A boat based out of Friday Harbor held a commanding lead in the Race to Alaska as of Saturday, June 21, 2026, according to the Peninsula Daily News.
The race — an unsupported, human- and wind-powered competition running roughly 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska — draws competitors each year who must navigate the Inside Passage without engine assistance or outside provisioning.
The race
The Friday Harbor entry’s margin wasn’t detailed in available reporting, but the Peninsula Daily News described it as commanding — suggesting a gap significant enough to put the crew in a strong position heading into the Alaska portion of the route.
The Race to Alaska, sometimes called R2AK, prohibits motors and requires boats to carry all their own supplies. Crews have been dismasted, capsized, and forced to scratch in past editions; the Inside Passage’s tidal currents and unpredictable weather don’t spare leaders.
Whether the Friday Harbor boat has reached Ketchikan or how far behind the nearest challenger sits wasn’t immediately available from published reports as of June 21.
Peninsula Daily News reported this story on June 21, 2026. Read the original report.
