The 2019 5th annual Race to Alaska is upon us and likely every team racing will come across some form of dilemma. Teams don’t get engines, pre-planned support or planned rest stops. What they get is various forms of hardship and the decisions that will either find them at the finish or no where near Ketchikan. We can’t say why, but this year has a record number of teams racing and let us tell you…the asylum is getting cramped. For the first time, we have a winning team returning in First Federal’s Team Sail Like a Girl; they’re not necessarily looking to defend the title, but, more importantly, continue to inspire women around the globe. We have previous dropout teams — like Team Pear Shaped Racing — re-engineered, trained up and looking for nothing but the glory of $10,000 nailed to a log and first place. Team Educated Guess is a crew of folks who, collectively, have made over 150 trips through the Inside Passage. It’s all bonkers and leaves so many questions on the table, such as: Why? Why small boats? Why human powered only? Why do it and then do it again? What’s your mom thinking of this poor life choice?