R2AK is a 750-mile boat race from Washington to Alaska.
No ENGINES. no support. all guts.

First place gets $10,000, cash. Second place gets a set of steak knives. Everyone else gets to find out what they’re made of. Any vessel that’s human-or-wind-powered can enter. The only way to win is to cross open water, navigate through tidal rapids, hug a coastline carved by glaciers, and keep going until you reach Ketchikan. Teams have 36 hours to complete this without getting rescued.

MEET THE Teams

Good luck Shilshole sailors!

All yearly registration Decals for boats in Washington State expire June 30th. Per the WA St. Reg. Requirements, all boats with a motor (including tenders) on Federal Waters (Puget Sound, Lake Union and Lake Washington) are required to register and, if not a Federal Documented vessel, must display registration numbers. 

It’s easy to do online and the decals are ready the next day at the Ballard Licensing Office or they can be mailed to you.  Tabs can be renewed up to 6 months before expiration so don’t wait for the last minute rush!

There has a been a proliferation of sea lions at Shilshole, taking over and damaging docks, limiting access to slips and aggressive behavior towards people that get close. Be aware, stay back and hope they move on back to California next month. Here are some articles regarding why there are so many and their migration patterns….

• Follow the herring: Why sea lions have been calling Shilshole Marina home | Puget Sound Institute
• California sea lions in Puget Sound and vicinity | Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
• Puget Sound Fishing Group | Salmon loss due to sea lions and seals | Facebook

If your boat is documented with the US Dept of Homeland Security, (NVDC-National Vessel Documentation Center), then you have received, in the past, a notice approximately 45 days prior to your documentation expiration.  The fee is $26 for a 1 yr renewal and can be done completely online.  NVDC is now also offering a multi-year renewal up to 5 yrs.  See their website for more details.

Last year, several boaters got a letter from a company (there are several) soliciting renewal prior to the regular letter they receive from the NVDC.  These companies’ fees were approx. $70 for 2 years.  Their paperwork and websites look very “official” and have caught many boaters off guard, including a neighbor of mine who had direct conversations with one of them.

These are 3rd party companies that have obtained the publicly available information on documented vessels and their owners.  They may be legit companies and are counting on us boaters to quickly make a decision or not verifying our GOOGLE search.  (Please read the NVDC site about 3rd party awareness information.)

If you want to remove yourself from any (non-political) solicitations, you can contact these opt out options posted on the Federal Trade Commission’s site.

Lat38 article regarding documentation scam