Posts by John Riise
Tale of Two Storms
By now you’ve doubtless seen the stats on Florence. Since coming ashore in the Carolinas early Friday as a Category 1 hurricane, the storm has left 17 dead, almost a million evacuees still unable to return home, extensive flooding, major highways shut down, 700,000 homes and businesses without power — and it hasn’t stopped yet. More »
Singlehanders on Their Way to Hanalei
In the age of insanely tall skyscrapers and self-driving cars it’s nice to know that a San Francisco tradition is still around and unchanged since 1978. On Saturday the start of the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Singlehanded TransPac was off and running with 19 diverse boats heading to Hanalei, Kauai. More »
A Flyer Clinches Volvo Ocean Race
French skipper Charles Caudrelier hoists the trophy after claiming victory. His first win was six years earlier while sailing with Franck Cammas’ Groupama team.
© Eloi Stichelbaut / Dongfeng Race Team
The Volvo Ocean Race has arrived at its closest finish in the race’s long and storied history. More »
Mystery Boat No More
With 32 responses — and counting — a family ‘mystery’ of over half a century has finally been solved. I thank all of you who wrote.
A photo of a photo of a former mystery boat (you can just make out the silhouette of the author, snapping the shot). More »
The Winners Sail Like a Girl
And the winners are… First Federal’s Team Sail Like a Girl!
Team Sail Like a Girl finished the Race to Alaska yesterday just after midnight.
© Katrina Zoë Norbom
The first monohull and the first all-female team to win the Race to Alaska sailed into Ketchikan over the weekend to claim the $10,000 first prize. More »
The r2ak Is Getting Interesting-er
The 25 teams that remain in the fourth annual Race to Alaska are finally getting some wind. For the first three days after last Saturday’s high-noon start, the fleet sweltered under a blob of high pressure that, if nothing else, gave the human-only powered craft their, ahem, day in the sun — and left everyone else wishing they’d brought more sunblock. More »
Do You Know this Boat?
Anyone know what boat this might be?
A mystery boat in need of an expert eye to identify her.
© 2018 Unknown
This photo hung in my father’s home office for years. More »
r2ak: The Race Is On!
Two days into the wild and crazy Race to Alaska, Russell Brown’s Gougeon 32 PT Watercraft is already looking like the boat to beat. Last year, Brown set the solo record for the 710-mile race from Victoria, BC to Ketchikan, Alaska — 9 days, 6 hours. More »
Race to Alaska Starts This Week
Thirty-seven teams are poised in Port Townsend for the start of the fourth annual Race to Alaska (R2AK), which kicks off on Thursday. ‘Eclectic’ doesn’t even come close to describing the fleet. More »
‘Team Silver Alert’ Put on Hold
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. We’re sure you’ve all heard that one a time or two. Personally, we think it’s a bit misleading: One who adjusts the sails can certainly be optimistic that it will turn out for the best. More »
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