11 May The Race to Alaska Movie is Coming to Nelson!
GET. READY.
750 miles. Icy water. No motors. No support. Described as “the Iditarod on a boat with a chance of drowning or being eaten by a Grizzly bear,” this epic endurance race attracts the intrepid and unhinged who find their edge along a coastline that is as punishing as it is beautiful.
On June 1st The Race to Alaska film will be coming to Nelson on the big screen!
Friends of Kootenay Lake is partnering with the Civic Theatre, Kootenay Pedalwheelers, and Race to Alaska, to screen The Race to Alaska Film as a fundraiser to support stewardship efforts on Kootenay Lake and to generate excitement for team Kootenay Pedalwheelers as they prepare for the 2022 race.
The screening will include a raffle prize draw and a Q & A with the documentary filmmaker, Zach Carver.
Date: June 1st at 7:00pm
Location: Civic Theatre, Nelson BC
Tickets: $15*
*All proceeds from this event will go directly towards powering stewardship and education efforts on Kootenay Lake.
Purchase your tickets here
About the Event:
The Race to Alaska (R2AK) is North America’s longest non-motorized adventure/endurance race. It starts in Port Townsend Washington and finishes in Ketchikan, Alaska, a distance of 750 nautical miles. There are two rules to the race; no motors and no outside support. The race course covers a stretch of coastline that is wild, often treacherous, thinly populated and very unpredictable. The R2AK is very simple in that the first team to Ketchikan, wins. Prize for 1st place is $10,000 (USD). Prize for 2nd place is a set of steak knives. There are no other prizes.
The Kootenay Pedalwheelers is a team of six local Nelson sailing enthusiasts that are competing in the 2022 Race to Alaska. The Pedalwheelers have been preparing for the race since 2019. The boat is a 10m Flying Tiger monohull sailboat, a light powerful craft that we have outfitted with a dual pedal drive system to propel it in place of a motor for when the winds are light or non existent. 
“In past runnings of the R2AK the attrition rate has approached or exceeded 50%. Adverse weather, gear failure and exhaustion all contribute to teams dropping out along the course. Due to this, just finishing the race is viewed as a major accomplishment. In spite of these odds, we believe that our team has a good chance of completing the race, and a small chance of even winning. If the Kootenay Pedalwheelers wins the $10,000 (USD) we have chosen to donate 100% of the winnings to Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society. We are all grateful to have Kootenay Lake to sail upon and enjoy in so many ways. We would be thrilled to support and give back to the Lake by supporting FoKLSS.” – Jay Blackmore, Member of the Kootenay Pedalwheelers
Special thanks to our funders:
