Police stops, blow torches and dicks in a bag. A perfect day in western Washington.

So, to recap: this summer Katie, Brianna and Melissa decided to sail in the Race to Alaska in June 2024. That was the easy part. Next up, we had to figure out what the hell we were sailing through 750 miles of the North Pacific.

We researched a dozen different boat options and seriously considered three types. (And by “we”, that means Katie, because she’s the boat guru in our crew.) We discussed in earnest how big the boat actually had to be for 3 women to live aboard. We debated light vs. heavy hulls. We dug deep on whether we would ever get around to the fiberglass work one boat needed, or replace all the standing rigging on another.

And mostly we talked to many, many alums who had sailed in the Race to Alaska. Then we found Wild Card, a Santa Cruz 27, whose owner sailed in the R2AK in 2018.

She’s fast. She’s light (just 3,300 lbs!). She’s unlikely to tip over since half of that weight is her keel. She’s got somewhere dry(ish) to sleep, and you can almost stand up inside (but only if you’re kneeling). Plus, she’s sexy as hell.

Wild Card was moored in Shilshole Marina down in Seattle, a hop-skip away from Team SLAM’s home of Bellingham. Great news, since some of the boats we perused were way less conveniently located.

We wanted to sail her back north. But then we realized we needed the trailer, too, for some haul-out work — including scrubbing the bottom and peeling off old sponsor logos.

Driving a full keel boat up Interstate 5 through several lanes of traffic was not our idea of fun — that’s why we’re racing through a vast wilderness of ocean with hardly anyone in sight most days.

The adventure started with a trailer inspection. “It might or might not make it!” said the first report. The second one gave us a green light. So we repacked the bearings, crossed our fingers, and sent Katie, Melissa and her husband, Craig, south to give it a shot. They made it several miles before getting pulled over by the police for the truck’s expired tags (whoops!).

Once in Seattle, Team SLAM met Mark, the boat’s owner and a two-time R2AK alum, and Mike, who’s been sailing and racing Wild Card the past few years. Both of them were over-the-top kind and generous and knowledgeable! They also provided moral support as we prepped her for the move — and eventually, even a blow torch to troubleshoot a frozen mounting screw on the outboard.

The first moment of truth: inspecting the hull. The harbor’s crane hoisted Wild Card out of the water, lifting Wild Card into the clear blue sky. Melissa (also expertly) held the bow line in case the boat decided to fly away. The hull looked good, if somewhat slimy.

Next up: taking down the mast. It’s one thing to drive a boat with a four-foot keel through the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest. It’s quite another to try it with a two-story-high mast still up.

Craig, who was a marine rigger in his previous life, directed the de-masting. Melissa and Katie helped, while Mark and Mike gave pointers from the sidelines. With the mast successfully horizontal, Katie maneuvered Wild Card safely onto her trailer.

Craig graciously took the wheel for the drive through Seattle. Katie only begged once for him to slow down. And Melissa only screamed aloud twice when she was convinced the boat was about to side-swipe other vehicles.

Since the crew was starving, Craig pulled into his and Melissa’s favorite burger joint: Dicks, an apt name for the inaugural meal with Team Sail Like A Mother’s new boat. The employees nosed up to the window to gawk while Craig snapped a picture of the ladies, hollering, “Hold up your Dicks in a bag!” (Dudes. 🙄)

After one more stop for gas with the 30-foot-long trailer, Wild Card arrived at the boat yard in Bellingham. Jeff Vernon, the yard’s owner, directed Wild Card to her current home, remarking, “Damn, now there’s a sexy boat!” (We agree.)

Katie’s husband and their son joined the crew to toast the arrival of our boat with a cooler full of cold IPA beers. Katie could hardly wait to start sorting through all the treasures that came with the boat. Mark left us everything but the kitchen sink (for real, there is no kitchen sink). But — ding, ding, ding! — Wild Card came with TWO toilet seats. Score!

P.S. Boatyard owner Jeff texted this to Katie the next day: “I am excited about your endeavors and adventure. Go mothers!!!!” Thanks, Jeff!