The Race to Alaska

If you’re considering participating in next year's R2AK, here’s a good article from SAIL. This article highlights the Corsair 760 and its crew. Zam Bevan, one of the crew members, brought his deep experience with Corsair trimarans to the race. Zam was the Production Manager at Corsair Marine International for many years and has raced these trimarans worldwide. He is currently the Project Manager at Triac Composites. His expert advice was invaluable in this race. Read on!

The Race to Alaska is cold, wet, and slightly crazy. It took a weird mix of Vegemite, skill, luck, and Buddha for one team to make it. Article by SAIL / Norris Comer

Riddle me this, sailor: What do you get when there’s a gale warning out of the west and a 13-year-ebb tide rushing out of the east? If you answered “a bad time” or “a washing machine,” you are correct. Such were the conditions on day 1 of the Race to Alaska (R2AK) that our half-Australian, half-American race team, Vegemite Vigilantes, faced on the start line. The new R2AK tattoos were still bloody on the arms of my fellow crewmates Scott Wallingford, Andrew (Andy) de Bruin, and Trevor (Zam) Bevan. As per R2AK tradition, the fresh ink was from a pop-up tattoo parlor that offers race participants free R2AK tats. My teammates’ ink sent a strong message: We’re getting to Alaska, hell or high water. Around 30% of racers do not make the finish line in a typical year, but we were not going to be among them.

The R2AK is a 750-mile engineless adventure race from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska. Sail- and human-power provide the propulsion, with platforms ranging from ultra-fast racing trimarans to stand up paddleboards. We, seeking a respectable podium finish, were aboard Scott’s new Corsair 760 trimaran, Toast. The Corsair 760 evolved from the popular Corsair Dash 750. With longer, more buoyant, wave-piercing amas, the design incoporates the company’s proprietary folding system to make it trailerable. Accommodations would be modest for our crew of four with limited standing headroom and supplies taking up most of the V-berth.

An entrant in the R2AK plunges through a wild sea state. Conditions in this race range from storms to dead calms with added complexity of intense currents. Photo by Jim Meyers/VertizonPhoto

The Corsair 760 had plenty of speed under sail as well as a custom twin pedal drive that could push her along at about 2.5 knots. Photo by Norris Comer

Vegemite Vigilantes Zam and Andy are all smiles before the start. Photo by Norris Comer