Planning SEVENTY48 2022

We are in our final preparations for the 2022 SEVENTY48 race. We’ve been checking the forecasts regularly and packing our gear all week. We have our charts with times and currents and our own, personal go/no-go (when it make sense to push through versus when we should rest until the currents are more favorable). We’ve been hydrating and trying to get some light exercise, balanced with plenty of rest. While no prep is ever perfect, we’re as prepared as we can be for this year’s race.

So… What’s the Plan?

We have multiple versions of our plan. We’ll adjust, depending on the conditions we encounter along the way. Will we want to head up the west side of Bainbridge like we did in 2021? We have a plan for that. Will we want to camp on Saturday night or press on to paddle the last few miles?

Will we want to keep our Saturday night camp short and get on the water before sunrise? Or will we want to get some additional rest, even if it means we have to portage the Port Townsend Canal? I can actually answer that one: we’ll want to magically get plenty of sleep AND launch early enough that we can get through the canal before the current turns against us around 8am. We do, in fact, have a plan for that, too. But pretty much everything will have to go perfectly in order for that one to work.

We even have a version where we barely finish under the 48 hour time limit. That’s one we really don’t want to use, but we prepared for it so we’ll be able to adjust to it if needed.

Is That Even a Plan?

So… what DO we know about our plan? We know how we plan to get to the starting line. We know that we’re relatively likely to camp the first night at Lisabuela. And we know that basically no one else in the race is likely to be camping with us. Most folks push on, and take a rest on Blake Island if they take any breaks at all. We look at what the currents are doing, and aim to take advantage of them wherever possible. We aren’t fast enough to make it through Colvos Passage before flood. And even though it’s a weak flood, we’re talking about Colvos Passage here – the one place in the Puget Sound that almost always runs north. Camping that night will give us a bit of rest before we tackle the longest day of the race, and it will be nice to start on a steady ebb.

The other thing we know is that we’re going to do our darndest to cross the finish line by 7pm on Sunday.

Follow SEVENTY48 2022 and See…

While we can’t tell you which of our plans we’ll end up using, you’ll be able to see how we’re doing in real time. When the trackers go live at 7pm June 10th, you can Follow the Race – SEVENTY48 2022 Teams…

• Good News, I Saw a Seal
• Paddle On… Paddle On
• Rogue Kayaker

Wish us luck, send us good vibes, pray for calm seas and light winds; we’ll take whatever form of blessing you can send!