Cheekee Monkee | F-45RC

Kim Alfreds

“Cheekee Monkee is a carbon fibre F-45RC. Built and completed in 2018, she hit BC waters in 2019. After plenty of adventures (and a few misadventures), we finally completed our first full racing season this year. At the 2025 SOAR Regatta, we got to experience Cheekee Monkee in her element, flying downwind in 40 knots of breeze and hitting 27 knots of boat speed!

During the 2024 PNW Offshore, we managed to snap our bowsprit off two hours into the race. Jury-rigged a fix, added a bucket for a sprit cover, and kept sailing on.

The break sidelined us for the rest of 2024/ early 2025 season. We are back and thrilled to join the 50th anniversary PNW Offshore. Ready for more miles and plenty of Monkee mischief!”

Free Bowl of Soup | Club Swan 42

Eric Hopper, Doug Schenk, Matt Hopper

 “‘Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this, I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though.’- Movie Caddyshack, Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield)

An obvious (at least to us) pick for a boat name... Team Soup is about having fun and sailing fast; we believe they go hand-in-hand and not forget to maintain good karma. Time is flying—this will be our fourth Offshore with the new-to-us, Club Swan 42 Free Bowl of Soup, and our thirteenth overall. We’re excited about the continued growth and use of ORC ratings and scoring, along with the great mix of long-time racers and newcomers joining us for this epic 50th edition!

P.S. Huge thanks to our Race Title sponsor, Schooner Creek Boat Works, for their support and for keeping us in racing shape, and to Platinum Sponsor, Goslings Rum, for...well making and sharing great rum! #FreeBowlofSoupRacing”

True Love | Spencer 1330

Steve Smolinske

“True Love was owned by my In-Laws in the late eighties and early 90s, she had two prior owners before my wife, and I purchased her in 2014. At that time the boat was on the hard, in extreme disrepair and being sent to auction by the bank. We purchased her and did a total refit, saving only the hull, a few winches and the pulpits.

She is a very capable go anywhere anytime blue water cruiser with some racing bones to her. A portion of our crew has been sailing together for 15 years two of which did their first Oregon Offshore Race (OOR) in the mid-eighties. I have competed in something like 6-7 OOR with True Love and my prior Catalina 38 Peregrine.

This year our crew consists of Dan Symonds, Randy Doull, Mark Ward, Dave Ferguson, Sheridan Ferguson and April Armstrong. We will be competing in Swiftsure and the Pacific Cup.”

Pathfinder | J/120

Jim Calnon

“J/120 hull number 47’s previous owners were racers based in Darien, Connecticut and completed the Newport-Bermuda in 2000.   They went on to win first in the J/120 North Americans in 2004, but decided it was time to retire from racing in 2019 and sold her.  Number 47 made her way from Mamaroneck, New York to Portland, Oregon on a truck that summer and was renamed Pathfinder. 

After arriving in Portland, she spent the first three months of her new life at Schooner Creek Boat Works, getting new standing rigging, rudder bearings, engine mounts, bottom paint, and many other overdue maintenance projects.  Now in Portland, she has completed five PNW Offshore races, four Swiftsure races, and two Anacortes Race Weeks.  After an unfortunate incident on the course this summer, she is out of action for repairs but we expect to be ready for action around December 1.  Pathfinder is planning on racing the remaining Sailing on Sunday races, then prepping and racing in the 2026 Offshore and Swiftsure.”

Presto | Chris White Voyager 48

Joe Dazey

“After 40 years, Joe and Sue Dazey retired from salmon trolling in 2014 and bought Presto, a Chris White Voyager 48 catamaran, in Stuart, FL in 2015. They sailed and raced in Chesapeake Bay winning the Cape Charles Cup in 2016 and 2017. They participated in the Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean in 2017 and 2018. More recently, Presto won the multihulls division in 2025 Foulweather Bluff Race.

After passing through the Panama Canal in 2019, they cruised the coasts of Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Presto left Ensenada July 3rd and arrived in Sitka seventeen days later. They’ve since made numerous trips to SE Alaska, raced in three PNWO, three Round the County, a bunch of local Puget Sound races, and did the 2024 Pacific Cup winning the multihull division. Next up are 2025 Round the County, 2026 PNWO, and 2026 Pacific Cup.

In addition to Joe and Sue, the crew will consist of Dawn Fulton, Eric Hansen, and 10-year-old Fenris Hansen.”

Hana Mari | Wylie 43

Ged McLean

“Hana Mari was built by PNW Offshore Race title sponsor Schooner Creek Boat Works in 1999. Ged McLean bought the boat from Kevin Flanagan in 2012, moved it to Victoria BC Canada, and has been racing and cruising in the Pacific Northwest ever since.

With a cold molded hull skillfully crafted by Steve Rander and his team, Hana Mari is fairly light for its size, extremely stiff, and handles the gnarliest conditions with neither a creak nor a groan - just lots of acceleration and big smiles from the crew. In general, the windier it gets the better she does! Hana Mari has become a regular contender in the long distance racing scene on the Salish Sea having completed four Van Isle 360s, nine Swiftsures, and six Round the County races since the boat was moved to Canada. Of course, the PNW Offshore Race is a big part of this. 

This will be Hana Mari's fourth PNW Offshore Race with Ged at the helm - Hana Mari has won her division twice and will once again be trying hard to get home to Victoria faster than anyone else. See you in Ilwaco!”

Soufflé | Cal 34 Mk1

Phil Lewis

“My boat, Soufflé, a 1969 Cal 34 Mk1, and I have been together since early 1997. I quickly erased the name she came with and then struggled to find a new one—until one evening, while my French wife cooked duck breast with blackberry sauce and I watched Julia Child with our young sons. Julia announced she was making a soufflé, explaining it came from the French word souffle, meaning “breath of air.” I ran to the kitchen and told my wife I’d found the boat’s name. It checked every box: French, playful, food-related, easy to say, a play on words, unique—and simple. 

Soufflé’s first Offshore race was in 2013.  That year Soufflé set the record for the slowest last-place finish (71 hours, 55 minutes), then in 2014 for the fastest last-place finish.  Since then,  Soufflé’s  Offshore crew has stayed pretty steady over the years with most having raced on her for years.    

We are not really racers, and my wife and I mostly cruise the river—anchoring, reading, swimming, and enjoying sunsets, cocktails, and dinners.

The 2026 race will be Soufflé’s twelfth—and likely my last. I've said this for years, but kept changing my mind after arriving in Victoria.  I would have quit after the 2024 race, with its 30 knot headwinds, but I wanted to make it to the 50th running of the race.  And, here we are!”

Margaret II | J/120

David Shepherdson

“Margaret II is competing in the PNWO for the second time since my wife Karen and I purchased her in 2021 when we moved from Portland to Bellingham.  Before that we competed in the 2019 Oregon Offshore in our first boat, an Ericson 33 also named after my sailing mother, Margaret.  We won our Division that year and have been trying to repeat that feat ever since with no luck so far!  We have a seasoned crew, some of which have competed in all our PNW/Oregon Offshore races and for one crew member this will be his 9th race (shout out to Rich Ackerman). 

Margaret II competes in most of the North Sound races including the Swiftsure, Round the County, Race Week and PITCH plus the Bellingham Bay weekday and Long Distance Races.  This year we took part in the Van Isle 360.  The PNW Offshore is a special race, we love to come down to the Columbia River to meet our friends from the Portland sailing community and race back home.  This year, the 50th will be particularly memorable.  We are hoping for a good turn out of J120's, in 2024 there were 4, let's meet or exceed that for the 50th.”

Penelope | C&C 99

Ben Emery & Naja Di Pilla

“We brought Penelope (our first sailboat) in 2020, fortuitously putting in our offer just before the pandemic hit and demand for boats went sky high.

Penelope hasn’t missed a PNWO since, racing in the last five as well as a few Swiftsures and the 2025 Van Isle 360. We’re excited to be back again for the 50th Offshore with a mix of long-standing crew and newer crew who will be doing the race for the first time. This year we’ll also be using the PNWO as a warm up (well, if “PNWO” and “warm” can really be used in the same sentence) for the 2026 Pacific Cup.

Scouring the internet for profile pictures of us, we’ve been forced to the conclusion that we’re becalmed 13% of the time, our sails are embarrassingly out of trim 37% of the time, we’re too far away from the rest of the fleet 56% of the time and the remaining 44% of the time our bowman is taking the opportunity to chat to sailors on the nearby boats. Putting out a request for the rest of the fleet to take some better pics of us during this race… ideally when our kite is up and from ~20 NM behind.

See you in Victoria for oysters and Caesars….”

Aja | Ericson 35 MK 2

Rich Elstrom

“Aja has competed in 16 Pacific Northwest Offshore races and four Swiftsure races. One crew member has competed in all of those races, and most of the rest of the crew have competed in at least several. We hope to have a few other Astoria Yacht Club boats competing in this year's Offshore race.”

Lodos | J/111

Tolga Cezik

"Lodos is a J/111 sailed by a crew of friends who race locally in the PNW and have campaigned two generations of Lodos (first a J/109, now the J/111) in offshore events including Van Isle 360, Pacific Cup, California Offshore and Transpac. We’re here to race hard, have fun, and enjoy the passage north. This will be our first PNWO."

Absolutely | Farr 39 ML

Charlie Macaulay

“The Absolutely Team will be back for the NW Offshore in 2026 to redeem themselves after being forced to retire from the 2025 race due to a gear failure.  After getting the boom repaired, the A-Team made up for lost time by winning their class at Race Week, finishing second at PSSC, and winning at SYC’s Grand Prix Regatta to finish up the 2025 season. 

Absolutely is a Farr 39 ML retrofit with a Bieker keel, wheel steering by the previous owner, and flying Ballard Sails.  We purchased Absolutely in 2015 and have raced her extensively and somewhat successfully in the Pacific Northwest.  The boat is tweaky, requiring constant attention, but very fun to sail in most conditions.  Built in 1996 for IMS racing, we think she still has a lot of life left in her. 

The A-Team consists mostly of family and long-time friends.  Core crew includes Charlie Macaulay, daughters Leigh Donovan and Shelagh Hansen, sons-in-law Kali Donovan and Doug Hansen, Brian Larson, Mario Lakey, and Caroline Lemmens.  Last year’s NW Offshore crew also included David Rogers and Ben Towery.  Other frequent crew members in recent years include Enzo Dougherty, Miles Williams, Lena Captain, Lisa Couret, and Paula Bersie.”

Selkie | Club Swan 42

David De Lanoy

“Team Selkie is formerly Team Fortuna. Team Selkie recently obtained a Club Swan 42 which we are very excited about. We will start competing in 2026 but for now, here is a brief history with our prior boat....

Team Fortuna has competed in the PNW Offshore race from 2018 to 2022 with a class win in 2022. Outside of the PNW Offshore Race, Team Fortuna has competed in four Swiftsure (Cape Flattery) races with one division win in 2013. In addition, we competed in two Van Isle 360 events (2019 and 2023) obtaining one stage victory.”

Elbows Up | Soverel 33

AJ Hesford

"The salty crew of young & old has sailed the PNW for combined decades: Swiftsure, Southern Straits, Round the County, Van Isle 360 plus Vic Maui & Pacific Cup, but never the PNW Offshore!  Will I eat my words?  At the 2025 Awards BBQ at RVYC, I pointed at the blank space on the trophy where the winner of the 50th race will go and said, "Elbows Up! would look some good there!!"  

I only just got the boat in May 2025 and am doing "work-ups" this fall & winter to get up to speed.  Still need to get an ORC rating.  Looking forward to a great race in 2026"

Ravens Haven | Arcona 380

Aaron Schofield

“This is our 4th season racing Ravens Haven out of Olympia through the South Sound Sailing Society.  We’ve been sailing together for many years, while a few of us have recently jumped aboard to join the regulars.  We enjoy each other’s company, and we all love the challenges that sailing can bring.  We are excited for the adventure that the PNW Offshore offers, and it is one reason we’ve signed up. 

We’ve done many of the great PNW races, including Swiftsure, Round the County, WA360, and some of our lucky crew have completed Van Isle 360.  Since we are a South Sound boat, we’ve also run the South Sound Series for years. Ravens Haven is looking forward to finishing in Victoria and fulfilling our desire to sail offshore.”

Longboard | Riptide 35 MkII

Peter Salusbury

"We're excited to be entering our very first Pacific NW Offshore Race onboard Longboard!  Having completed multiple Hawaii and Swiftsure races, we're pumped to take on this truly classic west coast offshore race.  Congratulations to the Portland Yacht Club and Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland on the 50th anniversary of the event."

Ceres | 55 Light

Joseph Grojean

“Ceres is new to me but a sister ship to Charm, a 55 Light my family and I circumnavigated on. The kids were 3, 6 and 9 when we started.  We finished up in 2020, just in time for Covid. We should have kept sailing. 

The offshore crew is still being arranged at the moment, but I have Craig Shaw and Dale Davis willing to go. If I get the crew I am hoping to get, we will have about 100 Oregon Offshores (close to 20 each) between us. In the 1970’s, I crewed on an Offshore down to Tillamook on Celebration, a Cascade 36, skippered by Neil Kelly. It has been many years since my last Offshore race. I suppose enough time has passed that I forget what a suffer-fest it can be. 

None of us have really raced a multi hull. It will be good fun figuring it all out - especially how to short tack up the Washington coast. 

I’m really looking forward to being back in the Pacific Northwest and participating in the PNW Offshore after probably what has been 25 or 30 years.”

Zvi2 | Carkeek 40

Alan Lubner

“Team Zvi is back for the 50th Anniversary of the Pacific Northwest Offshore, with Zvi2, our new to us Carkeek 40.  Having competed locally in our prior boat, including two races to Hawaii, we're excited to be learning this new platform that, while a little smaller, has so far proven to have some real speed potential, while being a ton of fun to sail.”

Mach II | Andrews 77

Daniel Sinclair

“Mach II is an Andrews 77 full carbon fiber racing yacht with water ballast and a lifting keel from Vancouver BC Canada. The boat has an outstanding crew and is skippered by Daniel Sinclair and co-skippered by Ross Bailey. The boat has had some significant success in the past few years. In 2024, they set the race record for the Fraser River Lightship Race in 2 hours 26 minutes. In 2024, the boat was 1st to finish and 2nd overall at the Swiftsure International Yacht Race. In 2025 Transpac Race, they were 3rd in Division 1, as well as the first international yacht to finish the race.”

Pangaea | Baltic 39

Nick Estvold

“The Pangaea crew has covered thousands of ocean miles together in various forms. Skipper Nick and Jim Bottles did Vic Maui in 2006 when Nick was 16. Gabe Hill and Nick (as nav) followed that up with a first in division and second overall in Pacific Cup 2022 on an Express 37 (Spindrift V) with many races in between. Others are newer to the boat, Ryan Sagan, David Lavigne, and Chris Martin who are all welcome additions to the Pangaea village. 

The boat hasn’t been this far south since Vic Maui ‘82, but we think she will feel right at home punching through the chop with a heavy shoulder, always tolerant of us running a bit over canvassed. Pangaea, like her copper tea kettle that came with the boat, has some patina. Yet race after race and thousands of miles of family cruising, she carries us to our destination in relative comfort and with dignity. We are all looking forward to the race and thankful for the organizers and other competitors for making this a very special event!”

Swift | Catalina 400

George Kapllani

“Swift is no stranger to miles. He's cruised the Inside Passage to the San Juan Islands and Desolation Sound, with a previous life that even reached Alaska. I entered Swift for this race once before - 2020 had other plans.

For the 2026 PNW Offshore Race, Swift will sail with a crew of four. All have extensive experience on Swift going up and down the coast. The team includes a longtime Canadian friend and crewmate of over 20 years, dating back to Albacore sailing lessons in Toronto. She went on to race the Clipper Round the World; I was imported to Portland, where my racing résumé largely involves being a persistent thorn to Misty, Kaiju, and Cando. The remaining crew are Portland-based sailors with offshore experience and multiple PNW Offshores completed.

We’re a cruising boat crewed by competitive people. The goal for this year is simple: sail smart, finish safely, and be part of the 50th anniversary of this iconic race.”

Vela Volta | Bavaria 35 Match

David Welch

“Vela Volta has competed in the PNW Offshore race before, but this will be the first time that my crew and I get the experience.  I have participated in the race 4 times in the past, twice as crew on Defiant and twice as co-owner of Kaiju.  I acquired Vela Volta in October 2025, and she is a Bavaria 35 Match from 2005 that had been designed for the world Match races. We are still learning all the nuances of how she sails and what better way to find out than to take her offshore.  In addition to previous PNW Offshore races, Vela Volta has also participated in the VanIsle 360 and Swiftsure races many years ago.

Vela Volta is now based out of the Rose City Yacht Club in Portland Oregon and is looking forward to participating in many future races throughout the Pacific Northwest. Looking forward to sailing alongside an impressive group of boats and sailors for the 50th Anniversary.”

the Boss | J/35

Chad Stenwick

“We have been racing the Boss since 2012. In 2021, we made the jump to real offshore sailing by doing our first PNW Offshore. Since then, we have done another PNW Offshore (2024) and two Pacific Cups (2022 and 2024). Other local races have included a handful of Swiftsure races and Round the County races over the years. 

Most of the current crew has been sailing together since 2020 or before. We are always looking for a good offshore challenge, and PNW Offshore delivers it every time. We are looking forward to hanging out in Ilwaco before the race, then the trip to Victoria.”

JUGO | J/120

Rob Hodson

“While the 2026 crew list is still being developed, we are all experienced offshore sailors from the Portland Yacht Club and Willamette Sailing Club. Some of our team has been with the boat on all of our ocean race events. 

We became owners of JUGO, a J/120, in 2019 and have participated in PNWO and Swiftsure every year since 2022. We finished 3rd place in our division in 2025.”

Terramoto | Riptide 35 MK1b

Bill Weinstein

“We have had a very stable core group for the last few years, and we're happy to add a few other friends to sail with this year. Terramoto is a nearly 30-year-old hull that has undergone many evolutions over the years. Under Bill Weinstein's ownership, the boat has received a new keel, new interior structure, new rig, a new water ballast system, an updated sail plan, etc. All of which has produced a great all-around boat for PNW middle-distance and coastal racing. We are very much looking forward to participating in the race's 50th anniversary.”

Escapade | Morgan 323

C. DeVere Sheesley

“The draw to join the 50th anniversary of this legendary event has been irresistible. Escapade - meticulously refitted since 2019 - is all dressed up and has been looking for new places to go. In fact, this will be her first venture across the Columbia River bar and up the coast. Fortunately, her lifelong sailing skipper has crewed this route five times.

While most of our eclectic crew have similar experience, we'll bring along an ocean-sailing novice to remind us to remain in awe of what we're doing and witnessing. As explained in our recruitment announcement, "We are in the cruising class because life is already stressful enough." Since we are fanatically mellow, our racing goals are: 1) keep well astern of the real racers, and 2) be amazed if we come in second (to last).

We look forward to testing ourselves and the boat, passing the exam, and arriving in Victoria Harbor sobbing with collective joy, relief, and accomplishment.”

Ratfish | Evelyn 32-2

Jonah Zimmerman

“Ratfish is a 1983 Evelyn 32-2 that came to us in late 2020 and immediately opened our minds to just how overpowered you can be upwind and how many different lines can be tangled in the cockpit. While slowly learning how to keep things under control, we have done our best to continue the boat's long history of racing hard with a goofy name on the transom.

Ratfish has done a variety of local races, including Swiftsures, Northern Centuries, and Round the Counties (or is it Rounds the County?). While this will be the first PNWO for everyone onboard, the Ratfishers bring broader experience in watersport-based suffering, including the Pac Cup, R2AK, Van Isle 360, Thistle Nationals, swimming around Bainbridge Island, and whitewater kayaking.

For anyone wondering, Ratfish (the fish) are dopey-looking relatives of sharks and rays with large eyes and long, wing-like fins. They are among the most abundant fish in the Salish Sea because they taste bad to humans and seals and have a venomous spine. They can usually be found slowly cruising along the bottom and ignoring you.”

Ultraman III | Seahorse S-40 MOD

Jason Saunderson

“Who is Ultraman, you ask? Only the baddest ass, 130-foot-tall, 35,000-ton, red-and-silver metallic, non-speaking superhero with giant headlights for eyes ever to emerge from Japan, that’s all! 

Ultraman III is a Joubert-Nivelt designed Seahorse S-40 MOD built in La Rochelle in 2006 but came to the PNW in 2019 from Japan via Hawaii.  Haven't heard of a Seahorse S-40 before?  That's because there are only four in the whole world: 1 in Japan, 1 in Vancouver, 1 in the Naval Force 3 Yard in France (never launched!), and 1 in the Mediterranean, which we have chartered to enter the Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 in June.  The boat is a 12-metre, 4300kg (40 feet and 9,500 lb) downwind flyer.  As the Boat Captain explained with a gruff Japanese accent when we sea-trialed in Honolulu: "Upwind, light air, not so good.  Downwind, heavy air, very good..."

Ultraman III's crew is here for their first PNW Offshore, but we have lots of "Offshore" and distance racing experience.  Ultraman I, II, III has competed in four VanIsle360s, 11 Swiftsure and 13 Southern Straits races.  The boat previously placed 2nd in Division twice in the 2013 and 2015 Transpacs.  Most of the crew have a Vic-Maui under their belt.”

Resolute | Cal 2-34

Dan Tedrow

“Resolute is a 1976 Cal 2-34 (34' Mark 2) with our unofficial motto: "slow, cold, and awesome" a fitting description given her lack of a heater, modest speed, and the fun times we have aboard. As she turns 50 this year, it’s especially fitting that we’re competing in the 50th PNW Offshore. 

This will be the skipper’s ninth PNW Offshore and Resolute’s second PNWO. Over the years, we have competed and placed in numerous races around the Puget sound and Portland area, with the boat taking second place in the Portland Yacht Club Mauni Elliot series in 2024 and our best placement yet… Winning the 2025 Swiftsure In-shore course for PHRF B /cruising class.   We’re heading up the coast with most of the same crew from last year, a group that has been sailing together since 2015. 

Over the years, Resolute has proven to be a versatile platform, competitive thanks to the ORC handicap system, and a fun, reliable vessel for taking friends, family, and kids out to explore the Pacific Northwest. Our goal this year… A fast trip up the coast, a lively run down the straits, pushing the boat and crew to their absolute limit, and, if we’re lucky, finding the finish line this time around.”

The Kodiak Express | Express 37

Jason Hofman

“The Kodiak Express was purchased in 2023 and brought to the Pacific Northwest from Long Island Sound, where she built an impressive racing résumé, including standout performances in the Newport to Bermuda Race and Block Island Race Week. Purposefully modified with a retractable sprit and asymmetric sail inventory, she is optimized for long-distance and offshore competition.

Acquired with the goal of competing in premier offshore events such as the Pacific Cup and Vic-Maui, The Kodiak Express has quickly established herself on the PNW racecourse. Her results include the 2024 and 2025 Round the County Yacht Races, the Swiftsure Yacht Race—finishing 1st in division in 2024—the Southern Straits Yacht Races in 2024 and 2025, and the Patos Island Yacht Races in 2024 and 2025, earning 2nd in division in 2025. In 2025, she delivered a standout performance at the VanIsle 360, finishing 1st in division and 2nd overall, and was awarded the 2025 BC Sailing Pachena Point Trophy for Offshore Boat of the Year.

The Kodiak crew has been sailing together for more than ten years, first aboard the Davidson 29 Kodiak, and now aboard The Kodiak Express. The team will use the PNW Offshore Race as a final tune-up before competing in the 2025 Pacific Cup Race and is excited to begin this next chapter in their offshore sailing endeavors.”