Payin’ It Forward to Young Mariners – The Race to Alaska
When Team Pas Si Vite signed up for the 2026 Race to Alaska (R2AK), they knew they were taking on one of the world’s most unusual endurance events: a 750-mile race from Victoria, British Columbia, to Ketchikan, Alaska with no engines, no support crews, and no margin for error. What they did not expect was how many people back home would rally around the adventure; and around the cause they chose to support along the way.
Pas Si Vite is a five-person team made up of Connecticut sailors Tristan Zeman, Ben Freeman, Vlad Zeman, Sebastien Zeman, and Stew Williams. While the race took place thousands of miles from Long Island Sound, the team’s roots were established in the sailing community of southwestern Connecticut. Sailing has shaped friendships, family relationships, and countless adventures for members of the team over the years. It also provided opportunities that many young people never have the chance to experience.
That is why the team chose to support SoundWaters.
SoundWaters gives young people throughout Fairfield County the opportunity to get on the water, learn to sail, build confidence, and develop a connection to Long Island Sound. For many participants, these programs provide access to experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. The Pas Si Vite crew believes every child should have the opportunity to discover the sense of challenge, independence, teamwork, and wonder that comes from being out on the water.
The race itself was every bit as demanding as advertised. After months of preparation and a cross-country effort to secure a suitable boat, the team chartered Wildfire, a 30-foot Olson monohull that had completed the race twice before. They spent months studying weather patterns, tides, currents, and route options before arriving in the Pacific Northwest for a final shakedown sail.
Once the race began, the crew encountered everything from dead calms that required hours of pedaling to gale-force winds, powerful tidal currents, steep seas, and sleepless nights navigating narrow passages in the dark. One memorable night brought 7-10 foot waves, whirlpools, and howling winds as the team battled north through the notorious Johnstone Strait. Another morning delivered a pod of dolphins that spent nearly an hour playing alongside Wildfire.
By the middle of the race, Pas Si Vite found itself locked in a battle near the front of the fleet. The team briefly held the lead among monohulls and remained in contention all the way to the finish. After almost exactly seven days of continuous sailing, navigating, and watch rotations, the crew pedaled across the finish line in Ketchikan, Alaska, securing third place overall and second place among the 34 monohulls that started the race.
The result was far beyond what the first-time R2AK team had expected. But for the crew, the most meaningful part of the experience has been the opportunity to share the adventure in support of an organization whose mission resonates deeply with them.
If you’d like to support SoundWaters and help provide more young people with the opportunity to get on the water, please consider making a donation through Team Pas Si Vite’s fundraiser:
