Longtime and very successful racer Andy Schwenk, who until recently called the Pacific Northwest home, suffered an infection and subsequent sepsis while delivering his Express 37 Spindrift V back from Hawaii to California after the Pacific Cup. He was treated at sea and then airlifted back to California in an amazing flurry of coordination between other sailors, the race organizers, the US Coast Guard, US Air Force and a Taiwanese tanker. Here’s Scuttlebutt’s report:
(August 8, 2022) – USCG-licensed captain, instructor and rigging specialist Andy Schwenk (57, Point Richmond, CA) has been brought safely to land by a combination of Coast Guard, Air Force, commercial shipping, and assistance from a fellow yacht. A rapidly-spreading infection required the action.
Schwenk’s Express 37 Spindrift V had completed the 2022 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii, finishing first in her class on July 18. Returning to California, the boat faced heavy weather, damaging their mainsail and leading to an injury to Andy’s ankle, which subsequently became infected.
Various elements of Spindrift’s communications tools were also damaged, leading to challenges in getting assistance. A relayed call to Pac Cup race organizers led to the diversion of fellow racer (and division winner) Surprise, a Schumacher 46 owned by Bob and Maryann Hinden and skippered for the return by Robin Jeffers, diverting to transfer antibiotics to Spindrift V.
The August 4 transfer at 1:00 am was a “real pro job,” as Andy later texted. Because of Spindrift’s communications problems, many of the communications in this incident were routed through systems that had been established to manage the race itself.
“When the boats couldn’t make direct contact, a lot of coordination took place on my iPhone,” commented Principal Race Officer Michael Moradzadeh.
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.
We’ve been watching our PNW boats very carefully this Pacific Cup, and were disappointed to see that the J/125 Hamachi was apparently going to finish second to sistership Rufless. But wait, there’s more. Hamachi filed a rating protest and Rufless withdrew, giving Hamachi a class win and third overall. See Ronnie Simpson’s report here. I’ve excerpted the Hamachi-relevant part:
Third place overall and first place in the BMW of San Rafael Division is Jason Andrews and Shawn Dougherty’s Seattle based J/125 Hamachi. After an overall win in the 2019 Transpac, the team is back on the box in a Hawaii race after yet another fantastic crossing. With a slower rating than Hamachi, Rufus Sjoberg’s J/125 Rufless finished just a couple of hours behind Hamachi but seemingly corrected out to claim the divisional win. We say apparently because Hamachi had lodged a protest against Rufless’ ORR rating, claiming a rating discrepancy. After much deliberation, the crew on Rufless has decided to withdraw themselves from the Pacific Cup. While this is a sad occurrence for all of us here at Pac Cup, who view Rufus Sjoberg and his Rufless team as part of our ohana (family), we support their decision and wish them the best of luck in having their boat re-measured, re-rated and coming back stronger in 2024. Rufus, Navigator Skip McCormack and the entire Rufless crew were incredibly gracious in coming to this decision. The Corinthian spirit of sailing is alive and well here in Kaneohe as the Rufless crew and Hamachi crew congratulated each other on a hard-fought race and shared a warm and friendly debrief.
Zvi celebrating
As far as the rest of our PNWers go;
Moonshine (Marc Andrea Klimaschewski, Sloop Tavern and CYC Seattle, Dogpatch 26, Kolea Doublehanded division) Won the Kolea DH1 Division.
Alternate Reality (Ian, Mitchell and Darrel Jensen, Sloop Tavern YC, Express 27, Ocean Navigator class). Fourth in Ocean Navigator Division.
Dash (Stephanie Arnold & Ken Machtley, Orcas Island YC, J/99, Mahina DH2) Fifth in Mahina DH2
Free Bowl of Soup (Erik Hopper & Douglass Schenk, Portland YC & CYC Portland, J/105, Weems and Plath) First in the Weems and Plath Division.
the Boss (Chad Stenwick, West Sound CYC, J/35, North Sails division) Second in the North Sails Division to Andy Schwenk’s Express 37.
Lodos (Tolga Cezik, CYC Seattle, J/111, Goslings Rum division) Sixth in Goslings Rum Division.
Such Fast (David Garman, SSS, One Design 35, Goslings Rum division) Ninth in Goslings Rum Division
Freja (Jonathan Cruse, Sloop Tavern YC & CYC Seattle, Aerodyne 43, Goslings Rum division) Fifth in Gosling’s Rum Division, and has the best quote of the event describing “non-consensual surfing.” See report here.
Raku (Christina and Justine Wolfe, Orcas Island YC, J/111, Mahina DH2) While they seemed to be a lock on first place for much of the race, the Donovan 30 Wolfpack made a dramatic final push to finish first and push the Wolfes to second.
Hamachi (Jason Andrews and Shawn Dougherty, CYC Seattle & Sloop Tavern YC, J/125, BMW of San Rafael division) First in the BMW of San Rafael Division.
Blue (Michael Schoendorf, South Shore YC, Pacific Cup YC, Riptide 41, BMW of San Rafael) Third boat to finish in Hawaii and third in the BMW of San Rafael Division. You absolutely have to love a 41′ boat finishing that early.
Rage (David Raney, Corinthian YC Portland, Wylie 70, Alaska Airlines class) Third in the Alaska Airlines Division. Rage came from behind to finish ahead of Westerly, though not enough to beat her on corrected time.
Westerly (Stuart Dahlgren, Royal Victoria YC, Santa Cruz 70, Alaska Airlines class) Second place in Alaska Airlines Division and overall. I’m going to call her first among normal boats, as Pyewacket with her canting keel really should be in a different class. This was an amazing achievement especially considering the final push it took just to get to the starting line.
Shadow II (Peter McCarthy, West Vancouver YC, TP52, Alaska Airlines class) Fifth in Alaska Airlines Division.
Zvi (Alan Lubner, Seattle YC, Reichel/Pugh 55, Alaska Airlines class) Second boat (first of the normal boats) to get to Hawaii and fourth in the Alaska Airlines Division. The Zvi program continues to improve in its second race to Hawaii, and has show consistently high speeds in this race.
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.
Ed. Note: At the risk of redundancy, Sail Sand Point is a Seattle sailing treasure and we should support it. Based at Magnuson Park, it brings sailing to Seattle community. Between sailing lessons, open boating and hosting interscholastic regattas, it’s the place to be. The Party on the Pier is a great way to support it and fun. And the paella is to die for. -KH
From Seth Muir, Executive Director of SSP.
Sail Sand Point is returning with their annual Party on the Pier on July 30th. This event benefits their programs which serve over 15,000 people each year ranging from 8 year olds in Optis to 80 year olds in keelboats. Head down to Magnuson Park’s beautiful pier and enjoy live music, paella, libations and some light fundraising for a great cause–getting more people introduced to the joy of sailing! Info and tickets are available here: https://www.sailsandpoint.org/events/party-on-the-pier/
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.
The Pacific Cup fleet is starting to enter the full on sledding part of the game. Pyewacket will soon be finished and at last look was doing 21+ knots.
Thanks to alert readers, I was made aware of two other PNW Pacific Cup boats. We’ll start with those.
Mako
Mako (Jason Vannice/Kyle Reese-Cassal. South Sound Sailing Society, Sydney 38, Goslings Rum division) Mako has been on the southern side of the fleet and is now consolidating with those to the north. She is currently in third in division on corrected time, and her main competitors are quite a bit larger. It will be interesting to see how this develops, especially if the wind builds.
Perplexity
Perplexity (John Wilkerson, Sloop Tavern & Port Madison YCs, Express 37, North Sails division) Early on, Perplexity had a medical emergency and transfer at sea. See Latitude 38’s coverage: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/2022/07/11/#navy-medevacs-pacific-cup-crewman. That all said, she’s been playing catchup on a southerly track and currently lies sixth in division with less than 1000 miles to go.
(Apologies to both crews and their fans for not covering them in the last post)
And now for the rest of the PNW fleet:
Moonshine (Marc Andrea Klimaschewski, Sloop Tavern and CYC Seattle, Dogpatch 26, Kolea Doublehanded division) I’m pleased to report that Moonshine is leading her division and must be driving the bigger boats crazy when they realize they haven’t passed her yet!
Alternate Reality (Ian, Mitchell and Darrel Jensen, Sloop Tavern YC, Express 27, Ocean Navigator class). Alternate Reality took a deep dive south and is making their way north to consolidate with the fleet. The boats ahead of her on handicap are all bigger and heavier, so it will be interesting to watch the lightweight Express 27 in straight line speed against waterline
Dash (Stephanie Arnold & Ken Machtley, Orcas Island YC, J/99, Mahina DH2) Dash remains fifth in her division. The doublehanded boats ahead of her are all capable of very fast downwind speeds, so it will be tough to find a passing lane.
Free Bowl of Soup (Erik Hopper & Douglass Schenk, Portland YC & CYC Portland, J/105, Weems and Plath) Ding ding ding, another PNW division leader. FBOS has sailed a conservative course and it’s paid with the division lead. The J/105 should have consistenltly high speeds on the run to Hawaii.
the Boss (Chad Stenwick, West Sound CYC, J/35, North Sails division) the Boss is showing that the venerable J/35 is still a good ride to Hawaii. Lying in second in division, she is trailing the Express 37 Spindrift skippered by none other than PNW transplant Andy Schwenk, who knows his way to Hawaii very well.
Lodos (Tolga Cezik, CYC Seattle, J/111, Goslings Rum division) Lodos remains sixth in a closely contested Goslings Rum division. No doubt all the Goslings boats will be pushing hard these last few hundred miles.
Such Fast (David Garman, SSS, One Design 35, Goslings Rum division) SUCH FAST is in the same class as Lodos, trailing by a fair amount.
Freja (Jonathan Cruse, Sloop Tavern YC & CYC Seattle, Aerodyne 43, Goslings Rum division) Freja has established some separation from her class, staying to the north. Currently standing fifth in division, she could move up if her northerly position pays.
Raku (Christina and Justine Wolfe, Orcas Island YC, J/111, Mahina DH2) The Wolfe’s made a bold move to the south has paid, and she’s leading her division by a good margin, and sailing in the same waters as many larger boats.
Hamachi (Jason Andrews and Shawn Dougherty, CYC Seattle & Sloop Tavern YC, J/125, BMW of San Rafael division) Hamachi is leading the BMW of San Rafael division. I have a lot of confidence they’ll close out the victory.
Blue (Michael Schoendorf, South Shore YC, Pacific Cup YC, Riptide 41, BMW of San Rafael) Blue is starting to really move, 13.4 knots at present, and I expect her to finish first in division on the water, but it will be very tough to correct ahead of the speedy boats in class. Currently she lies fifth.
Rage (David Raney, Corinthian YC Portland, Wylie 70, Alaska Airlines class) Rage is in her element, her narrow Wylie designed hull slicing up the miles at a high rate. It will be interesting to see if she can catch Westerly on the water in the approaches to Hawaii.
Westerly (Stuart Dahlgren, Royal Victoria YC, Santa Cruz 70, Alaska Airlines class) Westerly gave up the division corrected time lead when Pyewacket hit the afterburners. She is currently lying second and pretty much on the rhumb line.
Shadow II (Peter McCarthy, West Vancouver YC, TP52, Alaska Airlines class) Shadow II has made her way from the northern-most position in class to the southern most. She’s trailing the other division boats but should have a great ride into Hawaii.
Zvi (Alan Lubner, Seattle YC, Reichel/Pugh 55, Alaska Airlines class) Zvi is now in the conditions the team was hoping for, at last check going 14+ knots and looking solid for being the second boat into Hawaii.
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.
As the strong downwind rides start to develop, it’s time to check in on the PNW contingent in the Pacific Cup.
The smaller/slower boats suffered light air in the early stages of the race, but by the time the Alaska Airlines class (the biggest, fastest boats) started the winds were more typical of San Francisco Bay. All the fleets have had some less than thrilling winds to contend with. Predictably, the PNW is well represented. I count 15 boats.
Note that when you read this, things may have changed. Go to pacificcup.org to check out the tracker and other news!
As of this writing:
Moonshine (Marc Andrea Klimaschewski, Sloop Tavern and CYC Seattle, Dogpatch 26, Kolea Doublehanded division) This little boat has been toying with the corrected time lead in their division the whole time on the north edge of the fleet, and they currently lie 2nd.
Alternate Reality (Ian, Mitchell and Darrel Jensen, Sloop Tavern YC, Express 27, Ocean Navigator class). Alternate Reality suffered slow going in the early parts of the race and then made the decision to head south for better conditions in the long run. Time will tell if it pays off. They’re currently lying fourth in class.
Dash (Stephanie Arnold & Ken Machtley, Orcas Island YC, J/99, Mahina DH2) Dash had an excellent beginning of the race and was, for a while, toying with the lead. She is now in fifth in her class.
Free Bowl of Soup (Erik Hopper & Douglass Schenk, Portland YC & CYC Portland, J/105, Weems and Plath) This J/105 logs a lot of traveling miles. Currently lying second in her class, FBoS is looking for a strong finish.
the Boss (Chad Stenwick, West Sound CYC, J/35, North Sails division) Well known to Puget Sound sailors under previous owners, the Boss is continuing her racy ways. She’s currently second in the North Sails division.
Lodos (Tolga Cezik, CYC Seattle, J/111, Goslings Rum division) Lodos suffered somewhat on a more northerly course, but is picking up the pace now and is currently sixth in the Goslings Rum division)
Such Fast (David Garman, SSS, One Design 35, Goslings Rum division) SUCH FAST has had a less than fast race so far – she’s trailing the fleet, for now anyway.
Freja (Jonathan Cruse, Sloop Tavern YC & CYC Seattle, Aerodyne 43, Goslings Rum division) Freja has been building up to this race, and the light and fast Aerodyne 43 is well suited for it. My colleague Molly Howe and her husband Jake are onboard, which is certainly a big help. They are currently fifth in division.
Raku (Christina and Justine Wolfe, Orcas Island YC, J/111, Mahina DH2) The Wolfes made a bold move to the south early, and it appears to be paying off as they continue to sail in better breeze than the bulk of the fleet. They are currently winning their division.
Hamachi (Jason Andrews and Shawn Dougherty, CYC Seattle & Sloop Tavern YC, J/125, BMW of San Rafael division) Hamachi is one of the best optimized J/125s for this race, and there are several other 125s in the race. The team has one a Hawaii race before and are currently second in class.
Blue (Michael Schoendorf, South Shore YC, Pacific Cup YC, Riptide 41, BMW of San Rafael) While not strictly a PNW boat, Blue was designed by Paul Bieker, built by Betts and features NW talent such as Jonathan McKee. So we get to adopt her. While Blue is leading her class on the water, she hasn’t had the chance to leg out on the J/125s and other longer waterline boats in her class. That time may yet come as they approach Hawaii.
Rage (David Raney, Corinthian YC Portland, Wylie 70, Alaska Airlines class) Built by Schooner Creek, the well travelled Rage is a very impressive ULDB. One time holder of the Pacific Cup elapsed time record, Rage will log some serious miles as the wind moves aft and builds. She’s currently standing fifth in the Alaska Airlines class.
Westerly (Stuart Dahlgren, Royal Victoria YC, Santa Cruz 70, Alaska Airlines class) The Dahlgrens didn’t let a serious bump in the delivery stop them from competing. On the delivery down, the keel was damaged. Working up to the last minute, Westerly was fixed and relaunched in time for the start. She currently lies second in class.
Shadow II (Peter McCarthy, West Vancouver YC, TP52, Alaska Airlines class) This is the kind of race the TPs were designed for. Shadow II was one of the most northerly of boats, and has been making up ground as of late. She’s currently lying fourth in class.
Zvi (Alan Lubner, Seattle YC, Reichel/Pugh 55, Alaska Airlines class) This multi-year program continues to add talent and performance. If it weren’t for the mighty Pyewacket, Zvi would be the 800-pound guerilla of the fleet. She is well behind Pyewacket and well ahead of the rest of the American Airlines fleet. Approaching the islands she should achieve some remarkable speeds.
LodosZviWesterlyRakuHamachiFree Bowl of SoupDashShadow IIBlueMoonshine
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.
In Seattle sailing circles, the name Buchan conjures an image of infinite sailing expertise that seems, in some ways, other-worldly. Across generations, the Buchan lineage seems to sail smart and fast nearly all the time. Actually, the Buchans are very human, and Bill Buchan’s autobiography Star Fever (written with Maureen Lander) explains a lot.
Star Fever chronicles how Bill Buchan’s father, also a William, applied his Scottish work ethic to the world of sailing. And how that do-it-yourself and do-it-right attitude filtered through the family. Early on, the father Bill home-built Heather, from lofting her on butcher paper to steaming the oak ribs himself. Heather was fast and a good cruiser.
Bill took it all to to the next level, immersing himself in sailboat racing. The father and son team won the Mallory Cup in Lightnings, among many victories. But the pinnacle of sailboat racing was (and some of us think still is) in Starboats. Bill and his father started creating (designing and building) and refining Stars, taking advantage of the loose tolerances allowed at the time and coming up with light, fast boats. Along the way Bill met his wife Karen, who despite spending some of their first date bailing out a Star, enjoyed Bill and sailing!
Fast forward through several Stars, innumerable regattas and three children. Along the way, Buchan won the Soling Worlds and his Star designs based on his various Frolics were being adopted around the world. Locally, he built the Peterson 44 racer cruiser Sachem from a bare hull to compete in the Pacific Northwest. Disappointment at the Olympic boycott in 1980 turned to Star triumph at the 1984 Olympic Games. That was followed by another Star Worlds victory in 1985 with Steve Erickson as crew.
While Star Fever is well worth the read simply to get insight into Bill and the whole Buchan sailing tradition, I think it’s worth a read from a sailing cultural standpoint as well. Bill and his father designed and built boats, refining and improving them with each iteration. They weren’t the only ones. All this time there was a family to raise and a business to develop. These days, racers often can’t get away for a casual Wednesday evening race.
Proceeds for this book go to the University of Washington Sailing team. It can be purchased here at Fisheries Supply.
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.
Soon after the rumblings of a new, better (than the Laser) singlehanded hitting the water, Seattle sailors took notice of the RS Aero. Soon the stalwart Laser sailors were trading in their Lasers for RS Aeros. Let by Todd Willsie, soon virtually the remaining singlehanded sailors made the switch. More important, the burgeoning fleet drew some of the area’s best singlehanded sailors out of the woodwork and attracted new sailors to the sport.
Some of the things the Seattle sailors retained was their experience sailing in (Columbia River) Gorge conditions and an attitude of cooperation to develop faster as a fleet and not just individually.
All of this came to fore in the just-concluded RS Worlds sailed out of Cascade Locks, Oregon, expertly put on by the Columbia Gorge Racing Association.
Photos by Bill Symes
The racing conditions weren’t typical “Gorge” conditions at first. A strong easterly sent the fleet to the shore where more than a couple boats hit rocks staying out of current. After the strong easterly for the practice race, a number of competitors switch down a sail said, leaving only 6 boats in the “9” class, but bolstering the “7” and “5” classes.
At the awards, from left: Paul Gloster (Donor of the Declan Gloster Memorial Trophy), Dan Falk, Dalton Bergan and Dieter Creitz.
The normal 20 knot westerly made its appearance on Monday of the regatta, and it became clear that the fast course upwind was to get to the biggest positive current in the washing machine of wind against current on the Washington shore. And that was pretty much the way the rest of the regatta went, with Thursday and Friday not as breezy but epic Gorge conditions on the penultimate race day Saturday. It was windy enough that even many of the top boats chicken-gybed.
This regatta featured a “long distance” race midway through. While probably not viable at many venues, it was certainly a highlight for many at this year’s Worlds. A standard windward-leeward course was followed by a 6-mile downwind course of reaches, ending in one of the windier spots in the vicinity. The fleet then had the long beat back aided by the current. The day culminated in a post race pub crawl, followed by a layday the following day.
The results board was dominated by Seattle sailors who made the short trip to Oregon, which many had done several times in preparation for the regatta. Dan Falk dominated the “9” fleet. After the two throwouts, his score line was all firsts except for one second. In the “5” fleet, Dieter Creitz had the same score.
The “7” fleet was controlled by Dalton Bergan, who didn’t have to sail the last race to win and might well not have had to sail at all the last day. At less than 170 pounds, he was competitive upwind. Downwind, his speed was uncanny, playing the all-important jibe angles to the best advantage with consistent speed. Results here. Peter Barton’s Race Report here.
Daily debriefs were a staple, which was much appreciated by those in the middle and back of the fleet. Impressive performances were also put in by Jay Renehan, Peter Barton, Keith Hammer, Mike Johnson, Ryan Zehnder and Yannick Gloster. As with the Laser class decades ago, RS Aero techniques promise to improve year by year. As Joe Burcar says, “There’s more to get out of the boat. For me, the training group was great fun and the regatta was the icing on the cake.”
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.
And now for the most impressive crew in this year’s Race to Alaska (R2AK). Mustang Survival Team Rite of Passage is the youngest team ever to complete the race, which they did yesterday finishing 9th in the wee hours of the morning. The brilliant writers in R2AK headquarters wrote up a wonderful team profile, which should be read. (As all the profiles should be! They’re that irreverent, er, entertaining.) Congratulations to Nadia Khalil, Francesca Dougherty, Sebastian Dougherty and Enzo Dougherty. You guys rock. Make sure other young people hear your story – We’d love to run anything you have to say here in sailish. Without further ado, here’s their story from the R2AK race boss:
Mustang Survival Team Rite of Passage
In hopes of avoiding another “kids these days” conversation, I’ll put it right out there: Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage has an average age of 16.75. They now hold the record for the youngest team to ever complete R2AK, as well as the youngest racer: Francesca Dougherty, 15. It does take a minute to let the ‘wow’ of it all settle down, because right when we think we’ve wrapped our heads around how incredible this is, they go and reflect that the difficulties of R2AK include high school (high school!). “We couldn’t have done this without our mentors. Finishing the school year and prepping for R2AK at the same time was a lot. Our mentors helped us to the start line and we took it from there.”
Okay, forget it. There is no way to talk about this team without bringing age into it. It’s like telling a joke with half the punchline, it’ll never land the same—but whatever tired stereotypes about this generation just don’t seem to apply.
Meet the teenage incredible behind that tracker blip you’ve been rooting for: Nadia Khalil, Francesca Dougherty, Sebastian Dougherty, Enzo Dougherty and a Santa Cruz 27: Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage.
This is a team with boating pedigree. Siblings Enzo and Francesca are 2nd generation R2AK’ers, Nadia a varsity sailing team racer, and Sebastian—can we stop a minute to say how irritating and confusing it is that he has the same last name as Enzo and Francesca, but no family relationship?—spends his days on a family boat that happens to be the neo-legendary Hamachi, a J/125 and winner of the 2019 Transpac.
Up and coming sailors all, the team had long considered the Race to Alaska a life goal, dream board material that would have been out of reach for most 15-18 year olds. Yes, because of their pedigree, but being in their presence you immediately pickup that behind their affable exterior there’s something unnervingly competent about them.
Enzo, the engineer and rigger of the group, built out the pedal drive they were going to be spending days on, and supplied the Santa Cruz with enough gear to rerig it if necessary, including a legacy tool box. “We brought 100 feet of Dyneema and my dad gave us the same tool box he used in 2015.” Heirloom redefined. Like all teams, each experienced different trials; separate and distinct moments of wavering. For Nadia the challenge was never the sailing. “Headspace was so hard. Being in a good mood and being motivated was way harder than moving the boat.” Cape Caution was a universal high/low. A psychotic point of land with such a swing of behavior that one team can pass it calmly and without notice, while the next day its exposure, lee shore, and steep, confused seas create a ride of terror. For Rite of Passage, it was the best and worst. “We were going around Cape Caution in the middle of the night.” Sebastian recalled, “Ginormous waves and hitting 12 knots (of boat speed)! It was the fastest we went on the trip. We were surfing waves!” But they all realized that if one of them went overboard at that time, they would never be able to get them back. “If we would have lost someone overboard, we’d have lost them.”
Woah. A virtual hug for their parents who were watching the tracker like the rest of us, and read that for the first time right now, too. Kudos to your offspring, and to you for believing in them.
The race has always had a knack for exploiting a team’s weakness: sleep deprivation, worn gear, failing bodies, questioning judgment. It’s always about making it to Ketchikan before something breaks or the doubts take over the mind. Nadia and Fancesca’s knees were failing them from endless hours on the bikes, sleep had become a rare and sea-pitched commodity, but even then, Nadia found a highpoint. “Francesca and I were on watch and pedaling for four hours. We hadn’t slept for a long time and were having a conversation about something and then I realized, we were talking to each other, but having completely different conversations! I was hearing Francesca’s response in my head and responding to that, not what she was saying. It was hilarious!”
Yeah, Nadia, on land we call that auditory hallucinations.
Kids these days and their shenanigans.
Like many teams landing in Ketchikan, these four didn’t have a plan for “What next?” But it doesn’t much matter. Adventurers find adventure and how to descend from Race to Alaska’s summit doesn’t need to be discovered for these four today. Today it’s fish and chips, hugs with loved ones who flew in to bask in their achievement and reflect heartfelt admiration, and sleeping in a bed that doesn’t rise and fall with every wave.
If you’re over the age of 20 it’s hard to impossible to look at this achievement and not reflect back on what youth meant for yourself. If you’re like me it was more like petty vandalism and skylarking than heroism. Are they heroes? We guess it’s how you define it, but if you spend your days being better than you were the day before, why be anything else?
If you’re under the age of 20, hell even if you’re older, whoever you are, it’s my sincere hope that their heroics inspire you as much as they’ve inspired me. Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage, you didn’t just race to Alaska, you fulfilled a long held dream. You proved to yourselves and the entire internet what you are capable of, what the rest of us could be. You showed us an alternative narrative to the blanket dismissal of a generation, helicopter parenting, and some vague belief that without forced march interventions the explorations of anyone born after 2000 will be limited to Mine Craft’s square and pixelated geography. You self-motivated IRL. You achieved, you inspired, and you’re just getting started.
Welcome back to land, Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage. It’s been an honor.
In a world where kids are sometimes scared to go to school and are often conditioned to be afraid of everything, these young adults showed they’re more than capable of doing the extraordinary. For more on the team’s efforts, check out the Instagram page @teamriteofpassage.
–KH
(An earlier version of this post implied the team was affiliated with the Rite of Passage community organization. It is not.)
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.
The big winner for the second-ever Race Week Anacortes was without a doubt Ben Braden’s Moore 24 More Uffda. After throwing out one second place finish, More Uffda had straight firsts. John Hoag’s Shrek was also dominant in PHRF 1. The J/111s Recon and 65 Red Roses traded firsts and seconds all week with Recon coming out on top. Spyhop and JamJam finished one point apart in PHRF 4. The four boats in the cruising class ended up with totals of 10,11, 12 and 13 points, with the Catalina 30 Papillon on top. The breeze took one and a half days off, but the regatta had excellent conditions the rest of the week. .
The other winners were the Anacortes economy (hungry and thirsty crews from 61 boats) and Schelleen Rathkopf, whose efforts keep this event going along.
We don’t have a hands-on report, but to catch up on the week check out the results here. If folks have something to add to this report, please send it my way. Following is Jan Anderson’s thoughts on the race plus some of her photos. Check out the rest of the photos here.
Jan Anderson’s Observations from the Photo Boat
Well, this year’s event sure provided clarity regarding the wide range of application for the weather term “LIGHT AND VARIABLE”! One never knew what each day would present, sometimes even after the day was done! We all got schooled on lighthearted laughter, variable outcomes on the race course, rapid mood shifts when grazing a mark (or a competitor!), a variety of interpretations of which course / which flag / for which class(es) / when, in light of the complexified combination(s) of variable designs assigned to each, current events which kept sailors guessing the optimal side of the course to sail, sail choices for the light, air and tactical decisions trans-windshift! It was terrific all around to see old friends (still getting older), familiar and well loved boats getting ‘er done, and for yet another Race Week to march into history! Enjoy these photos!
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.
West Coast Sailing and its sister Zim Sailing have agreed to sponsor hight school sailing for the coming years. This, combined with their recent sponsorship of college sailing, puts them front and center for dinghy sailing for the foreseeable future. Dinghy sailing has picked up participation, and this type of support helps the many young and enthusiastic sailors take it to new heights moving forward. Needless to say, these companies deserve our support. -KH
Here’s the press release:
Zim Sailing & West Coast Sailing Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship of High School Sailing
The Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) is excited to announce a new five-year sponsorship agreement with Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing. These are two of North America’s leading suppliers of boats, parts and equipment, both owned and led by active supporters of high school sailing.
As Official Supplier of the Cressy Championship, Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing will provide ILCA boats and sails for use at the regatta. In addition to providing equipment, both companies have created a unique cash contribution campaign based on the ecommerce platforms of Zim and WCS for contribution directly back to High School Sailing. Furthermore, athletes and teams can continue to enjoy existing discounts as well as a reduced price on branded screen-printed sails. This provides support directly to the member schools and athletes, in addition to generating funds to support the operations of High School Sailing.
“It’s very exciting to welcome Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing as sponsors,” says Tim Hogan, president of ISSA. “High school sailing is among the fastest-growing segments of the sport, and this sponsorship will help us continue to expand and serve our member schools. In addition to providing boats to our singlehanded championships, the discounts for our teams and sailors allow their funding and focus to be on what they do best; providing amazing opportunities to sail!”
Zim Sailing, founded by Steve Perry in 2008 in Bristol, Rhode Island, provides one-design sailboats, parts, accessories, and services to the North American market. They manufacture popular scholastic dinghies (including the FJ, C420, 420E, and ILCA) while engaging in grassroots youth development of yacht club junior sailing programs, community sailing and youth racing. Zim Sailing is seen at regattas around the country, providing charter boats and onsite support.
West Coast Sailing, founded in 2005 in Portland, Oregon by George Yioulos, is one of North America’s leading marine retailers, focusing on the dinghy racing and small keelboat market with an emphasis on e-commerce fulfillment and industry leading customer service. Yioulos, a former Marin Catholic High School sailor, brought West Coast Sailing and Zim Sailing under common ownership in 2021 – with the goal to expand support for sailing in North America.
“High School Sailing changed my life – it set me on a path to College Sailing, and then the last 17 wild years in the sailing industry.” said Yioulos. “The support of the community, the coaches, sailors and volunteers to make High School sailing happen year round – is awe inspiring. Being able to give back to ISSA – is immensely gratifying to us all .”
For sailors, programs and supporters of High School Sailing, this is an opportunity to work with a valued sponsor for all boats, parts, equipment, and apparel needs. Programs can set up accounts for easy online ordering with discounted pricing at these links for Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing. Individual student athletes can take advantage of 15% off apparel and accessories purchases to get the gear they need to get on the water at a great value. Knowledgeable sailors are on hand to provide support and answer questions. More information can be found online at Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing.
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.
