What characterises your boat?
Rösler: That's where the craziness comes into play again: it's a further development of the boat I raced in 2017 and 2018, an Angus Row Cruiser, named after the Canadian Colin Angus, who designed it: a 19-foot-long, offshore rowing boat with a kind of coffin in it for sleeping. For the R2AK, he built two small outriggers and placed two masts on it, resulting in a cat-rigged ketch that can be rowed very well. You're not the fastest with it, and you won't win the race with it. But you can go a long way in the boat without completely exhausting yourself. Now we're basically travelling in the same boat, only now it's six feet longer so that two people can sleep in it.
And it now carries three masts!
Rösler: Yes. Because the hull is now longer, I had room for another mast. But that only works in light winds. In stronger winds, you can only use two sails. But three small sails make more sense than a larger mast with more sail area, which requires shrouds and stays and is more complicated to handle. I have really fallen in love with sailing with a cat-rigged ketch! It is a marvellous sailing concept in its simplicity and efficiency. I've sailed everything I could get my hands on in my life, from contenders to ice sailors and America's Cupers. Small boats simply offer the best value for money.
What did you spend?
Rösler: 5,000 to 10,000 dollars.
How long did you build for?
Sheehan Saldaña: His whole life! It contains the whole experience of his life.
Would you sell it?
Rösler: After the race? Of course! Everything is for sale.
Why didn't you buy a ready-made boat?
Rösler: We haven't found anything suitable.
Can there be any new challenges after the R2AK?
Sheehan Saldaña: We find them! We are good at finding difficulties.
Do you love difficulties?
Sheehan Saldaña: At a reasonable level. Nothing in life is certain, you have to deal with risk in an intelligent way.
So do you like suffering?
Rösler: The race is not a celebration of suffering!
Sheehan Saldaña: There are three types of fun: the first is when you go sailing on a sunny day with a moderate wind and have an ice cream in the afternoon. The second is when you think afterwards: "Yes, that was fun!" And the third is the one where you'll always think: "That really wasn't any fun at all!" We're trying to settle on the second option and avoid the third.
Gale-force winds, killer whales and tides of over 20 miles per hour await you on the way. Are you not afraid?
Sheehan Saldaña: My biggest fear would be not seeing any orcas! Because that's why I'm here. The other worry I have is that you and I will end up not being able to stand each other.
Rösler: Afraid? Not really! The goal is to reach Alaska and still talk to each other. I want to and will enjoy every minute of this journey. Apart from that, you try your best to avoid the dangers that exist. We can survive 50 knots of wind with our boat in case of doubt, if you have taken in the sails in time. We had so much wind on the first leg in 2017.
How far do you get in a day?
Rösler: The boat weighs 250 kilos and has 13 square metres of sail area. Depending on the weather and current, we can cover anything between five and 100 miles.
Can you cook on board?
Rösler: Yes! We have dry food on board and a camping cooker to boil water. And we have water with us for a few days.
How do you navigate?
Rösler: We have paper cards and three devices that we can charge using a battery powered by a 130-watt solar panel. It's just not enough to hang out on Facebook in the evening and watch the news.
Why did you no longer want to compete in the race alone?
Sheehan Saldaña: Why should he drive alone when he can have me with him? Of course you can drink a bottle of wine on your own, but it's more fun with two people.
Rösler: Exactly! Why not share the wonderful experience? It's a serious challenge for single-handed sailors, which is why I've done it this way in the past. But doing it together is completely different - and even better.
The interview was conducted by Jan Zier
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Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
