Scurvy crew list:
2020 teams: crew & boats details
Small boat curious. Dual hull experimenting for an enhanced experience. Okay to get wet and try again. Love making spinnaker sail contraptions on the fly. Shoreline exploring can sometimes take precedence over race rule directions. Especially liked crossing over race tracks to see faster boats on occasion. Hoping to improve.
Amy:
There ain’t no place I’d rather be
Than out on the Salish Sea
With the likes of you scallywag twinkly eyed rascals
You salty big hearted barnacles
Sailing to and rowing fro
Beachin’ n swimmin’ and nesting in trees
Contemplatin’ on stars.. whistlin’ barefoot n free
- 2018 results: placed #09 Alfred Greenling (Heidi and Ingrid, and Tor) — 74 points
- 2019 results: placed #10. Further In Time (Heidi and Tor) – 103 points
We of Team ‘Miss Moose’ (motto: Servate nobis aliquam cenam [Save Us Dinner]) like to think we bring a whole new appreciation to the concept of ‘finalists’ to this wondrous competition of sleek, well-built, and beautiful little wooden boats, none of which describes our own little beauty. Miss Moose, a 17′ Siren, is a sturdy fibreglass Boler-of-a-boat who has served us well, notably, in 2015, on a 2200 km journey from the ice fields of the Rocky Mountains, the birthplace of the mighty river highway the historic North Saskatchewan, to the upper reaches (through Class 3 rapids), all the way to outfall at the heart of the continent at Lake Winnipeg. Miss Moose has provided us shelter and adventure for five years, allowing us to cruise sea lion colonies (that is until we saw that sea lions actually jump ONTO little boats like MM), explore islands, bob on Bain Sound in summer, and has acted as a fine ambassador for us, so non-threatening is she to this fine cadre of competitive sailors.
‘Skip’, a.k.a. ‘Captain Tinker,’ Jeff Hilberry, has spent his lifetime playing music, running reforestation crews, and now works in the film industry. Otherwise his time has been well-spent ‘messing about on boats,’ to quote Mole, from Wind In The Willows. Until recently, he has owned nothing smaller than a 30ft sailboat, having lived aboard a 36′ Atkin for many years while raising a family. With Miss Moose, however, he reports he can now sleep at night, especially during big storms knowing the boat is snug on her trailer back at his Denman Island ranch.
‘What do you mean I can only bring 10 books with me on the raid?’ Dr. Steele is reported to have said when informed by Skip that Miss Moose needed to lighten her load in order to race, and, interestingly, before a full set of Skip’s tools, including a cordless drill set, emerged from the hold after MM’s outboard motor broke during the race. When Suzanne, a doctor of the soul (PhD) and poet, isn’t busy writing operas (premiere 2020), she dreams of being a contender on the water. Despite having grown up on the North Shore of Vancouver, Steele has never sailed, the BF Raid of 2018 being her first time on the ocean outside of little toodles around Denman Island. Regretting missing the 2019 Raid, Steele is said to be in training for the 2020 Raid, determined to see MM’s team become the ACTUAL FINALIST this year, having been ‘robbed’ of the position by an unnamed team!!!!
As diehard Detroit Tigers fans, Steele and Hilberry demonstrate our lifelong commitment to the idea of being ‘finalists’!
- 2018 results: placed #14 Miss Moose (Jeff and Suzanne) — 106 points
I like sailing. And boats. And I like people who like sailing and boats. I hope you will do boat sailing with me.
- Deep roots in the Silva Bay Shipyard Raids (2005-2010)…
- 2015 Race to Alaska full race: 15th to Ketchikan (26 days 2 hours)
- 2018 results: 2nd place — Ballpoint Buccaneers (Quill, Tim, and Chris) — 33 points
- 2019 results: 2nd place — Ballpoint Buccaneers (Quill Goldman, Chris Wyche, and Dylan Davenport) – 24
My boat is a Tornado, the 20 foot, twin trapeze Olympic sailing catamaran. I’ve modified mine slightly by adding wing seats. This is the second Tornado I’ve owned because they’re such great crafts
Robin: I’m not a rower, I’m a sailor, as in actually sailing. I was fortunate to experience sailing at a young age thanks to my mother. My first sailboat was a tornado which I sailed from Sydney, Victoria to Port Hardy via Johnny Strait and everywhere in between for many summers. I love sailing, small boats, and adventure. I like to sail fast and then get real slow on the beach👻💛👣👀👽
Tim: i love boating about aswell as kicking back at the seashore
- 2019 results: 4th place Cheese Balls (Robin Slieker and Tim Santon) – 35
The best team – confirmed by web designers
Scott is an oceanographer-father based in Seattle who learned to sail on the reservoirs of Colorado. He’s cruised Puget Sound and the San Juans aboard a Wharram Tiki 21 with occasional forays into the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. Cora is his favorite child and is always better than her brother at everything. She has strengths in everything and her weaknesses include nothing.
Scott built Manuoku (a modified Hitia 17) with Thomas Nielsen for the 2015 Race to Alaska in part to continue exploring the crab claw sailing rig and pedal-powered boats. After getting beaten up by the Qualicum winds of Nanaimo, Manuoku had a great voyage as far north as Telegraph Cove. Of all the R2AK adventures on that trip, though, the most ecstatic moments were the short, competitive sub-races that developed by luck occasionally between a few small boats with like-minded sailing friends. We’re ready for more of that kind of joy. Manuoku competed in the inaugural 2018 “Seventy 48” human-power-only race (32nd out of 101).
- 2015 Race Towards Alaska (bowed out after 2 weeks at Telegraph Cove)
- 2018 Seventy 48 (32nd out of 101 human-powered boats)
- 2018 results: 4th Sea Runners (Scott and Cora) — 44 points
- 2019 results: 3rd Sea Runners (Scott Veirs and Cora Reese) – 30 points
Hejira is an Angus Sailing Rowcruiser. Pretty good solo raiding vessel, just needs armament!
Amateur Raider! I had SO MUCH FUN on the 2019 raid ….. must do it again!!!
- 2019 Salish Sea 100 partipant
- 2019 results: 6th TriHardr (Eric Tirion) – 59 points
Life long West Coast boy recently retired and now splitting my time between Vancouver and Gibsons. Always enjoyed a variety of outdoors activities on the water and in the hills and love spending time with like-minded folks. Leaving ashore my wife, two grown boys, and a terrier named Farley for a week of Raiding!
My Raid boat is a John Welsford designed 12′ SCAMP, self-built from a Duckworks CNC cut kit. Only launched in 2019 so still working things out… She is named ‘Fib’ due to her being a tiny ship with a bad case of small ship syndrome.
Gig Harbor Boat Works 17’ Jersey Skiff built in 2015. Built for sailing and rowing.
Michelle: I’m the 60-year-old little sister of Pamela Mickelwait and will be her crew and a better companion to her than an experienced sailor. What I’m trying to say is I’m just good company for her and I’m going along with her for moral support and courage because she needs it and it’s what I do best. In other words, she can’t go without me.
Pamela: I enjoy being on the water with others. I wish I was 40. I have sailing experience. I’m easy going and somewhat adventurous. I’m not the bravest person on the planet but I am equipped with a dose of courage.
Home-built TriRaid 560S trimaran designed by Klaus Metz. Readied for the R2AK with all safety gear and electronics. Square-topped fully battened main sail, working jib and Code 0. Using Hobie Mirage drive as auxiliary propulsion.
Adventurer by nature. Nothing spectacular like climbing Everest or crossing the North Pole solo. Parachutist, Open Water SCUBA, Bush Medic, amateur survivalist. Attempted 2019 R2AK, but broke boat rudder on first leg and pulled out.
Those 35kn winds were just too much. Making changes during the winter.
R2AK Team Ace Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TeamACER2AK/
Bunny Whaler: self bailing, sliding seat rowing, 3x reef full batten main, reefable jib, asymmetrical spinnaker. “Unsinkable” but usually wet.
I’m a middle school teacher. I have loved sailing since I bought an El Toro for $50 and a batch of homemade pasta from my neighbor at age 8. I raced lasers in high school, cruised and raced a Moore 24 during my 20’s, sailed from Seattle to sail land NZ in 2007,and have been dinghy cruising in my foam filled plastic tub named Bunny Whaler in my 30’s. Finished Race to Alaska in 2016, delivered boats back each summer since. Did the Barefoot Raid 2018, missed 2019 for a delivery, and can’t wait to race and hang with the gang in 2020. Probably bringing Bunny, but working on acquiring a secret wooden speed demon.
- R2AK 2016 full race: 24th to Ketchikan (23 days 22 hours)
- R2AK 2017 stage 1: 34th to Victoria
- 2018 results: 8th place Bunny Whaler (Coop and Nate) — 54 points
Grasshopper was built as a back-of-a-napkin efficiency experiment from leftover parts by Russell Brown. A custom plywood/composite pod rides atop Tornado hulls, braced by leftover carbon mast sections. With an extra-long-shaft 15hp Honda 4-stroke hanging out the aft end of the pod, Grasshopper will do 15 knots at a gallon an hour through just about any conditions. I made a platform to span the built-in bench seats and repurposed some old tent poles and a rainfly, creating one heck of a camp-cruiser.
In a past life I spent my time trying to get 60ft-long carbon shells to go as fast as possible. After 15 years of that, I quit cold turkey with just one thing in mind – sailing and rowing a small (but unsinkable!) dinghy up the Inside Passage with my brother, Cooper. Bunny Whaler changed my life. We were close to the last winners of R2AK 2016, and our adventure on that little polished foam-filled bathtub changed my life. We also did the inaugural Barefoot Raid in Bunny. Riding those coattails, I built a rowboat for Seventy48 and raced twice, both times finishing in about 14 hours and 11th place. After slightly overdosing on those physical endeavors, I roped a friend into buying an experimental motorboat called GRASSHOPPER, which will be my steed for this Raid as I try to capture some of the stories, fun, and boats on video. I hope to return to human- and sail-powered boats soon, but Grasshopper’s a little too fun to worry about that right now.
Three wishes, three little pigs, three billy goats gruff… Third time lucky! Luna made it to the finish line every leg of the last 2 Raids, and can’t wait to start all over again. Obviously, at not quite 12 feet long, she’s too cute to know any better.
Chris says: been there, done that, got the T-shirt… sign us up again.
Actually, he describes it as “a wondercraft that is a Hobie 16” and himself thus:
“i love boating about as well as kicking back at the seashore”
- 2018 results: 2nd place aboard Ballpoint Buccaneers with Quill and Chris — 33 points
- 2019 results: as crew took 4th place aboard Cheese Balls with Robin Slieker — 35 points
A John welsford designed pathfinder built on Gabriola by myself
I like sailing and eating food
- 2018 results: 13th place aboard Red Urchin with Chloe, Adrian, & Natalie – 102 points
A Core Sound 20 MK3 designed by Graham Byrnes of B&B Yacht Designs and built by myself (actually I’m still building it but it will be finished 1April or sooner). The boat is a Cat ketch and Graham designed it specifically for the Everglades Challenge in which it took first in class for the first couple years and has remained competitive throughout.
Mark: Ever since I was a child I have had a love for boats both big and small, with a strong passion for sailing vessels. I have owned everything from an 8′ sailing inflatable I was given to by a neighbor when I was 10 years old. to 40′ Clipper Cheoy Lee Ketch. After owning a large sailboat I realized that I missed sailing in smallcraft and found trailer boat sailing much more rewarding and relaxing. My love of boats and open water led me into a career with the U.S. Coast Guard where I spent the majority of my career operating Surf Rescue Boats on some of the roughest water on the west coast. I have always sought out a good adventure whether it was paddling a canoe through the Bowron Lakes in B.C. or climbing Mt. Rainier I’m looking forward to going on a sailing adventure/race with my son and hoping to meet many new friends who share the same passion as I.
Lyle: This Sailor has spent most of his days sailing the great desert seas with the Army in lan vehicles. What I lack in sailing experience I make up for with quick wit and determination.
Golden Eye is a 1975 lapstrake “tent sailboat” built by Greg Foster of Whaler Bay. Her gaff canvas mainsail and jib, and hemp ropes and lines, were made by Shay Foster and still work beautifully today. Her previous owner had her cedar planks and frames recovered in a restoration by the Granville Island Boatyard, and, honestly, the hard Dynel shell is possibly why she has survived the last 6 years under the Dread’s ownership. She sailed in 2018 to Whaler Bay to meet her makers, who were pleased to see she was still alive, as only 2 of the 5 “tent sailboats” they built have survived. Still designing, but notoriously reclusive, Greg Foster is passionate about reviving functional, traditional designs – especially pre-motorized boats with efficient hulls – and built many beautiful vessels that are still plying the PNW, including the S.A.L.T.S. tallship schooner, Pacific Grace. Greg designed Golden Eye along the lines of a Providence Riverboat, specifically for exploring the Gulf Islands, with her centreboard, long oars, and a 100 ft canvas main that can function as a snug tent, which her current owner finds works very satisfactorily. She is a perfect little boat to singlehand, easy to maneuver, and beamy enough to handle almost any weather. She’s looking forward to getting off the damn trailer and back into the water where she belongs…
In a breakaway from tradition, Tobi ‘The Dread’ Elliott returns to Raid in her own vessel, the diminutive gaff sloop, Golden Eye. Vowing to avenge her name and the spar of the ship she pirated in 2019 from Rick the Good (whose name shall forever be venerated in the Raid logs as the most saintly sailor of them all), the Dread has given up trailering (but not piracy) and is bent on a decent start in 2020 in her home waters of Gabriola Island. A fairweather sailor, a landless hippie and a devoted mother of two worthless horses that keep her poor, the Dread splits her time between finishing her tiny house, editing video, fermenting vegetables, and inflicting her progressive ideals on the rural community that can’t seem to be rid of her. One day she plans to trailer her tiny house further north, where the winds are strong, the snows is deep, her horses can forage freely, and she can break as many spars as she wants without issue.
- 2019 results: Team Pirate Urchin with “Red” Elhe and “The Dread” Tobi placed 9th – 92 points
“D’ It is wat D’it is ” is a kit boat Southwester Dory build from Chesapeake Light Craft Boats. She is still under construction and will be doing sea trials April 2020. Sail configuration is two balanced lug sails with a Scandanavian style yolk and drag link helm. I have not used either and anybody with advice please contact me
Francois: Witnessed the start of the Raid 2 years ago in Parksville and talking to some sailors decided that I need a wooden boat and do this. I sailed on Lasers when younger (still do but now choose my days better), then for a few years coastal sailing on keel boats. Been an avid kayaker and paddled most of BC northern lakes and finished Race to the Midnight Sun (Yukon River). Now retired on Vancouver Island and not half as competitive as before. Looking forward to sail with my daughter as a renewal tradition of father /daughter adventure.
Therena: Mother, photographer, and waited 37 years to sail with my dad and to teach me.
The Lady Jane is a 1960 built wooden Lightning one design. Returned to the water after 30 years in a barn and a two year refit, she has been modified for dinghy cruising with an eye towards the R2AK. She has had a cabin added and her sail plan has been revised and modernized.
Rob Hodge took part in the 2016 and 2017 R2AK first leg, finishing in 2016 and capsizing in 2017. He sails out of Shilshole in Seattle, usually in the company of a four-foot sock monkey named George.
S/V Kingsfold is a Stevenson Weekender (16-foot plywood and stringers, gaff-rigged sailboat) built with some carefully considered and researched modifications to make it safer in the unprotected waters of the Race to Alaska. (Details available here: https://kingsfoldsailboat.blogspot.com/2020/01/some-of-my-thinking-behind-my-changes.html) Not only safer, but more accommodating for a couple of guys to cruise in for extended distances.
25 years ago I got infected with the sailing bug when I got to crew on my older sister’s 27 foot sailboat. That opportunity went away a few years later, but the desire for my own boat remained. In 2011 I bought the plans for a Stevenson Weekender, figuring I could build as I had funds and time. A few years later, I learned about the Race to Alaska and started thinking, “What if?” Then I learned about the Barefoot Raid and Salish 100 and figured, “Hey, those too!” (Lots of details are available on my boat construction blog at www.KingsfoldTravelogues.com.)
Reigning Barefoot Raid Champ, Smurfette is a 1978 FrankenHobie 16. She is one of many and unique amongst all. Hopefully upgraded with some Raiding specific mods this year…
Alternative team names include “Smurfette Riderz” and “Haddock’s Unicorn”…
Thomas: I love to sail. the faster the better. Rowing is a chore. Like dishes and laundry it can be masochistically fun… but I’ll take tight lines over those evil sticks any day. When the sailing is done Hanging 10 on the beach by a fire feels like magic. I was born for this.
boat is to be announced…..
Returning raider. Entered for the glory. Came back for the fans and paella and the sailing and the general hilarity of it all.
- 2019 Raid results: 5th place Loobern (Lucas Christopher and Mitch Burns) – 49 points
I have a Windrider 17, you know, like Ryan’s. Mine came white, didn’t turn white like his did. Its plastic hull is indestructible (I hope). As a trimaran, it makes a nice platform for cruising, camping, and endless modifications. These beauties are a breeze to sail (see what I did there?) because you have the option to steer “hands free” with foot pedals controlling the rudder. This means that if a snotty Hobie sailor screams past you, you can salute him or her with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other.
So, picture this. It’s 2006, you’re about to turn 50, and you’re driving the wife and children from the Outer Banks to Norfolk, VA, through the driving rains of tropical storm Ernesto. You had to give up sailboarding because of the pounding on your knees, briefly owned a Catalina 22, but mostly sailed OPB’s (other people’s boats). As you are slowing down to a crawl on the highway with the wipers hopelessly overwhelmed, your mind drifts back to the sailboat you just rented, and fell in love with, in the Outer Banks. “Honey, we should get one of those boats.” You form the statement like a question, fully expecting the logical, practical response which includes the many, many valid reasons against boat ownership. Just then you pass into the eye of the storm: the wind dies, shafts of sunlight coalesce through the thinning clouds until, for a few brief moments, all is sunshine and calm. “Yes, dear, I think we should.” And with that, she was off the hook for my 50th birthday present. Since then I have been the proud owner of a Windrider 17. Subsequently there have been a few seminal events related to my dinghy adventure aspirations:
- I was captivated by The Dinghy Cruising Companion by Roger Barnes.
- Ryan Wegwitz, despite disparaging the Windrider’s (non) pointing abilities, completed the Race to Alaska in that very boat. (I hope we can chat sometime, Ryan.)
- I got the last kid through college, and could retire, thus freeing up time for Boat Love. I am hoping to get to meet you all on the water.
It’s a 17ft 1950 One off design by a Vancouver boat builder named A. Spit. I picked it up about 4 years ago and did a major rebuild. Mahogany and cedar ribs and deck over fir frames. Lots of original brass. Ecopoxy skin added during rebuild. Party lights, pirate flag and sea shanties included.
“Some years ago, never mind how long precisely, having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.” -Herman Melville I am an avid sailor, navigator and adventurer. I have spent most of my life near the sea and revel in its vast complexities and wonder. As soon as I could hammer two pieces of wood together I gained a love for wooden boats and their intrinsic beauty. I have owned and rebuilt a number of sailboats over the years. I only have a small racing background but have loved every minute of it. I look forward to joining this years raid crew. “May the breeze and rum be stiff but the shore and lassies be soft”
We bought the boat today. She’s a CL16, plenty of prep work will need to be done.
Recently moved to Saltspring from the North Shore, we are getting back to sailing dinghys after many years of racing keelboats. We met 25 years ago at a sailing school on the Isle of Wight. We’re the most boring people alive and have nothing to say in this paragraph… that’s what 10 years of parenting will do. Looking forward to having a great time sans kids.
Trying to decide what to take, if it is back from R2Ak in time (sailed by Doug), it will be a first (ex, seascape 18), otherwise a flying dutchman.
Loved sailing so much as kid I went to college to design sailboats, had that beaten out of me by capitalism and now I design ferries! I usually sail big boats, on the pointy end, R2ak twice (once as 2nd loser!), a fair bit of other offshore racing in SF, 3000 offshore delivery miles, TP-52 in seattle for cans. But the joy of small boat sailing is drawing me back to my routs.
It is currently a stock Melges 24. For this event we will be using a Maine with a reef point in it. As much as I would like to use our custom pedal drive from the R2AK, we will probably just use SUP paddles as we would like to keep our boat ready for one design fleet racing.
Grew up sailing out of Bainbridge Island from a young age. I continued sailing through high school, college and beyond. I am now working on tugboats for a living and play on the water for fun.
Results:
- Placed 5th in 2019 R2AK with team Educated Guess.
Kullan (as in, get your “Kool On”) is a sturdy, comfortable, reliable 1970 Monk Trawler which has taken us on many beautiful trips. We love to share her with friends and family.
Colleen and Murray live on Gabriola. They love boating in the southern Gulf Islands as well as going up the coast, and they’re planning to go round Vancouver Island one of these years. We are excited to be joining the 2020 RAID as a support vessel.
I built my boat with two others at the Silva bay boat school in 2011. Shes a 15′ Paul Gartside (#140 maybe?) lapstrake fun machine. Launch day was the begining for Sylvia and myself. No previous sailing experince at that point, but eager to get into it. Sailed around the harbour a couple times before 2 of us sailed her back to Denman. Since then have done Many Day trips and a few Week+ trips Rowing and sailing around Texada and up to Cortez and back. We packed 3 of us on there for two weeks at one point, she accomidated us just fine. I keep Sylvia on a Trailer in my Barn, safe and sound the rest of the time.
Hi! I live on Denman, I like Camping, Snowboarding, Sailing general Adventuring, and tinkering on Projects. I have been sailing on and off since 2011. Done mostly day trips, but a few lengthy trips a week or two up and around the straight. I really enjoy that magic feeling of being out on the water, chatting and playing with the wind. I’m exicited to some a longer trip with the aide of a mothership. Seams like a winning combo!
Over Easy is a 1978 Montgomery 17, a 2016 R2AK finisher in different hands and under a different name. When the prior owners loaded this sweet marigold tortoise on a barge in Ketchikan, never wanting to see or smell it again as long as they lived, Ted was a perfect mark – still wrapped in the Stockholm-syndrome of Monty fandom following his survival of the 2015 R2AK, and young and dumb enough to buy a boat essentially sight unseen while it was in transit back to Seattle. Still sporting a number of significant upgrades from R2AK, Over Easy is as ready for the Raid course as she was in 2018.
Six months after Ted learned to sail, a timely, persuasive email earned him a berth on a Ketchikan-bound Montgomery 17 in the 2015 R2AK. The three week trip north left Ted hopelessly strung-out and addicted to Salish Sea salt. Poseidon’s greasy, scaled tentacle is now firmly wrapped around Ted’s ankle, dragging him helplessly through two Seventy48s, half of the 2018 Raid, deliveries to the Caribbean and to Seattle from AK, and to the craigslist ‘boats’ page where the horrid, oozing suckers repeatedly depress Ted’s finger on the “reload” button over and over and over. Ted can boast occasional luck as a boat photographer, a backyard festooned with wretched, mouldering paddlecraft, and employers who at this very moment are likely looking at the preponderance of “OOO – SAILING” entries on Ted’s google calendar and pulling up HR on Slack.