Team ASA 103

Team members: Jay Bruno, Jean Champagne, Ben Delisa
Hometown: Seattle, WA, USA
Race vessel: Santana 20
LOA: 20′
Human propulsion: Pedal (Prop)
Connect: instagram

They acquired their vessel the traditional way: they went to a party, met a guy, and traded a broken Laser for a Santana 20 that had previously tried to disassemble itself mid-race. In 2022, this boat—then named Mistral—attempted to unzip its hull from its deck near the oft mispronounced hamlet of Sequim. Jay, Jean, and Ben have since performed a structural exorcism, replacing bulkheads and applying enough marine adhesive to keep a small island afloat. They added lifelines and navigation gear, mostly to ensure that when the boat tries to shed its skin again, they’ll know exactly where the front fell off.

The crew claims their qualification level stops at ASA 103, a statement they deliver with a straight face while ignoring a mounting history of competence. They sail constantly. On a recent overnight, they woke up to a March snowscape, made coffee, and called it beautiful. 

Their collective resume suggests they are comfortable with situations lacking a “pause” button. Ben is an OBGYN who treats surgery like the —once you’ve opened things up, you don’t just stop because the vibes are off. Jay is a former mountaineer who understands that the fastest way out of the shit is usually through the top of it. Together with Jean, they’ve pushed this whole endeavor from a handshake idea into a 20-foot inevitability.

Rechristened Piece of Ship, the boat is small and the freeboard is negligible. They are currently ignoring all advice regarding the logistical nightmare of three grown humans on a Santana 20.

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What part of this race keeps you up at night?
Fear and Excitement! As Skipper, the logistics I’m less concerned about as I have planned for may different kinds of expedition type adventures before. I have also planned enough extended cruising trips to know how to properly provision a vessel for this kind of adventure.

The fear is of the unknown, trying to prepare to the eventuality of failures on the boat, mental fatigue of the crew, and sailing in unknown waters with hazards that are relatively new to our crew. We do have confidence in our crews ability to problem solve anticipate hazards. This gives us some solace in knowing that we will be able to overcome adversity.

What’s the biggest unknown for you right now?
How POS will handle in big weather, which we are practicing every time we get an opportunity, and how far our crew can push mentally.

We have been routinely taking POS out whenever there is big(ish) weather in the Puget Sound. However, it is difficult to find some of the conditions we will experience on the R2AK course. As skipper, I have experienced those conditions before, just not on POS.

In addition, navigating new waters will be a challenge and unknown. In particularly, Seymour Narrows and the Queen Charlotte Sound give me pause as we have not navigated those waters before.

Confidence Level
80%

Luck/Skill Ratio
30:70