Team Against Limits Sailing – ALS Canada

Team members: Richard Spooner, Ken Holland, Michael Stochmal
Hometown: Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Race vessel: Wylie 25
LOA: 25′
Human propulsion: Row
Connect: facebook

A lot of people run marathons for a cause. Against Limit Sailing bought a neglected one-off Wiley 25 and pointed it toward Alaska.

The team is racing to raise awareness and support for ALS, a cause that matters to Richard Spooner after losing friends to the disease. Against Limit Sailing. ALS. Nice.

The cause is serious. The commitment is real. Anyone opposed to either can meet us behind the shed.

Now, with that established, let’s discuss the part where three longtime friends have spent months resurrecting a boat that recently still required phrases like “patching the hole in the bottom” and “putting it in the water” to appear on the to-do list.

Spooner has been trying to recruit accomplices for R2AK since 2015, and eventually wore down a couple friends into saying yes. Between them they share decades of racing and bad ideas.

The mission deserves respect. The crew has earned admiration. The rest of us can support the cause, cheer from shore, and watch their race unfold with the confidence of people eating popcorn in dry clothes.

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What’s the one piece of advice you’re absolutely going to ignore?
You should have a good propulsion system.

What’s going to break first—and what’s your plan when it does?
Our backs from the crappy rowing station. Our plan when this happens? Michael is a chiropractor.

Confidence Level
100%

Luck/Skill Ratio
50:50