Boating and fishing journalists, photographers and videographers were recognized on 16^th of February in an annual awards program conducted virtually by and for the membership of Boating Writers International (BWI). In BWI’s 2021 Contest (presented now for 29 years), presentations in 15 contest categories representing $15,000 in cash awards were made to first ($500), second ($300) and third ($200) place scorers. Cash award recipients also received a recognition plaque noting their “Excellence in creating compelling stories about boating through entertaining, educational and inspiring journalism.”

This year’s BWI Awards attracted 95 participants submitting 273 entries. In addition to cash awards, 30 Certificates of Merit were presented. All submissions to the contest were published in 2021. Each of the categories (noted below along with sponsors) was judged by four active journalists in the first few weeks of 2022. BWI is a non-profit professional organization consisting of writers, editors, broadcasters, publishers, photographers, public relations specialists and others in the communications profession associated with the boating industry. Members include active marine journalists across the U.S., Canada and around the world.

Results:

Boating Lifestyles – sponsored by Discover Boating

1st, “Hey There Delilah” by David Blake Fischer (Good Old Boat)

2nd, “Cult Classic” by Gary Reich (Soundings)

3rd, “Thank You for Teaching Me to Row” by Andy Cross (48 Degrees North Sailing)

Judge Stacey Wigmore commented, "A delightful piece! It left me on the edge of my chair wondering, like his kid, if he’ll ever find the right boat.”

Merit Award:

“The Woodstock of Sailboat Racing” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

An excerpt from the article “Hey There Delilah” by David Blake Fischer (Good Old Boat):

[...]It’s a fact: 85 percent of people pursuing out-of-state sailboats in the time of COVID are either crazy-in-love or stupid. By now I’m both, so I have to work to win over the seller, who initially tells me he hopes to sell to someone local who can easily see the boat. And so, after exercising some soft skills over email I find myself on the phone with Wade, the seller, swapping stories, reviewing images of the refit, and later sending along a deposit that’ll effectively hold the boat.

One week later, my unlikely plan is in motion. Friday at 4 a.m., a buddy and I load up a rented pick up and leave California on a 19-hour drive to Wenatchee, Washington. We drive 1,200 miles and make it to Wenatchee by midnight. In a small motel, we do the COVID shuffle, disinfecting doorknobs, wiping surfaces, and playing paper-rock-scissor where the loser has to touch the TV remote. After a quick toast, we zonk out.

We ’re up early, before the vacuums hit the hallways. The motel is just minutes from the boat, so I’ve barely had my coffee when we pull into Wade’s driveway where Delilah is resting on her trailer. Even covered in ice, the boat looks amazing. Wade gives me a walkaround and details the many ways he’s prepared her for the long drive back to California. I also get a peek at the garage-workspace of a talented guy who can do woodwork, weld, fiberglass, and restore a vintage boat. A guy who’s spent hundreds of hours sanding, so I can go sailing.

I wish we could stay longer, but it’s a pandemic. So, when the paperwork is done, we’re on our way, towing Delilah down the driveway and waving goodbye. I feel a rush of emotion as we go. Maybe it’s because of what Delilah has meant to Wade, or maybe it’s because of what she’s already beginning to mean to me.  

Anyway, I’m two miles down the road, wiping tears from my eyes, when the phone rings: “Did you mean to overpay?” Wade asks, laughing. “There’s too much money in this envelope.” I am totally unqualified for financial matters; it’s one of my best qualities. When we circle back, Wade’s standing in the driveway with the extra cash in an envelope. “Take this too,” he says. He hands me a small tote bag he recently sewed from Dacron left over from one of Delilah’s old sails. “I’m glad the boat’s going to someone who appreciates her,” he says. “Have fun.”

Twenty-plus hours of mountain passes, rain, snow, and way too many A.M. radio stations dedicated to political conspiracy theories later, we arrive back in LA. The family comes running out when we pull into the driveway. The kids crawl around the boat, opening compartments and poking heads out of the hatch. That sense of joy from my childhood is coming full circle now, and I sleep well that night.

In the morning, I take Delilah down to Marina Del Rey where a friend and I rig a sailboat for the first time. Astonishingly, we successfully step the mast. Then, when all’s good and ready, I back Delilah down the launch ramp and watch as she floats effortlessly off her trailer and onto the water.  The outboard is empty but will run on fumes to get us to the slip. I stand tall and hold the tiller, looking over Delilah’s bow and listening to the sound of water as it laps at the hull. I know then that I love this little boat too. And, tomorrow, when I raise her main, unfurl her jib, and fall off the warm Pacific wind I’ll swear I’m that kid again.

Boating Photography – sponsored by Freedom Boat Club

1st, “Cave Cruisers” by Andy Cross (48 Degrees North Sailing)

2nd, “Staying Clear” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings) 

3rd, “Pungo River Bridge” by Lesley Davison (Billy Pilgrim’s Progress Blog)

Judge Doug Thompson said, “This photo puts the viewer into the wondrous scene and invites the reader to learn more.”

Merit Award:

“Chesapeake Dawn” by Zuzana Prochazka (BWI Directory)

Boating Issues, News and Analysis – sponsored by Mercury Marine

1st, “The Dawn of Driverless Boats” by Bill Pike (Power & Motoryacht)

2nd, “Cybersecurity: Guarding Against Hack Attacks” by Jim Fullilove (Marine Electronics Journal)

3rd, “Time to Bust Up the Boy’s Club” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

Says judge Kelly Flory, “Interviews with multiple sources and a strong understanding of both commercial and recreational technology trends make this story expansive in scope yet cohesive and easy to read.”

Merit Awards:

“New Kids on The Dock” by Norris Comer (Power & Motoryacht)

“Spin Cycle” by Kim Kavin (Yachting)

An excerpt from the article “The Dawn of Driverless Boats” by Bill Pike (Power & Motoryacht):

Back in the mid- ̓80s, in the midst of the Gulf of Mexico, well south of Galveston, Texas, and well north of the huge semi-submersible oil rigs that inhabit the Gulf ’s truly deep, ink-blue water, there used to be—and still may be for all I know—a confluence of seven or eight shipping lanes that navigators in the offshore supply boat biz used to call “Malfunction Junction.” At just about any time of day or night, the  locality  was  predictably  overrun  with  immense,  fast-moving  ships,  some  inbound  for  Galveston’s  Traffic  Separation  Scheme,  some  outbound  for  the  rest  of  the  world,  some  monitoring  their  VHFs, some not monitoring their VHFs and all of them maintain-ing different speeds and headings. As you’d imagine, shaping a safe, reasonably efficient course through this radically congested miasma with little more to rely on than a carefully tuned radar, a radio and a good pair of binoculars was often challenging, sometimes frighten-ing and always instructive.

Indeed,  just  one  jaunt  through  Malfunction  Junction  on  a  pitch-black night was usually all it took to convince virtually any skipper that,  in  light  of  the  speed  and  intensity  of  the  traffic  involved,  the  majority of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Navigation Rules, often colloqui-ally known as “The Rules of the Nautical Road,” offered no guidance or consolation whatsoever. Because you had to simultaneously deal with so many vessels traveling in so many different directions, there was no way to immediately determine which one of the more com-mon rules should apply. While you were overtaking one vessel, you could  also  be  meeting  another  head-on  and  crossing  the  bow  of  a  third. Circumstances that often bordered on in extremis as defined by  the  rules  were  simply  too  complex  to  handle  with  most  of  the  time-honored strictures. Fast navigational decisions had to be made, in large part, based on past experience and intuition.

I reminisced about these true-life navigational tribulations toward the end of a phone call I recently had with Capt. Lauren Lamm, a test pilot  for  Boston-based  Sea  Machines  Robotics,  an  up-and-coming  enterprise that, since its founding in 2015, has been developing AI-driven, autonomous vessel technology for military and commercial markets.  Lamm  was  in  her  shoreside  office,  having  just  returned  from Boston Harbor and the cockpit of a 29-foot Metal Shark Defi-ant,  a  welded-aluminum,  Sea  Machines-outfitted  autonomous  test  vessel  of  the  type  the  U.S.  Coast  Guard  has  just  put  into  service (reportedly in New London, Connecticut) for research and develop-ment purposes. A tech maven with Sea Machines since 2018, Lamm is  a  graduate  of  Massachusetts  Maritime  Academy  with  five  years  of  on-the-job  experience  as  a  Dynamic  Positioning  Officer  aboard  OSVs (Offshore Supply Vessels) servicing oil rigs in the Gulf of Mex-ico. She laughed at my tales of Malfunction Junction, saying she was no stranger to such navigational hotspots herself.

“So, Lauren,” I asked, toward the end of our very informative con-versation  about  vessel  autonomy,  a  subject  that’s  gaining  traction  with  mariners  the  world  over,  “you’re  telling  me  that  the  Sea  Ma-chines module that’s installed on that Metal Shark of yours is capable of  handling  just  about  all  marine  traffic  situations,  including  those  that  arise  in  places  like  that  little  jewel  south  of  Galveston?  And  it  does this autonomously—look ma, no hands?”

“Yes,” Lamm replied, without missing a beat. “Right now, we have ARPA  and  AIS  as  our  main  sensors  for  collision  avoidance  but  by  the end of the year we’ll have camera-based perception as well. So, machine learning will soon help us identify objects in the environ-ment,  whether  fishing  boats,  vessels  under  sail,  different  kinds  of  light  configurations,  debris—that  sort  of  thing.  And  this  will  push  the technology’s capabilities even further.” [...]

Environmental Awareness & Education – sponsored by Torqeedo, Inc.

1st, “American Marine Sanctuaries Welcome You” by Fiona McGlynn (BoatUS)

2nd, “Blue is the New Green” by Kim Kavin (Soundings Trade Only)

3rd, “The 2021 Red Tide Report” by Theresa Nicholson (BoatUS)

Judge Wendy Mitman Clarke said of the winner, “Not only does this story educate about a little-known topic, it inspires boaters to become more involved in helping designate sanctuaries and provides concrete, useful information in an informative, pleasurable story.” 

Merit Award:

“Innovation Invasion” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

Seamanship, Rescue & Safety – sponsored by Sea Tow Services International

1st, “Straight-Up Bravery” by Kim Kavin (Soundings Trade Only)

2nd, “A Deadly Calm” by D.B. Davies (Good Old Boat)       

3rd, “Sailing Scared” by Melissa White (Good Old Boat)

Judge Jim Rhodes said of the winner, “It's been a long time since an article in a boating magazine moved me to tears, but by the time I got to the end of this remarkable story, I literally wept. A good tale, skillfully and sensitively told.”

Merit Awards:

“Pacific Gale Sail” by Andy Cross (48 Degrees North Sailing)

“(Un) Welcome Party” by Bert Vermeer (Good Old Boat)

“Too Close for Comfort” by Melissa White (Good Old Boat)                        

Boat Tests & Reviews – sponsored by Volvo Penta

1st, “C&C Redline 41 Mk I” by Andy Cross (Good Old Boat)

2nd, “Weaver 41: Cold Fire” by Lenny Rudow (FishTalk Magazine)

3rd, “The Intrepid Way” by Charlie Levine (Power & Motoryacht)

Said judge Marilyn Mower: “This is a good example of excellent expository writing. I was left with the feeling I wish I owned this boat, or at least was best friends with the owners.”

Merit Award:

“Going Modern” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

An excerpt from the article “C&C Redline 41 Mk I” by Andy Cross (Good Old Boat):

A Boat for All While the lineage of the C&C Redline 41 decidedly skews towards the performance end of the spectrum, its original racer/cruiser brief means it can be a boat for all purposes. If you’re able to find any of these models on the market today, yes, you’ll likely be getting a project that breeds many other projects (just ask Dave). But you’ll also be getting a fast cruiser that knows its way around a racecourse and can be outfitted for coastal or offshore voyaging.

Want to set it up as a daysailer that is quick to get out of its slip or off its mooring, hoist the sails, and enjoy an afternoon on the water with friends or family? Yep. Have aspirations for distance or round-the-buoy racing with a full crew or shorthanded? Go for it. Looking for a platform to turn into a bluewater cruiser that can happily tick off the miles at sea or swing comfortably at anchor in an idyllic bay? Let your dreams be your guide.

[...] After all, dream boats don’t have to be shiny and new to be fast, fun, and safe. And while they’ll undoubtedly take work, oftentimes it’s boats like the C&C Redline 41 that are worth the most. Not monetarily, perhaps, but in appreciation by a family who has owned it for decades; by those of us who admire it sailing in the same place every summer; or by a kid who steps aboard and then years down the line achieves sailing dreams of his own. The main cabin includes traditional pilot berths port and starboard and a centerline table that opens up for dining, at left. Condor’s glossy interior brightwork was reconditioned with several coats of varnish, and the white paint throughout was refreshed. Note the absence of a headliner, which exposes the deck hardware fasteners for easy servicing, at bottom left.

Fishing – sponsored by Suzuki Motor Corporation

1st, “Consider the Lobsterman” by Simon Murray (Power & Motoryacht)

2nd, “Lines of Heritage” by Wendy Mitman Clarke (Soundings)

3rd, “Drawer Full of Memories” by Charlie Levine (Anglers Journal)

Says judge Craig Ritchie, “This has all of the elements that make a great story – an engaging lead, a strong core message, credible third-party perspectives, and an approachable writing style that highlights an issue while keeping it simple to understand.”

An excerpt from the article “Consider the Lobsterman” by Simon Murray (Power & Motoryacht):

[...]I asked Haskell if he sees himself lobstering forever. Does he have any  interest  in  captaining  his  own  vessel? “I  haven’t  figured  it  out  yet,” he said. “I’m going to ride this out till it sucks.”

“And it hasn’t started to suck?” I ask.

He smiled: “Not completely.”

By 8 a.m. or so, they had gone through 120 traps when I made my debut at the bait station. “Toxicity” played in the background. Up until that point, I hadn’t really understood the music choice. Hard rock really isn’t my cup of tea—especially in the morning. But as I stabbed the bait-iron through the eyeball of a severed rockfish head for the umpteenth time, the musical choice made sense to me. I said as much to the guys. They mentioned one of the lobstermen in the fleet didn’t listen to any music  at  all.  The  only  thing  more  concerning  than  the  guy  who  only  listens to heavy metal, we all agreed, was the guy who did this in silence.

After  watching  Turner  all  morning,  I  wondered  how  he  distin-guished his traps from the countless others. It seemed like an obvious question, but I had never given it much thought until now. “More or less everyone uses their own colors,” he said. Aside from the state reg-istration  number  on  the  buoy,  the  white-and-brown  scheme  comes  from  his  grandfather.  His  dad’s  colors  were  a  slight  variation  of  the  same pattern. Like knights of the realm, or a family crest, every trap held its own special significance to a family. Knowing that, I realized I could never look at a field of lobster pots the same.

I asked  Turner  if  he  expected  his  sons  to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  “I don’t know. I’d like ‘em to, but I also don’t want them to,” he said. “The  way  regulations  are  goin’,  it’s  gonna  get  harder  and  harder  to  make a livin’ doin’ that.”

It was a sobering prospect. The idea that when he finally retires, his family’s colors might end with him. If lobster fishing disappeared from the coast, could his sons find employment? In his famous 2004 article, David  Foster  Wallace  advocated  for  the  lobster’s  wellbeing,  and  con-tinued existence, in “Consider the Lobster.” I had never heard anyone advocate for the wellbeing, and continued existence, of lobstermen.

Back  at  the  wholesale  dealer,  Haskell  stacked  the  crated  lobsters  on  the deck. One at a time, the wharfman carried each crate over to an in-dustrial scale. Altogether, we had harvested 515 pounds. Turner com-pared lobster fishing to the game of chess. “You’ve got to know where to be, when to be. You’ve got to make all the right moves—and if you don’t, you don’t do well,” he said. Today’s haul was about average.

A  lobster  hears  using  its  legs  and  tastes  with  its  feet.  Luckily,  af-ter being awake for more than 10 hours, I could still taste with my mouth  when  I  located  a  picnic  table  at  the  Stonington  Ice  Cream  Company,  only  a  stone’s  throw  from  the  pier.  In  the  summertime,  lines can stretch down the block, with eager tourists waiting to order an ice cream cone or, just as likely, a lobster roll. It was midday by the time we got back, and only a few people were milling around, wait-ing for their food to arrive.

Covered  in  sweat  and  fish  guts,  I  was  social  distancing  the  old-fashioned way. I didn’t care. Atop a white-and-red checkered paper tray was my prize. As I took my first bite of the lobster roll, I couldn’t help  but  wonder—why  did  this  taste  so  good?  Was  it  my  imagina-tion,  or  was  the  butter  sweeter,  the  meat  more  succulent  after  fin-ishing a long day on the water? Maybe it had something to do with being  at  ground  zero  for  fresh-caught  Maine  lobster.  Or  maybe  it  had something to do with witnessing all the backbreaking labor that goes into bringing these tasty morsels ashore. Whatever the reason, I was famished. I tried, but I couldn’t savor the feeling for long. All it took was a few bites and it was gone.

Gear, Electronics & Product Tests – sponsored by Xantrex/Schneider Electric

1st, “Using a Hydrofoil to Improve Efficiency” by Alan Jones (Boating Magazine)

2nd, “All Electric: Pros & Cons” by Tim Murphy (Cruising World)

3rd, “Non-Skid Ten Years After” by Darrell Nicholson (Practical Sailor)

Judge Kate Bush said: “This well-researched story kept the reader hooked the whole way through, making what could be a technical topic very approachable and engaging.”

Merit Awards:

 “Fish Logging Apps” by Ryan Gullang (FishTalk Magazine)

“Stretching the Truth” by Lenny Rudow (FishTalk Magazine)

“Exterior Wood Finish Update” by Darrell Nicholson (Practical Sailor)

Boat Projects, Renovations & Retrofits – sponsored by Boats Group

1st, “Saving Hindu” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

2nd, “Maine Icon” by Carly Sisson (Soundings)

3rd, “The Need for Speed” by Ronnie Simpson (Good Old Boat)

Judge Dan Harding said, “In ‘Saving Hindu,’ the author uses insightful dialogue to tell not only the story of a 100-year-old schooner but the story of those working to give her story a next chapter. Riding that fine line between ambitious and crazy, this story captures the spirit that this category was intended to recognize.”  

Merit Awards:

“Boat on a Budget” by Ryan Gullang (FishTalk Magazine)

“Sticking Point” by John Vigor (Good Old Boat)

Boating Videos – sponsored by Boat Owners Association of the U.S.

1st, “Understanding Boating Rules” by Kim Koditek (Discover Boating)

2nd, “Sea-Doo 21 Switch Cruise” by Jeff Hemmel (Boating Magazine)

3rd, “Weaver 41” by Lenny Rudow (FishTalk Magazine)

Judge Ed Sherman noted, “‘Understanding Boating Rules’ does a great job of both showing and explaining important rules of the road for new boaters. If you are a new boat owner or new to boating, you need to watch this video.”

Merit Awards:

“Bass Cat Driving School” by Randy Vance (Boating Magazine)

“Bennington Q27” by Jeff Hemmel (Boating Magazine)

“What to Look for in a Deck Boat” by Kevin Falvey (Boating Magazine)

The Business of Boating – sponsored by Evinrude

1st, “The Awakening” by Herb McCormick (Cruising World)

2nd, “Turn Your Passion into a Great New Career” by Richard Armstrong (BoatUS)

3rd, “Female Techs” by Zuzana Prochazka (Marine Electronics Journal)

Judge John Burnham said of McCormick’s article, “Well-researched, well-structured, and written in an engaging style with a distinctive voice, ‘The Awakening’ makes a business topic into a suspenseful and educational topic.”

Merit Awards:

“Benefits of Diesel Outboards” by Craig Ritchie (International Boat Industry)

“Live from Orlando: It’s ICAST 202” by Alan Jones (Soundings Trade Only)

“Middleweight Champs” by Norris Comer (Soundings Trade Only)

Boating Columns – sponsored by KVH Industries, Inc.

1st, “Rhumb Lines” by Darrell Nicholson (Practical Sailor)

2nd, “Between Fish Columns” by Bill Sisson (Anglers Journal)

3rd, “Waterlines” by Charles Doane (SAIL Magazine)

Judge Marty LeGrand said, “Wise and philosophical, these columns are peppered with memorable phrases that surely will ring true with readers.”

Merit Awards:

“Going Modern” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

Boating Travel or Destinations – sponsored by Kicker Marine Audio

1st, “A Southeast Sojourn” by Andy Cross (Good Old Boat)

2nd, “Lure of the Elizabeths” by Christopher Birch (Points East Magazine)

3rd, “Kenai Peninsula Discovered” by Andy Cross (48 Degrees North Sailing)

Said Judge Tim Murphy, “The voice of ‘A Southeast Sojourn’ is strong, appealing and evocative. It inspires me to want to visit these places and to spend time in this narrator's company.”

Merit Awards:

“Lunch Run to Matinicus” by Pim Van Hemmen (Soundings)

“Hitting the Sweet Spot” by Craig Ritchie (Lakeland Boating)

Boating Profiles – sponsored by ZF Marine

1st, “On His Terms” by Dan Harding (Power & Motoryacht)

2nd, “The Inspiration” by Chris Caswell (Passagemaker)

3rd, “Still in the Game” by Simon Murray (Power & Motoryacht)

Judge Ann Hoffner said, “Good profile stories by nature have fine sentence structure and compelling leads, and they convey a distinct sense of the person being profiled.”

Merit Awards:

“One Fly to Rule them All” by Gary Reich (Anglers Journal)

“Brace for Impact” by Simon Murray (Power & Motoryacht)

“Uncharted Territory” by Carly Sisson (Power & Motoryacht

Boating Adventures – sponsored by Yamaha Marine Group

1st, “Into the Wild” by Andy Cross (Good Old Boat)

2nd, “Four Skiffs, 1300 Miles, No Sleep” by Charlie Levine (Anglers Journal)

3rd, “Escape to the Sea” by Arnie Hammerman (Lakeland Boating)

Judge Richard Armstrong commented, “The skipper/author enlists us as crew on this cold, sloppy and, yes, exhilarating adventure of racing against nature and one’s own physical limitations.”

Merit Awards:

“Captain Spontaneous” by D.B. Davies (Good Old Boat)

“Voyage of Ice and Sun” by Bill Pike (Power & Motoryacht)

An excerpt from the article “Into the Wild” by Andy Cross (Good Old Boat):

[…] When I re-emerged sleepily on deck after the melee in the night, Johnstone Strait had utterly changed. Gone were the washing-machine seas and gale-force gusts. In their stead was a flat-gray waterscape that blended into the fog hanging in the air and clinging to the surrounding mountains.

We were ghosting along under full sail, and I was happy to learn that we’d slipped into first place overnight. The Olson 30 Lagopus was now in second, and the Melges 32 Sail Like a Girl was in third.

If you’d told me before the race that we would be in the lead days into it, I would have thought you were crazy. I knew our team of quality sailors was up to the challenge, but it would have been hard to imagine a Santa Cruz 27 pulling ahead of so many other boats in the field that are theoretically faster. My hope at the start was that we’d finish the race, maybe somewhere in the top 10 or 15.

Now my racer brain was in hyperdrive to squeeze every-thing we possibly could out of this boat to stay in front. For a while, I was successful. After exiting Johnstone Strait, we sailed fast up Queen Charlotte Sound, endured a weird night at sea off the notoriously brutal Cape Caution, and we still held onto our lead.

Arriving at the checkpoint at Bella Bella, we converged with the Olson and the Melges, and they both squeaked ahead of us, much to mydisappointment. From there our only hope was to throw a Hail Mary by going where the other boats didn’t, maybe gaining a lucky break in wind or current that would give us an advantage.

It was our only option, but a gutsy call nonetheless. Onward we went out into Hecate Strait while the two frontrunners went up the inside. Out in the open, we promptly sailed into a massive windless hole. And when I say windless, I mean nothing. Zero. A forecasted 10- to 20-knot northwesterly breeze was a bust. We took turns on the pedals in an effort to keep the boat moving, but we weren’t encouraged because we knew that Lagopus and Sail Like a Girl could both go faster than we could under human power alone. We desperately needed a wind advantage.

Finally—finally—the tardy northerly did show up and we used every bit of it to make massive strides on the leaders as we crossed the Canada-Alaska border. It was a huge high...and it was followed by a big low. We could see both boats ahead of us when the wind shut off again. Then we watched as they slowly got smaller. My log entry from that moment read:

“Alas, as we sit in the doldrums again, it seems to be too little, too late. We’re 80 miles from Ketchikan and are pedaling. It’s all we can do. Fortunately, spirits amongst the boys are high. Did we ever imagine being in this position? Hell no. But we’ll take it. We’re having the time of our lives!”

After pedaling hard through the windless night, we entered the last straightaway to the finish. At this point, the wind rewarded us with one final run. Up it came from behind us, first 5 knots, then 10. We hoisted our big, black asymmetrical for one last joyous run and positively shot towards downtown Ketchikan. The wind rose to 15 knots, then 20 and Wild Card was up on plane like a surfboard, hitting 12 and 13 knots of boat speed. At the helm, I was all smiles. All of us hooted and hollered with adrenaline-pumping fun.

We threw in one last wipeout of a jibe for good measure, then picked our way into Ketchikan past cruise ships moored in the pouring rain. When we jumped onto the dock to a waiting crowd, beers were pushed into our palms and a bell rang out to signal that we had done it. We had finished the Race to Alaska […]