I’ve been expecting an R2AK update from Andy Cross aboard Wild Card to pass along, but alas, he and the Wild Card bunch have been too busy kicking butt! Currently in fourth place, the Craigslist Santa Cruz 27 is into Johnstone Strait and has (for the time being at least) are establishing a big lead on rest of the fleet. The multihulls PT Watercraft and Ptarmigan are ahead, and the Olson 30 Lagopus behind. Leading everyone is the Melges 32 First Federal Sail Like A Girl, sailed by an outstanding team of all women. Appropriate enough in the year of #metoo.
But even more sentimental favorite is singlehander Russell Brown in his Gougeon 32 catamaran. Brown epitomizes the quiet adventurer and craftsmen, and his boatbuilding and seamanship are legend, despite his reticence about blowing his own horn. Brown is not only sailing fast, he’s sailing smart. While he’s been leading most of the race, he still stops for a few hours at night to get some rest. He woke up today in fourth, but is looking like he’ll retake the lead by nightfall.
Back to Team Wild Card. This group (Mark Aberle, Andy Cross, Mike Descheemaeker, Robert Robinson) took shape originally at D-dock at Shilshole where they all kept, and most lived on, boats. R2AK was a great conversation starter, and now some years later they combined their efforts to purchase a Santa Cruz 27 and take this on. They fixed up the old girl, painted her and bought her some new sails. Alex Simanis at Ballard Sails made their asymmetrical “just a big enough to scare them at night.” They purchased a pedal drive system from the Burd brothers (previous winners), and they were ready to go.
Andy’s works on Threesheets Northwest web site, and his full stories will eventually appear there. But anything he sends to me en route I’ll be posting here. In the meantime I’ll be staying up late and getting up early to root them on.
In other news, Take Me To The Volcano (Matt Johnson), has withdrawn to a knee injury first suffered in the proving ground leg.
It should be noted that when you go to the tracker and click on a boat, the R2AK Facebook feed shows up in the right hand column with all the postings of a given boat. There are photos, videos and updates.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Why isn’t PT Watercraft showing on the Tracker?
Hi Molly – I don’t have real inside info, but I do see his back a ways, grayed out. I’d suggest you check out the Sailing Anarchy thread, there’s a number of forum participants that are watching this, and PT Watercraft, very closely. I’ll be updating here, but not minute to minute.