Team members: Craig Cooper, Melissa Roberts
Hometown: Bellingham, WA, USA
Race vessel: Olson 25
LOA: 25′
Human propulsion: Pedal (Prop)
Connect: facebook, instagram
Team Ménage à Deux is what it looks like when a 20ish-year marriage spills out of the living room and onto the race tracker. Craig spent years creeping on the R2AK Tracker from the couch, while Melissa actually went and did the thing first. When she hit the dock in Ketchikan last time, she told the cameras “hell no” to a repeat performance. It took exactly 48 hours and a hot shower for that to turn into a “yes.”
Last year, Craig and their 15-year-old kid, Hazel, double-handed the WA360, giving the family boat—an Olson 25 named Kamikaze—a proper stress test before the big one. Craig, who at 6’3″ refuses to sail in anything that feels like a “fiberglass coffin,” has spent the off-season gutting 80s-era wiring and replacing it with lithium power and Garmin tech. It’s a “fiberglass Chevy” that now sports actual cushions.
The Race to Alaska Podcast
Episode 11: Team ASA 103, Team Yes!, Team Ménage à Deux
→ Listen on Spotify
→ Listen on YouTube
→ Listen on Apple Podcasts
First things first, why Race to Alaska?
Craig has been dreaming of this race since its inception. Melissa loves an excuse to have a wild adventure. We love sailing together, we love a challenge, and we love the waters of the Inside Passage. (Oh, and Craig (the sailor) cannot handle being outdone by Melissa (the non-sailor) who has already done the R2AK).
What’s the biggest unknown for you right now?
We’ve sailed a fair amount together, but most of that is in cruising miles. In August. In the lovely San Juans. We have purposely avoided too much wind and rain. That’s all changing this winter and spring, though. We have plans to sail in all types of weather, and all hours of the day. So our unknown is how we will do sailing together through all kinds of conditions.
Duct Tape Fixes (Linear Feet)
4
Friendship Marriage Survival Rate
95%