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On Thursday, the starting gun goes off for nearly 200 sailors racing from , Washington to . It鈥檚 called . The catch: no motors or engines are allowed.

Participants can only use the power of Mother Nature or their own sweat, all while winding their way through a labyrinth of islands from the northwest corner of Washington up through what鈥檚 called 鈥渢he inside passage鈥� to the southeast corner of Alaska.

Jake Beattie, executive director of the nonprofit Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, is the mastermind behind the whole thing.

鈥淟ike all good ideas, beer was involved,鈥� Beattie says. A longtime boat lover himself, he explains he was trying to find a way to help people reconnect to the water. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of perceived barriers to having an adventure on the Puget Sound, or on the way to Alaska. Because waterfront鈥檚 expensive, boats are expensive. And I think there鈥檚 this perception that they have to be really expensive and complicated for people to get out there and really enjoy this incredible national treasure that we all are lucky enough to live next to.鈥�

And he figured a little incentive wouldn鈥檛 hurt either.

鈥淎nd it was right around the same time as NASA鈥檚 X-Prize, where they just said get into space, and if you鈥檙e the first person to do it we鈥檒l give you $10 million dollars,鈥� Beattie recalls. 鈥淪o we just said what if we just nail 10 grand to a tree in Alaska and then see what happens? Strip away all the rules, strip away all the complication, and make it about an adventure on one of the most wild coasts that still exists on the planet.鈥�

That鈥檚 right, 100 Benjamins are on the line. It鈥檚 presented as a trophy still stuck to a piece of driftwood. Second place finishers win a set of steak knives.

Despite these lavish prizes, Beattie had no idea it would take off. He says he figured a few of his buddies would join the bandwagon and it would end, at most, as a fun media stunt. But the 35 teams were on board for the first race last year. This year, 65 teams have signed on.

鈥淭here are truly world class athletes. We have Olympians — multiple Olympians, actually — and then we have some people who really just want to get off the couch and do something incredible,鈥� Beattie says.

To enter, a team must submit a $750 fee, plus a small cost per person. And every participant must apply with an 鈥渁dventure resume,” detailing their unique skills. They take all comers from all around the world, regardless of sailing experience — as long as you have the wherewithal and some watercraft to make it to the finish line. Beattie hasn鈥檛 turned anyone away, yet. However, several hopefuls have backed out of the race in order to hone their skills.

鈥淚t takes a deliberate sort of intentionality around thinking outside of the box, and doing something most people would think is a pretty bad idea,鈥� Beattie says.

The vessels are just as diverse as the competitors. Some teams will traverse the passage in the latest racing yachts while others will cross in more vintage selections or even dinghies. Multiple participants have made their own boats — some include bicycle pedals to keep going when winds die. There鈥檚 even one man who plans to finish the 750 mile challenge on a .

The course itself is done in two legs. First, a 40-mile qualifying run from Port Townsend to Victoria, Canada. Anyone who finishes that in 36 hours can continue on to Alaska.

That鈥檚 where the real challenge starts.

鈥淭here is no course for the race. You go through two waypoints. Other than that, you can pick whatever route you want,” Beattie says.

One of the waypoints is , which is a famous tidal rapids, Beattie says. The current there goes 16 knots (18 mph), and switches directions four times a day.

“So it鈥檚 like a river that switches directions and makes these huge 30-foot-wide whirlpools,” Beattie says. “Usually, once a year, there鈥檚 a rowboat that gets sucked under and gets spit out a few miles later.”

The weather conditions are nearly impossible to predict, something Beattie says is a product of sailing after spring storms but before summer doldrums set in. Last year, the race started in gale force winds.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like an ocean race where you just go, and you have to avoid some other ships that are out there,” Beattie says. “This is a unique passage that鈥檚 been done for thousands of years by boats without engines, from native canoes all the way up to people who do it every year on kayaks and things. It鈥檚 cold, so hypothermia is a big factor.”

The first winners completed the trek in five days, while the last to finish did it in 23 days.

And there is a cut-off. A sweeper boat will disqualify any participants who can鈥檛 make it to Ketchikan by July 20. Last year, only about half of the racers met that requirement.