R2AK - The Finish Line
13 days 1 hour and 59 minutes. That's how long it took Colin to row and sail from Victoria to Ketchikan in the RowCruiser. Today at 12:59 AKDT he rowed up to the finish line in Ketchikan.
R2AK Day 13 - Alaska in Sight, Going Through the Night
Colin is 60 km from Ketchikan. He can see Alaska! It’s been another long day for Colin. The morning started off windless, then came modest headwinds, which persisted for most of the day, except for a brief respite of gentle tailwinds.
R2AK Day 12 – Soggy Slog
Colin finally got out of the Grenville Channel. Yesterday he had 20 knot winds against him so he had to pull into an anchorage early and this morning the current and winds were still against him. Finally, when the current slackened in the late morning he left his shelter and continued rowing north through the channel.
R2AK Day 11 - Inside Passage's Spectacular Greville Channel
Colin is currently anchored in Klewnuggit, just outside the marine provincial park. He’s about 40 kilometers south of where the Skeena River flows into the Pacific. Dale McKinnon, who is very familiar with these waters, describes the confluence of the Skeena and tidal waters as notorious in a flood tide and even challenging in an ebb tide.
R2AK Day 10 - Tailwinds and currents
Colin’s spent the day weaving his way through a maze of islands and inlets. He was up with the sun once again and is just anchoring now. He’s had moderate tailwinds and a reasonable current, allowing him to make steady progress.
R2AK Day 9 - Voyaging BC's Fjords
Much of the open water crossings are behind Colin. He is now travelling northern BC’s majestic fjords. These narrow inlets bordered by steep mountains provide a labyrinth of more protected waterways. It’s a remote wilderness and he hasn’t seen a single other boat in the fjords.
R2AK Day 8 - At the halfway mark
Colin has reached the halfway point to Ketchikan. He’s now anchored in a cove on Denny Island just a few miles south of the check in point at Bella Bella.
R2AK Day 7 - Goodbye Vancouver Island
Well sadly Colin is out of cell phone reception and I didn’t hear from him today. Thank goodness for the tracker. Between that and monitoring weather conditions, I feel like I could have almost been there on the boat with him. Minus the hard work, big waves, and sleep deprivation that is.
R2AK Day 6 - Sailing through Johnstone Strait
Colin had some great winds through the Johnstone Strait this morning. The low pressure system brought winds from the south instead of headwinds, which allowed him to travel at speeds of 7 knots at times.
R2AK Day 5 - Into the Johnstone Strait
The first boat reached the R2AK finish line today. Mad Dog Racing, a 32’ catamaran crossed the finish line just after 7 am this morning, completing the 720-mile race in just under 4 days. Amazing. The second place finisher hasn’t even reached Ketchikan yet. Mad Dog definitely deserves the $10,000 prize.
R2AK Day 4 - More Rowing
The winds were light today and Colin rowed for most of the day. It’s been a tough day because of all the rowing, hot weather and he was running low on water. Usually Colin goes through 6 litres of water a day, but today he had to ration his water until he refilled in Campbell River.
R2AK Day 3 - Finally Some Wind
Finally, the wind has come. It wasn’t much and not always from the right direction but it provided a much needed break from rowing for Colin. Early this morning Colin headed east towards the Sunshine Coast. There he hugged the coastline and sped north.
