This post came from our application to participate in the 2024 Race to Alaska. We’re sharing snippets from the application in a 3-part series to introduce you to Team Sail Like A Mother.
Hopefully by now you’ve decided that my teammates have what it takes, and my resume is but a cursory read. Because what you won’t find here is a long list of experiences I’ve had that are on par with R2AK. I’m not going into this endeavor thinking: “No problem, I’ve done this a million times before.” R2AK will be a first-of-its-kind challenge for me.
What I am bringing to R2AK is the experience of an adventurer, a mother, an ER nurse and an endurance athlete—all of which have given me the ability to be very scared and very happy at the same time, as well as the smarts to choose wise and talented teammates. Here’s a glimpse into some of my adventures and experiences to convince you I’m equipped to make this crazy trip to Ketchikan:
I like carrying my stuff around while exploring this world. I’ve done many self-supported bike rides, including one around the South Island of New Zealand. I’ve circumnavigated islands by kayak, without support, while sleeping next to bears. I’ve spent a semester in a tent wandering around Utah, working hard to avoid scorpions. I’ve explored the Amazon Rainforest by dugout canoe, days away from medical assistance. I worked for 7 summers on a small boat in SE Alaska, so I know what these waters look and feel like.
More recently, my idea of fun is to be dropped off by boat 20 miles away from cell service, then run through rattlesnake-invested hills to make it to the bar in time for happy hour. Speaking of those rattlesnakes, I manage any “sideways situations” by remaining calm, working through “worse-case scenarios”, and stepping one foot in front of the other. And frequent urination—it helps.
In terms of stamina, I’ve given birth to two children, which necessitated hours and hours and hours of pushing. I can assure you, most of my birthing experience felt pretty sideways until those babies arrived. Being a mother has also taught me that nothing is more important than coming back home to my kids, not ego, cost nor logistics.
I love endurance sports, and am a regular runner, biker, and swimmer. I also run marathons and am accustomed to spending hours on end running in freezing, wet conditions in Bellingham. In preparation for R2AK, I’ve started a daily push-up, squat and plank routine.
I am an ER nurse. My job exposes me to a high level of risk—and exposure to all sorts of gnarly diseases—on a daily basis that surpasses most other jobs in this country (true fact!). My job trains me to work quickly and calmly in high-stress, high-stakes situations. I think this gives me a unique perspective on risk vs reward, what really matters in life (having life!), and the importance of stopping when the outlook is futile. And let’s be real: everyone wants a nurse around when things go sideways.
As for actual sailing experience, I’m surrounded by a family of racing enthusiasts and am comfortable on boats. In my younger years, I spent many a day following orders to tack and jibe while heeled at all angles. My husband and I spent our first years together living in the very tight quarters of a Newport 33. Since we also raced our floating home in the Bellingham Bay series, that meant unloading kitchen gear, bikes, shoes—basically most of possessions—onto the dock each week to lighten her load during the races.
In recent years, I’ve spent more time watching my kids race dinghies in the bay rather than handling lines myself. But planning for the R2AK made me remember how much I love sailing. Since the purchase of Wild Card (Team SLAM’s trusty Santa Cruz 27) in September, I’ve spent many hours on Bellingham Bay re-learning how to sail with Katie or my husband—both of whom are amazing coaches!
My endeavors until now have prepared me well for R2AK. They’ve taught me the joy of wild places, the thrill of being simultaneously scared and happy, the necessity of pushing forward one step at a time, the vital importance of teammates, and a trust in my own body and mind to do hard things. Why now, for me? I woke up a year and half ago and announced to my husband that I was going to do something adventurous again in my life. That I had to in order to sustain myself as a mom and a wife. R2AK is that adventure.
