MOUNT VERNON — Jim Zimmerman and Nadja Baker have a lot on their plate.

The two are not only the race directors for the revived San Juan Orca Challenge, but they are getting married this summer as well.

Both undertakings have taken considerable time and effort. However, ask which one has been more stressful and the two look at each other and pause.

“Right now,” said Baker, “I’d say the race because it’s almost here and we have to get everything ready to go.”

Then with a laugh she added: “The wedding, well, we’ll figure that out at a later date.”

Zimmerman and Baker are avid, if not fanatical, kayakers. They are also passionate about the orcas that spend time in Puget Sound.

So, putting on a kayak race to benefit the Orca Network was the perfect task for the pair.

And with that, the San Juan Orca Challenge was reborn as part of the Anacortes Waterfront Festival. Zimmerman and Baker have invested plenty of their own time and money to get the race from paper to water.

“It’s been a little stressful,” said Baker. “And definitely hectic. But it’s for a great cause. We want people to know about the Orca Network. And, realistically, racers could see orcas during the race.”

Racers must pre-register for the race at http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/orcachallengeform.html.

The cost of the race is $50. All proceeds go to the Orca Network, a local non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats.

“We want folks to come away from the race with a feeling of concern for the whales,” said Baker. “It’s all about the orca whales.”

Check-in for all pre-registered racers will begin at 8 a.m. May 16 at SeaFarer’s Memorial Park in Anacortes.

“The finish line is between E and F slips in the marina,” said Baker. “It’s a cool place to finish.”

Participants will have two race options: a 25-mile endurance race that begins at 10 a.m. and a four-mile fun paddle at 11.

The long course, which is for experienced paddlers, will first take racers around Cap Sante. They will head north, then make a turn to travel west through Guemes Channel, crossing over Bellingham Channel and rounding the south end of Cypress Island.

Turning north up Rosario Strait, paddlers will round the north end of Cypress Island and head toward Toehead Island. Next, racers will re-cross Bellingham Channel while keeping Guemes Island on their starboard side. Rounding Guemes, rowers will pass through Padilla Bay to reach the finish line.

“The course will go through four known tide rips located around the two islands,” said Baker. “Of course, just how tough the route will be is dependent on the weather and wind.”

If the weather becomes too gnarly, the route will be changed.

“If the wind and waves pick up,” said Zimmerman, “we’ll make the necessary changes to keep everyone safe. There is certainly a plan B. But if the weather is flat calm, the winner should be right around four hours.”

The short course keeps entrants within the sheltered waters of Fidalgo Bay.

As in any race of this nature, safety is the priority. That is followed closely by having fun.

“We’ll have safety boats and safety paddlers,” said Baker. “There are going to be eight (safety) boats out there. That will make for great course coverage.”

This race has a storied history under another name. From 1997 to 2005, it was known as the San Juan Challenge and took two days to complete.

Zimmerman and his father were the only racers to compete in all nine races, including the first one, where racers were lashed by 50-knot winds and towering waves.

“Those races, it was over two days,” recalled Zimmerman. “You rowed out to Orcas Island and camped there and then raced back the next day. It was a pretty tough race. But as the race began to change — the course, the month — the numbers declined and attendance never was what it used to be.”

Because of his race organizer duties, Zimmerman won’t race this year.

“Unfortunately, my streak will end this year,” he said.

Long-distance, open-water races of this sort are for a special breed of kayaker.

“It’s a niche,” said Baker. “You have to be able to paddle in strong currents and not be afraid to venture across busy shipping lanes. Bottom line, you just have to go for it.”

Entrants will receive race T-shirts, and the winner of a raffle will come away with a Necky Chatham 18-foot fiberglass sea kayak donated by Johnson Outdoor Paddle Sports of Ferndale. That’s a $3,000 ride. Other giveaways include gear, personal flotation devices, paddles and anything else Zimmerman and Baker can scrounge up.

Division winners will earn Orca Challenge hardware.

“Getting the boat donated was the golden egg,” said Baker. “It’s just a great prize. We have a lot of great prizes and we can’t thank those who donated them enough.”

Folks such as the owners of Sport Townsend, a mom and pop shop in Port Townsend.

“We just walked in,” said Zimmerman, “and told them what we were up to and they gave us a paddle. It was great.”

The logistics of putting on such a race have been a bit daunting for Zimmerman and Baker.

“This is our first time as race organizers,” admitted Baker.

“It’s been a lot of work,” added Zimmerman. “Honestly, I’d rather just race. One thing I have gained is a lot more respect for those who put on races.”

Oh, if only a race was as easy as getting boats and paddlers into the water. Instead, Baker and Zimmerman have had to jump through hoops and deal with rolls of red tape.

The two have had plenty of guidance. Bill Walker, who organized the first Deception Pass Dash race, has been a mentor to the two fledgling race organizers.

“He’s been a great sounding board, along with Steve Bennett, president of the Sound Rowers,” said Baker. “Those two have really taken us step by step. Bill, he started the Dash. His words of advice were to just stick with it.”

Seeing as how the race coincides with the Anacortes Waterfront Festival, the city’s chamber of commerce was involved. Then there was the Coast Guard, volunteers and a little piece of paper called a Marine Events Permit.

“That (Marine Events Permit) is required by Skagit County as well as the Coast Guard,” said Baker. “It’s required for all water events.”

It will different for Zimmerman and Baker to watch the race as opposed to being in their kayak.

“It’s our passion,” said Baker. “Our passion is on the water. It’s going to be really strange not being in it. But we have a lot of support, and so far it’s been great.
“We want everyone to come, paddle hard and have a good time.”

And what about next year?

“Well, we will have to wait and see,” admitted Zimmerman. “It’s still up in the air.”

Vince Richardson can be reached at 360-416-2181 or by e-mail at .