Straight from the Race Boss… Tl;dr: It wasn’t our intention, but it’s possible that we’ll be responsible for an all-time low turnout at your weekly beer can race in late June.

The Adventure Race Department at Northwest Maritime has a chronic need to shake things up, and this year we’re scratching that itch with the return of WA360—the adventure race displacing R2AK for 2025 (and every odd-numbered year going forward)—shifting the spotlight squarely onto our own backyard: the waters between Point Roberts and Olympia.

But still you ask: “What is WA360?” Everything. “Who is WA360?” Everybody.

Every type of story, every kind of team, in every type of boat that can be made to move. It’s every kind of dream, wrapped in a hull and pointed at whatever comes next (in this case, waypoints of Olympia, Goat Island, Bellingham, and Point Roberts, bookended by beautiful Port Townsend, of course).

In classic Northwest Maritime style, we’ve pooh-poohed traditional race classes, PHRF ratings, and all that other malarkey found in The Racing Rules of Sailing. Instead, we made our own rules, with fewer words and zero math. It’s two races, actually:

• The WIND DIVISION: For those using Bernoulli’s Principle in any form, from AC70’s (ok, not yet but fingers crossed) to a literal tarp on an actual kayak..
• The MUSCLE GROUP: For those who choose pain, ibuprofen, blisters, and the full-body ache-reward of human-powered travel.

At the front of these two packs lives a classic battle of speed, tactics, and drive. Behind them is a broad spectrum of match-races, grudge-matches, and hometown heroes—all hoping to cross the finish before we turn off the lights. 

Who’s Showing Up?

More than seventy teams have (so far) raised their hands to say, “Yeah. We’ll take that on.” They’re coming from every corner of Washington State (and beyond). Let’s put them in some boxes, shall we?

The R2AK Alumni Some of your past favorites are back, trading Seymour for Deception. Some names you’ll recognize, such as Teams Ruf Duck, Narrows Minded, Perseverance, and Monkey Fist. Others have come together from past R2AK runs to form supergroups, including Team Toad’s Wild Ride, the new shape of Team Backwards AF (2019), Team Don’t Tell Mom (2022), Team Of One (2023), and Team Wave Forager (2023)—aiming to claim the World Championship Belt.

The R2AK Not-Yets Getting past the guardians of R2AK (the shadowy Vetting Team) can be tough. More than a few aspirants have fallen flat when it comes to populating their resumes for a greenlight north. Quick bad math tells us that 50% of WA360 teams are here as a test run and a CV-padding exercise for a future push to Ketchikan.

SEVENTY48 Graduates After years of proving themselves in human-powered sprints, they’re doubling down. SEVENTY48 is already one of the most hardcore human-powered saltwater races around, but these teams want more.

The Hometown Heroes Washington’s waters have raised some of the toughest sailors and paddlers out there, and they’re coming out to represent. This epic adventure and celebration of our state’s waterways boasts racers with homeports of: Olympia, Bellingham, Bothel, Cle Elum, Seattle, Everett, Shoreline, Oak Harbor, Friday Harbor, Gig Harbor, Sequim, Indianola, Port Ludlow, Anacortes, Sedro-Woolley, Vashon, Yelm, Tacoma, and even some folks from the saltier parts of Spokane.

Others of Note: WA360 2025 has Goliaths and Davids—from a seven-person clown-car sailing a Flying Tiger 10 to 25 separate solo teams who, for reasons only they can explain, have decided to take on 360 miles alone. There are teams racing wooden boats who believe beautiful is just as important as fast, with race boats like a 19-foot cedar faering with a balanced lug rig, a Drascombe Scaffie. Some teams are bringing more than just themselves to the water—Team Guardian Sailing, fresh off a 2024 R2AK finish, is racing to support veterans overcoming trauma and PTSD through sailing.

More Than a Race

WA360—like everything we do at Northwest Maritime—is about breathing the salt spray and engaging with the waterways just outside our windows. You don’t have to race to be part of it. Follow along. Throw a bag of candy to a passing team. Cheer from shore. Bring your boat out to bang cowbells near the waypoints.

We’ll be delivering stories straight from the water—live updates, video, and some high-polish media coverage. 

What’s next? Sign up by May 1. Follow the race. Volunteer. Witness the chaos and then bear it. Join our email list. Click some clickables on social media. Check out the teams at WA360.ORG

Note: Feature image courtesy of Heidi Baxter.