Judge evicts former TV reporter, pot activist from buildin

  • Saturday, January 10, 2015 11:05pm
  • News

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — The rules are simple. Get a boat without an engine. And be the first to reach Alaska.

Those are the rules for the Race to Alaska, a 750-mile marine sprint from Washington’s north coast to southern Southeast Alaska.

The race isn’t designed as a luxury cruise. Instead, it’s a bare-knuckle, wild event characterized by some who have signed up already: a chin-up champion, a Canadian kilt manufacturer and a stand-up paddle boarder. So far, there aren’t any women or Alaska residents who signed up.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The website for the race describes it as the Iditarod on a boat, with a chance of drowning: “We’ll guarantee blisters, mild hypothermia, and the cathartic elation that comes from accomplishing something others would call impossible.”

It starts June 4 in Port Townsend, Washington, with the finish line at Thomas Basin Boat Harbor in Ketchikan, KRBD (http://is.gd/WilMfH) reported.

Registrations with entry fees are still being accepted. First prize is $10,000. The second-place winner will get steak knives.

“Really we just wanted to keep it as simple as possible,” race co-founder Jake Beattie said. “We wanted to strip it down to its bare minimum so the race was as pure as the root itself.”

Organizers are speculating about what type of boat will finish first.

“There are at least four new boat designs that have been developed for this route for this race,” Beattie said. “Everything from Polynesian design — but done in carbon fiber — down to the more accessible marine plywood epoxy sort of construction.”

Beattie said he made his first trip to Ketchikan recently to figure out logistics and introduce the race to residents.

“I don’t know what it’s like to live in Ketchikan,” he said. “But I know what it’s like to live in a tourist town, and it’s nice to have something that isn’t for tourists.”

More in News

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
King salmon fishing on Kasilof closes Thursday

If any king salmon is caught while fishing for other species, they may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Un’a, a female sea otter pup who was admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in June 2025, plays with an enrichment toy at the center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list.

James Wardlow demonstrates flilleting a salmon with an ulu during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge to celebrate all things fish during weeklong event

Fish Week will take place July 16-19.

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in