OUT – Team Eagle

Stage 1: Port Townsend to Victoria

Team name: Team Eagle

Team captain: Steve Hiegel

Additional crew: 0

Race vessel: Kayak

Sensible kayakers pray for flat water. Steve Hiegel hates that. He yearns for wind, waves and – best of all – big surf. Each winter, he hauls his boat out to the Hobuck Hoedown at Neah Bay to ride the big ones. He’s kayaked the waves of Rio, Ireland, North Carolina, Santa Cruz and more.

Did we warn Steve that he’s not likely to see surf between Port Townsend and Victoria? And, if he did, it would be rolling the wrong way? No, we did not.

Welcome anyway, Steve. It’s all uphill from here.