Year one of the Race2Alaska had Tripp and Chris Burd on a hate mission onboard a 22 foot/year-old racing cat with a fresh coat of paint and a 38′ mast. No shelter but an endless supply of the adrenaline-filled moments the Burds seemed to feed on. They finished, set a world record for open boats and got a sweet Waterlust documentary courtesy of the good folks at Sperry.
Last year Tripp Burd returned as a part of another team who dreamt big, broke their boat, then rallied only to bow out after Victoria. Sometimes all the right pieces fall apart leaving Tripp with unfinished business, and family members who didn’t look busy enough. Voila-2017.
Refuting cultural assumptions established by Lynyrd and friends, these Burds actually can change. Lesson learned from the unsheltered year one, Team FreeBurd chartered the fastest remaining boat from the previous race from some guy rumored to be able to pick winners – Mama Tried, a physics bending three-wheeler handed to the league of mortals by multihull legend Pete Melvin. Mama Tried rallied north in 2016 respectable time as Team Pure and Wild.
And after 4 days and change of extremely tough sailing, pedaling, paddling, and drifting, a threesome of the nicest, fastest, and prettiest boys in sailing have finally won it – and Team Freeburd/Pure & Wild beat Big Broderna by just 6 minutes after 750 miles! Amazing.
Shitty photo of (left to right) Big Bro’s Sean Huston, Nels Strandberg, Marshall Lebron, Lars Strandberg and Pure & Wild’s Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd, Chris Burd from the event Facebook page, but the videos – including live finish vids – are where it’s at. And the thread just keeps on trucking…
Special thanks to Morgan, Jake, and Grace Glenn for making covering this thing easy.
Tags:race2alaska
