Race to Alaska Escort Boat Service: PT to Victoria 6/4/15

H

hardee

New member
Bringing this back as a separate thread.:

R2AK is going to happen for sure.

This is linked to a second thread “Race to Alaska” found here:

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=22495&highlight=

But here, this info is not so much about the race but about generating some interest in a “sort of CBGT” that would start in (Port Townsend, WA and migrate to Victoria, BC) keeping pace with race boats.

The Racers are on human or wind powered boats, (No motors allowed) and will most likely, be using a combination of wind and people power, and are very conscious of the tidal currents they are dealing with for their route planning. Launching from Port Townsend at 0500, the first hurdle is the tide rip at Point Wilson. The 05 launch should put most of them around that corner and past the rip during slack time. The plan is that most of the racers would be able to make the Victoria Inner Harbor by evening of the same day, (Thursday, June 4.)

We are looking for “support”, actually escort/safety boats, to make the trip from Port Townsend to Victoria. It would be from early Thursday and if you want to stay around until the second part starts, that will be Sunday at Noon. This might be a nice excuse to hang out in Portland for a weekend, enjoy some really good fish and chips, or tea at the Empress.

The R2AK web site home page is here:
http://r2ak.com/about/

The race forum page is here, (hosted by Small Craft Advisor):
http://smallcraftadvisor.com/message-bo ... m.php?f=10

First leg is from Port Townsend, WA to Victoria BC with a start planned for June 4 at 0500 from Port Townsend Bay. This leg is scheduled to take advantage of a strong and long ebb, with hopes that all will finish on that first tidal current. The completion of this leg is required in order for the participant to be eligible for the second part, which starts on Sunday and finishes in Ketchikan when the first person get there, (sometime in the 1 – 3rd week.)

June 4 is a Thursday. That day was picked for the good tidal current, the option of a second start day if adverse weather becomes an issue, and the Victoria to Ketchikan, AK leg starts on Sunday, June 7 at noon. There are only 2 check points from there to Ketch, #1 is Seymour Narrows and #2 is Bella Bella...... then on to Ketchikan.

I have been asked if I would be interested in providing escort or safety boat service from PT to Victoria, and will probably do that. It should be a one day cruise, although there is an official allowable time to finish that segment in 36 hours. There should be usable daylight for 13 hours after the start. The escort boat lineup is still pretty sketchy and there is room for more.

This will be my 7th official race support endeavor, and there are not many perks but for me, it is a chance to provide some (water borne) community service. For the first race, (an International Championship Rowers race), we had about a dozen from the C-Brat community. It was nice because the racers could recognize the shape of the vessels and knew we were there for them. It would be nice if we could generate that kind of support again.

If you would be interested in an interesting, slow cruise with a purpose, this might be for you. Please PM me if you have any interest and I will offer info and contact if you want.

Check out the links and consider it.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Man, that is one hell of a first leg in a small sailing craft or a rowed/paddled vessel. Starting on the ebb is good for current assist, but also sets up a potentially lethal current against prevailing wind situation in the open waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Experienced, very strong sea kayakers have transited the Strait from Port Angeles to Victoria or the reverse in ten or twelve hours, others taking much longer, and almost all found it very demanding, nay, exhausting. I hope the organizers have vetted the boats and participants well before the start. I think there is no equivalently challenging stretch of water, the rest of the way to Ketchhikan.

I would want a swim platform and big, beefy crew members to deal with any extractions. And a priority cell link to SAR at the ready.
 
Yeah Dave, it is. And I think they set it up to be that because it is the weed-out leg for the rest of the race. You are right about the possible opposing winds, and for that time of year it is most likely.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Having had some experience with the "Canoe Journey", (though not as much as Peter and Karyn), and seeing their adherence to a schedule, One of my first questions to Daniel, the Race Boss, was what the considerations were here regarding delayed start if weather was an issue, and how much issue it would take. His comments were that the Thursday start day was set to allow for a weather enforced delayed start if needed. He seemed much more concerned about safety of boats and crew that what I took away from the other group.

We have had 162 views here, not much in the way of comments. What are some of the questions or concerns from those who have looked and moved on?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Sorry Harvey but this does not sound at all appealing to me.

Since you asked for comments I will say that I agree 100% w/ your statement that providing safety patrols for such races is a great way to 'give back to society' and to make a contribution in the form of providing community service. However; the idea of doing this while possibly being on the Straits exposed to the conditions one frequently encounters out there for an extended time period does not seem wise to me.

Having participated in numerous of their past rowing races as a safety boat volunteer (at least 4 different years I believe) - both riding along w/ Harvey in his boat and also solo on our 23' Venture in conjunction w/ Harvey being on his boat for the last couple times I did this - I must say that, from my experience, in the past, these races seemed to me fairly disorganized as far as safety boat participation and the racers themselves.

Even so, those races in previous years were in relatively calm waters and constrained geographic locations (last year going from Seattle's Alki Beach Park out and around Blakely Rocks and back to Alki and then two years ago going from Port Townsend's Fort Warden Beach out and around Rat Island all within the relatively protected waters of Port Townsend Bay). Therefore, the idea of doing this out in the big waters of the Straits of Juan de Fuqua - where as Dave correctly noted the water can get really rough (major understatement) - likely w/ the same disorganized race management team in control as in past years is not at all appealing to me.

I have always timed our numerous past crossings of the Straits of Juan de Fuqua in an extremely selective manner to avoid getting caught out there when the water conditions get rough (and it does indeed get real snotty out there) and always had the option of turning back and cancelling our crossing if necessary due to safety concerns. The idea of participating as a safety patrol crossing the Straits subject to their discretion as to when the weather is good enough while shadowing and providing assistance if needed to others making extremely slow moving crossings in rowed or sail only powered boats for possibly an extremely elongated time period without the option of turning back (thereby possibly leaving the myriad of much slower boats unprotected) does not sound wise to me in our C-Dory.

As stated above, while the idea of giving back to society and offering to help others is indeed a noble idea and a fine notion this situation seems to me to border on possibly exposing our boat to an unnecessary danger.

Things can be great out and wonderfully smooth in the Straits weather and water condition wise - and I pray that is indeed the situation these racers experience - however; I respect and fear those big waters enough that I would not commit to being out there for what is likely to be an extremely long time period exposed to possibly extremely rough conditions.

Call me chicken or overly conservative but I will defer this year and keep in mind the saying "discretion is the better part of valor".

Good luck if you do decide to provide their requested safety patrol and I hope and pray that the conditions on that day offer the race participants and yourself - and any other potential safety boat volunteers - a safe crossing.

Thanks,
Dan on C-Renity
 
Dan nailed it, far as I am concerned. The prospect of possibly retrieving swimmers in bad conditions exposes the safety boat to peril. It is one thing to come across a single vessel needing assistance, but another thing to shepherd many small vessels with the high probability of needing serious help.

The USCG 47 foot surf boats are configured to make it safe and relatively easy to retrieve swimmers. That, and their expertise and training make rescue a routine process for them. Not for the usual small boat handler.

I think it wonderful the race is sponsored, but that they chose a lousy way to thin the herd on the first day. A tamer stretch, with a 30 or 40 mile run, probably would do the job.
 
Just wondering if there is a problem getting escort boats for the first leg of about 40 miles, what about the other 710 or so miles. The course goes thru Seymour Narrows, and Bella Bella, so it can hit some really rough conditions along the way, as well as strong currents.

It is a very challenging race, and there appear to be some very capable participants. However, since there does not seem to be much of a vetting process, there will be some who are just not prepared.

I have run safety for a number of events, but would hate to be in charge for this one! On the other hand, if I was younger, it would be a great testimony for C Dory to have a boat as an escort for the entire race.

Folks are going to be doing the first leg in all types of "boats". Maybe even a stand up paddle board. Many of the entrants are less worthy than a C Dory. I think a C Dory would be an excellent escort boat (I would feel better if it were self bailing however. You might bounce around a bit. Although there is a finish time of 36 hours--you have to have some safety boat escorting the last boat to finish, even after the race is officially over.

I do agree that if you have to pick up swimmers, that would be a job for a surf type of rescue boat, which could lay beam to seas, and has a low freeboard. Even a good RIB or a Safeboat would be better than the C Dory.

Not only the wind, but the current remains a major issue. If the participant makes it on the first tide then it is golden. If they have to go thru 24 hours, then it becomes far more difficult.

It will be most interesting to see what developes. I have been "discussing" with one of the entrants about water and some other safety issues.Remember that not all that long ago, most of the travel in these waters was via dugout canoes.
 
Thank you for the comments, the insight and the foresight. The concerns expressed are pertinent. The Strait of Juan de Fuca can get nasty. And that is a concern for sure, the timing of the race to take advantage of big ebb makes good sense for the racers who are concerned about the tidal current. That same ebb, running west, out of the Strait and towards the Pacific, could, and likely will have an opposing, westerly wind, setting things up for a pretty choppy ride. It could be pretty bumpy for a flat bottom 22 foot C-Dory.

Another concern not mentioned explicitly, is the time duration. I figure that I have about 10-12 hours of fuel on board, before it is time to be heading for a refuel. This segment could take much longer than that. Another issue to work out, but not impossible.

The boats will typically be our size, or smaller, and generally pretty light, (built for people power), and either human powered (paddle, row or peddle) or sail, or a combination of that list. They will vary with several being built especially for this event, which has been compared to the Iditarod on water. Some are lower budget and some are way up there, ($500.oo to $50or more K). Due to their size there will likely be no more than 2 people on each craft, although this is not a race rule. As to their vetting, there is a fair financial commitment, and consideration and knowledge of the course. Self-rescue ability is a requirement. They are told explicitly that there will not be “rescue boats” to rely on. Required equipment includes a VHF, nav lights besides the basics of sound and flare (USCG requirements). A SPOT tracing device is also required for race progress determination, not as a safety device. PLB’s and radar reflectors are recommended.

This event is not the same race organization as the local races that we have done safety boat service for before. ( And Dan, I have to agree with you in that their organization for our part of the service has been pretty “loose”). Fortunately, we have not had any serious mishaps. There was one rower who took a left instead of a right and headed off across Admiralty, into the fog at Point Wilson. He was redirected, thanks to a C-Dory safety boat. The organization for the R2AK is sponsored by Northwest Maritime Center, not the rowing club, although the rowing club does come under the auspices of the NMC, this event has considerably broader direction. The people involved in the design and coordination are highly qualified. R2AK was the brainchild of Josh Colvin (publisher of Small Craft Advisor Magazine), Jake Beattie (Executive Director of the Northwest Maritime Center), and Colin Angus (National Geographic Adventurer of the year for his human powered circumnavigation via bike and rowboat).

As to the safety boat stable, they are just now working on putting that together. Talking with Daniel, the race boss, they are planning/expecting participation from both Jefferson and Clallam County with their county enforcement boats, and US Coast Guard. There is a plan for a 30+ foot vessel to run as sweep, and that would be for the from Victoria to Ketchikan. The initial leg will be the toughest for sure. Once they pass that test, the rest of the race will be in more protected water. Yes they have Seymour, and there will be other high current areas, but they will also have closer access to getting off the water if they need to.

I would love to do the whole race with them, but that isn’t to happen this year. I agree, it would be neat for a C-Dory to do, and I think it is a capable boat. This is a big undertaking, and providing escort/safety boat service, IMHO is a worthwhile and maybe challenging effort. It in no way means I would put my boat, my life or a passenger at risk. I am looking this over in depth, and will only consent providing I have the option to maintain my safety as a first priority.

I’m sure there will be more on this subject. It is an interesting concept, and I appreciate the viewpoints. I respect the volume of knowledge represented here, and look forward to continued dialog.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Harvey,. as I have 5 trips up and back the Insland passage to AK, I have to disagree with you that the toughest part will be the 40 miles from Port Townsend to victoria. You have Seymour Narrows, you Johnston Straits, you have the open ocean of Queen Charolette Strait and Dixon Entrance. All of which have a history of taking both boats and lives. You may have a calm day on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and 50 knots against current in Johnston Straits--which is more dangerous?

There is also the potential of some very large vessels entering--and on some other forums there has been talk of that.

There will most likely be a lot of small vessels on the first leg, but there are a lot of boats already signed up for the full race, including some purpose buillt mulihulls, with more than 2 crew.
 
thataway":2kk05k9w said:
Harvey,. as I have 5 trips up and back the Insland passage to AK, I have to disagree with you that the toughest part will be the 40 miles from Port Townsend to victoria. You have Seymour Narrows, you Johnston Straits, you have the open ocean of Queen Charolette Strait and Dixon Entrance. All of which have a history of taking both boats and lives. You may have a calm day on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and 50 knots against current in Johnston Straits--which is more dangerous?

There is also the potential of some very large vessels entering--and on some other forums there has been talk of that.

There will most likely be a lot of small vessels on the first leg, but there are a lot of boats already signed up for the full race, including some purpose buillt mulihulls, with more than 2 crew.
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Bob, I agree there are several other areas of the race that are going to be tough. Actually, none of it is going to be easy. The point of PT to Vic being the hardest is that it is a time sensitive section. The good part of that is that there is no first place award for that leg. The racer either finishes it in the time allotment or not. Yes, Johnston can be rough, and Queen Charolette Strait and Dixon Entrance too, can be rough, but there they have the "luxory" of adjusting and timing. This is going to be an interesting race to watch, and there will be adjustments in protocols for next year, (some already being discussed).

As to wind:
"You may have a calm day on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and 50 knots against current in Johnston Straits--which is more dangerous? "
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You could just as easily have the 50 Knots in Juan de Fuca as well and running against the current. Most likely it will be in the 15 to 25 bracket beginning late morning, from my experience, it can vary considerably, even over the day.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Yes. Each racer (or boat, I'm not clear on that yet), will be using a SPOT tracking device. I believe it is the Gen3 unit, and is being rented through the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. This will provide tracking to the race committee an through the r2ak.com link I believe there will be a link to the SPOT tracking page to be able to follow.

I was thinking that it would be nice to have access to that page while actually out on the water working as a safety boat. Especially since these folks will be pretty scattered as time goes on.

The Gen 3 as variable tracking point times from 2.5 min up to 10 min, with several signaling options as well. (Check in, OK; 911; and a customization specific message too.)

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I was sitting in our friends home which overlooks the Straits of Juan de Fuca on Saturday (yesterday) afternoon. It was gusting to about 40 at the house, and I suspect even more on the water. We could hear the waves on the beach, even though we were probably a mile from the shoreline. I was thinking--hopefully no one would have been trying to kayak thru the straits in that weather! I doubt that few of the vessels proposed for this event would have been safe in those conditions. These folks that died were in a relatively sheltered bay, a few miles away!
 
The predictions on NOAA for Saturday were for Small Craft Warnings, with winds 20-30 and gusts to 50 with 5-6 foot wind waves for the central Juan de Fuca. This was for up until 10 or 11 AM. High slack tide was around noon. The time reports I have heard have varied so they may have been in either wind opposing tidal current or the reverse.

Even the launch areas have been reported in different areas and the rescue ops are variously reported. My thinking is that they launched inside the bay, and were headed out toward the light house. The on picture I saw on the news showed that type of angle. Cline Spit would be a likely, and is popular launch site for this type of outing.

Facts: The Dungeness Spit is long and low. Would not have presented a sufficient wind buffer in those kinds of winds. The kayakers were wearing PFD's. They were not dressed for the weather. This was reported on every news channel, (4,5,7 and 13), as a quote from the Coast Guard. This was a church group of friends, about 7 in all. The only photo I saw, taken by one of the group, appeared to be inside the Spit, actually in Dungeness Bay, with relativity flat water, prior to the incident. Two lives were lost, one hanging in the balance. In the mention of not being dressed for the weather, it was also noted that they should have been wearing dry suits. Nothing was said about if they were in wetsuits or not, only that they were not appropriately prepared for the weather. It does not appear that any of the kayakers were carrying a VHF, because the first reports were not initiated until some of the group "swam" to shore.

Supposition and fact: No one checked the weather forecast prior to launch, OR if someone did, and they launched anyway, they did not know what they were doing because no one would knowingly put themselves or members of a party they were responsible for in jeopardy and at risk by launching with those predicted conditions.

It is really sad that a church outing turned into this kind of tragedy. No group should have to go through this. For whatever reason, be it crowd psychology, or macho man spirit, the need to respect the elements must come first and the knowledge that we have no power over the wind or the sea except that we have knowledge in preparation must be remembered always.

The harder the lesson, the longer the memory.

As this pertains to the Race to Alaska, I think those participants are a different class of voyagers than the recreational, occasional paddler that ran into a huge obstacle over this weekend.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Harvey,

I think your analysis is spot on. The forecast was definitely iffy. Photos I saw showed no rubber. Even a 3 mm farmer john/jane would have saved lives that day. At 100 bucks, it is cheap protection, with good dry suits approaching a kilobuck these days, out of reach for casual paddlers.

I have paddled with all comers groups, which this one appears to have been, several times. Unless prepped prior to launch on rescue options, and unless leader and sweep are designated to competent paddlers, all comers groups are by far the most tenuous. You don't know what gear anybody has, what they know or don't know about self rescue, and there is no established roundup protocol when things get tough. Even rafting up in groups of two and three would have likely saved lives. Finally, lack of an operable HH VHF made contacting SAR resources impossible while on the water.

Two people did not have to die.
 
harvey is spot on with his review of what happened. This was a case of the unknowing leading the unaware, unprepared. I have been lead by these types before and though I did not even come close to dying It was not a good camping trip.

I always check weather reports, Not just NOAA which is not always right, before I go on the water.

This loss of life on this day is not a valid argument against kayaking the straights on any other day. You have to be prepared, trained and aware. Aware of the weather report and what it means. I am sure that the church group believed that being behind the spit was a safe choice and would provide protection against the weather if they even knew about the weather.

One last point- in western Washington just looking out side or across the straits is not good enough. Our weather changes hourly and you should be aware of the forecast for the whole day not just right now. Also TIDE can change the way the weather reacts with the water and you should have a fair understanding of that if you are going to boat in this area.

Sorry for the people who lost loved ones in this needless event. And even sorry for those that made the discussion to cross the bay with good intentions but were unaware of their own lack of knowledge .
 
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