In 2023, Evgeniy, Jeanne, and their team, We Brake For Whales, crossed the finish line in Ketchikan, AK in first place after the grueling trek north from Washington State in the Race To Alaska (R2AK).
Aboard their offshore racing boat, Gray Wolf, sporting a free-standing mast, water ballast, and 40 feet of cold-molded cedar, this team of eight raced up the inside passage. They faced 15-knot currents, upwind sailing in 35-knot winds, and steep bashing waves and finished in 5 days and 20 hours. Jeanne said, “This race was perhaps the most challenging and rewarding of them all.” Please join us to hear more about this grueling and mettle-testing race.
Tuesday, August 13: Doors open at 6 p.m. for mixing, mingling, and ordering dinner. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Guests and the public are always welcome!
Dave and Busters in Tempe Marketplace
2000 E Rio Salado Pkwy / Suite 1100 / Tempe AZ 85281
Our Guests
Evgeniy has sailed since he was five years old and has been around the world as a teenager on his family’s boat. He is a racer and cruiser, having spent his career in the maritime industry.
Jeanne is the founder and captain of team “Sail Like a Girl,” having previously won the Race To Alaska with her all-women’s team in 2018. She began sailing at 22 in Boston, where she met Evgeniy at the Boston Sailing Center. Married for 22 years, they have sailed and raced together for half a lifetime.
Between her 2018 win and 2023, Jeanne was diagnosed with MS. Read this article on the MS website: Navigating MS on Land and Sea by Mike Night. It is worth the read, and you are sure to be uplifted by her journey!
For those unfamiliar with the R2AK, it is a 750-mile race completed without motor power. It’s chock full of daredevils on all kinds of boats. Wait, is a SUP board a boat? Whatever your thought, there was one entered in 2023. Click here for a PDF of the route; check out the R2AK website to learn more about the race. And for a bit of lightheartedness, read this amusing interview between Jeanne and the R2AK staff.