The Pacific Marine Expo’s Coastal Challenge, put on by National Fisherman, remains one of the show’s most popular events. Attendees compete against one another in three stages, with each stage winner earning $100 cash and a place in the finals for a shot at an additional $300 and prizes from Grundens, XtraTuf, Rugged Seas, the Scow, and the Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel.
Stage one requires contestants to tie a bowline knot blindfolded. When finished, competitors raise their hands to signal the judge. Former National Fisherman editor Jerry Fraser served as judge this year and reminded the crowd and contestants that knots didn’t need to look pretty, they just needed to be tied correctly and be practical. Fraser was present during the first iteration of this event in 1998, then known as the Fisherman of the Year contest. Seattle’s Alex Jackson, a recent graduate of Maritime High School in Des Moines, Wash., won the bowline round in record time.
The second stage of the Coastal Challenge entailed net mending. California fisherman Guiseppe Cracchiolo, who runs the seiner Mission 316 out of Egegik, Alaska, in Bristol Bay took the win and moved to the finals.
A three-tuck eye-splice without a taper made up the third challenge. Won by Jonah Rodewald from Fisheries Supply in Seattle, Rodewald secured $100 cash and advanced to the finals to compete against Cracciolo and Jackson.
The final event is both the most entertaining to watch and the most relevant to mariners: donning a survival suit. Contestants dump their suits from drybags and race to get fully zipped with the Velcro mouth flap secured.
On the officiant’s “Go”, the crowd laughed and cheered as competitors struggled to get arms and legs in place. Fraser emphasized the real-world importance of the task. “The Coast Guard recommends folks be able to do this in under a minute,” he said, as proper and rapid set up can mean the difference between life and death.
Rodewald was first to finish, with multiple attempts at the seemingly tricky mouth flap, followed by Jackson and Cracchiolo. Rodewald completed the task in under a minute, taking home $400 and a submersible Grundens duffel. Jackson won a Scow sweatshirt along with a Rugged Seas backpack and hat. Cracchiolo earned a two-night stay at the Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel, plus an XtraTuf hat, coozie, and discount code.
The next Coastal Challenge will be held on day three of the Pacific Marine Expo at 12:30 p.m. PT in the Alaska Marine Hall.
