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We're all living through strange times now; social distancing, staying safe. Well, get ready to leave your safe place behind! Five years in the making, The Race to Alaska chronicles an annual adrenaline-fueled, 750-mile boat race from Port Townsend, Washington, through the dangerous and spectacular wilderness of the Inside Passage, all the way to Ketchikan, Alaska. Described as “the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning or being eaten by a grizzly bear,” this race attracts the intrepid and the unhinged. Meet the dauntless men and women competing for the $10,000 first prize — with no support teams, no rest stops, and practically no rules, except, of course, for that small detail about no motors allowed. Riptides, dolphins, storms, rain, snow, hunger, cold, exhaustion, bears; those are the things you can expect. And then, the race happens: no motors and no support, and nobody finishes without a story.

THE RACE TO ALASKA screened at the 2020 Port Townsend Film Festival and won Audience Choice for Documentary Feature. We are delighted to be offering this encore screening.

Included in this screening is a conversation between PTFF Executive Director, Janette Force, THE RACE TO ALASKA Director, Zach Carver, and Producer, Ian Morland.

We’re excited to screen this film this month in partnership with the Northwest Maritime Center. Learn more at nwmaritime.org and track both races: SEVENTY48 and WA360. Watch your racers in action!

SEVENTY48 is a 70 mile human-powered-only boat race through the heart of Puget Sound in Washington State, starting June 4, 2021 at 7 PM. Teams from all over the country have 48 hours to get from Tacoma to Port Townsend. Is it hard? Try typing for 48 hours, or whistling, or making paper airplanes. Everything is hard to do for 48 hours straight, so most teams arrive just hoping to finish! Follow everyone online 24 hours a day. Don't miss the live footage of over 100 teams at the start line and then the finish, when they finally call out, "I'm done!" Follow along at seventy48.com, on Facebook @SEVENTY48race, and on Instagram @SEVENTY48.

A spawn of R2AK, WA360 is 360 miles of engineless, unsupported racing through the worst and most diverse water puzzles Washington State offers. The inaugural race starts June 7, 2021 at 6 AM in Port Townsend. Teams contend with currents in Deception Pass, tactical light wind strategy in South Sound, and exposure to all the elements as they traverse through both the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca. Teams will race in everything from a stand-up paddleboard to lightning-quick trimarans, and are as diverse as the water they sail. They are racers, adventurers, moms, neighbors, steelworkers, and a four year-old girl leading a team called Fisheries Supply Team Unicorns with Pretty Horns. Like the other races, you can follow it for free 24 hours a day at nwmaritime.org/wa360, on Facebook, and on Instagram @WA360race.