Race to Alaska, Help me get there!
Donation protected
I'm Matt Johnson, Team Take me to the Volcano. I'm building a pedal powered boat to Race to Alaska.
The R2AK is a 750 mile boat race through the cold, remote waters of the Inside Passage from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. The race allows no motors and no support. I am raising funds to finish building my pedal powered trimaran to carry me safely and swiftly to Ketchikan.
Most of the boats in the race will be manufactured sailboats, and many will be crewed by 3 or more professional sailors. I will be competing solo in a small pedal powered boat that I'm building in my garage. My goal is to be the first solo finisher, the first boat under 20', and to amaze people with how fast a pedal powered boat can be. Many teams utilized pedal drives in last years R2ak, but not as the main source of power. My boat was designed by Rick Willoughby for the sole purpose of racing to Alaska. My plan is to pedal 12-16 hours a day, and sail when I can. I will be sleeping aboard in my 20-inch wide cockpit. I believe I can make it to Ketchikan In 10 days.
Choosing to race a boat under pedal power was a natural choice since I’ve been pedaling my whole life. I started racing my bike when I was 14 and have won eleven national cycling championships. I retired from competitive cycling when my daughter was born 6 years ago, so that I could care for her full time. Now that she has started kindergarten, I have the chance to live a dream that I’ve had for many years: to sail and pedal through the Inside Passage in a boat I made with my own hands.
I started building my boat in November. Refraining from drinking alcohol and coffee has saved me almost $250/month and enabled me to buy the plywood, fiberglass and epoxy to build the boat, but the expensive part is outfitting it. I need to raise $5000 to buy the sailing rig ($1500), pedal drive parts ($1000), rudder and dagger boards ($500), solar panel and electronics ($500), deck hardware, lines, and paint ($500), safety gear ($500), and provisioning ($500). With your help I can finish building within 4-6 weeks and be ready to compete when the race starts on June 23rd.
Achieving this dream of building a boat and pedaling to Alaska means a lot to me. It would not be possible without your support.
Please donate now!
75+ dollar donation: I'll take you for a pedal/sail on my boat. Come to Seattle after the race (July, August, Sept, or October) and we can hit the water, and you can pedal and sail my unique R2AK boat.
Thank you for your help! For more information see the links below.
My Race to Alaska biography for Team Take me to the Volcano -- https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/#toggle-id-24
My team Facebook page -- https://www.facebook.com/TeamTakeMeToTheVolcano
My website for blog posts and other links.
http://www.mattjohnsonboats.com/
The R2AK is a 750 mile boat race through the cold, remote waters of the Inside Passage from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. The race allows no motors and no support. I am raising funds to finish building my pedal powered trimaran to carry me safely and swiftly to Ketchikan.
Most of the boats in the race will be manufactured sailboats, and many will be crewed by 3 or more professional sailors. I will be competing solo in a small pedal powered boat that I'm building in my garage. My goal is to be the first solo finisher, the first boat under 20', and to amaze people with how fast a pedal powered boat can be. Many teams utilized pedal drives in last years R2ak, but not as the main source of power. My boat was designed by Rick Willoughby for the sole purpose of racing to Alaska. My plan is to pedal 12-16 hours a day, and sail when I can. I will be sleeping aboard in my 20-inch wide cockpit. I believe I can make it to Ketchikan In 10 days.
Choosing to race a boat under pedal power was a natural choice since I’ve been pedaling my whole life. I started racing my bike when I was 14 and have won eleven national cycling championships. I retired from competitive cycling when my daughter was born 6 years ago, so that I could care for her full time. Now that she has started kindergarten, I have the chance to live a dream that I’ve had for many years: to sail and pedal through the Inside Passage in a boat I made with my own hands.
I started building my boat in November. Refraining from drinking alcohol and coffee has saved me almost $250/month and enabled me to buy the plywood, fiberglass and epoxy to build the boat, but the expensive part is outfitting it. I need to raise $5000 to buy the sailing rig ($1500), pedal drive parts ($1000), rudder and dagger boards ($500), solar panel and electronics ($500), deck hardware, lines, and paint ($500), safety gear ($500), and provisioning ($500). With your help I can finish building within 4-6 weeks and be ready to compete when the race starts on June 23rd.
Achieving this dream of building a boat and pedaling to Alaska means a lot to me. It would not be possible without your support.
Please donate now!
75+ dollar donation: I'll take you for a pedal/sail on my boat. Come to Seattle after the race (July, August, Sept, or October) and we can hit the water, and you can pedal and sail my unique R2AK boat.
Thank you for your help! For more information see the links below.
My Race to Alaska biography for Team Take me to the Volcano -- https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/#toggle-id-24
My team Facebook page -- https://www.facebook.com/TeamTakeMeToTheVolcano
My website for blog posts and other links.
http://www.mattjohnsonboats.com/
Organizer
Matt Johnson
Organizer
Seattle, WA
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