Team Snowflakes

Team members: Jeff Williams, Mike VanHoy
Hometown: Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Race vessel: Marstrom Tornado
LOA: 20′
Human propulsion: Hobie mirage drive knock off
Connect: facebook

Jeff Williams and Mike Van Hoy are bringing a 20-foot carbon scalpel to a 700-mile knife fight.

Their weapon is Snowball, a Marstrom Tornado so sporty it files formal protests about sloppy sail trim. No cabin, no heater, nothing separating “athlete” and “hypothermia.” Self-described cat guy Jeff is the fix-anything wizard who’ll stitch a sail back together mid-race with Dyneema and a rusty nail. Mike, the calm Canadian to Jeff’s “crazy American,” provides the steady competence required when your teammate suggests pedaling to Alaska on a carbon trampoline. They’ve logged real miles together, the kind that builds—or at least mutually assured survival.

When it blows, they’ll fly a hull and look brilliant. When it doesn’t, they’ll grind a forward-mounted pedal drive for 700 miles like a couple of Tour de France rejects who got soggy. They’re not planning to stop unless something breaks, which is adorable. 

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First things first, why Race to Alaska?
We love a challenge. While most competitions for a boat like ours focuses on boat handling skills for a few hours at a time, this race adds so many factors like hypothermia, hunger, thirst, isolation, lack of sleep and repair facilities, as well as a string of challenges we probably haven’t even thought about yet. Yeah, we like that sort of stuff. This is the type of challenge where just finishing is good enough for bragging rights, and as a bonus, we get to cross the line with some of the best sailors in the world.

What’s going to break first—and what’s your plan when it does?
We’ve already broken most of our stuff and replaced it with new stuff. I’m guessing it will be electronics as our boat is about as dry as a submarine. We have 3 vhf radios; I’m guessing we’ll come home with the one that is stored under deck. We’ve also gone through a lot of cell phones. We’ve managed to keep them dry until it’s time to charge them. That’s when the spray tends to get them. Again, keeping at least one stored well away will ensure we have one left for emergencies.
The main thing I’m worried about breaking is the foam core hull on a log. We have a bag of post hole foam for dire emergencies, though it would make a real mess to clean up later. Everything else will get fixed with plain old stainless steel wire, duct tape and dyneema.

Luck/Skill Ratio
10/90

Duct Tape Fixes (Linear Feet)
30