Spirit of Admiralty 2009

A New Adventure Begins!

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood, SEAS is sponsoring a race around Admiralty Island.  The longest inland water sailboat race on the west coast just got longer.

Three boats will be gathering at Battleship Island in Auke Bay on Saturday June 20, 2009 at 1000 to begin the race around Admiralty.  The boats are:

• S/V High Noon, a 41' Doug Peterson designed sloop, owned by Mike Rentel and Karen Schmidt 
• S/V Smoke, a Cascade 29 sloop, owned by David Pichard
• S/V Haiku, a Yamaha 33 sloop, owned by Brian Lieb and Liz Agnew

After the start the boats will proceed south down Stephen's passage past the Brother's Island and enter Frederick Sound.  The first leg will continue southwest to Yasha Island, a small island a couple of miles south of the southern tip of Admiralty Island.  The boats will round Yasha Island, keeping the island to their starboard, and enter Chatham Strait.  The 120 nm first leg ends at the entrance to Warm Springs Bay on Baranof Island.

Baranof Warm Springs, one of the most exceptional places in Alaska, has a small community nestled at the bottom of a large waterfall that empties Baranof Lake.  If that isn't enough, the bay gets its name from the perfectly heated natural hot springs, where the sailors will rest their weary bones until the beginning of the second leg.

The second leg will begin on Wednesday (June 24) in the entrance of the bay, and proceed north up Chatham Strait.  The boats will sail by Peril Straits, Angoon, Tenakee Inlet, and Icy Strait until the reach Pt. Retreat, where they will turn south, and head into Auke Bay for the finish at Battleship Island.  The second leg is approximately 94nm, making the entire race over 200 nm.

All interested sailors are invited to watch the start from the Statter Harbor breakwater Saturday morning at 1000.