Ben Freeman and Tristan Zeman grew up together on Saugatuck Shores.
The close friends and neighbors shared a passion for competitive sailing, violin and skiing.
Ben was a 2011 Staples High School graduate, and sailing team co-captain. Tristan graduated from Milton Academy 2 years later.
Their paths diverged as adults — Ben settled in Denver, Tristan in Brooklyn — but they stayed close, standing up in each other’s weddings in Costa Rica and the Cotswolds.
Now in their 30s, the two look for challenges that feed their curiosity and keep them connected. That search led Tristan to the Race to Alaska (R2AK). Its blunt tagline — “No Engines, No Support, 750 cold water miles to Ketchikan, Alaska” — immediately hooked him. He pitched it to Ben, and they locked in on their next adventure.
Building the team was easy . Tristan’s father Vlad, an active CPYC sailor, and his younger brother Sebastien, an accomplished outdoorsman, both signed on eagerly.
Ben’s brother-in-law Stew Williams, originally from Black Rock, brought offshore racing experience from Newport-to-Bermuda campaigns. He too jumped at the chance to join.
Finding a boat proved far harder. An East Coast team chasing a West Coast race faced serious logistical hurdles.
The break came when Seattle-based owners of an Olson 30 monohull named Wildfire, a boat with two prior R2AK finishes, offered her for charter on an R2AK forum. Sebastien moved fast, beating out other interested teams to secure her for the 2026 race.
R2AK is known for its quirky, irreverent culture. The team leaned into it, naming themselves “Pas Si Vite” (“not so fast”) — a nod to the Zemans’ Montreal connections.
Upper left: Stew Williams; lower left, Vlad Zeman; then, from left, Ben Freeman, Sebastien Zeman, Tristan Zeman.
Over Easter, the crew flew to Seattle for 3 days of trials in and around Puget Sound, testing the boat and absorbing early lessons.
From there, race planning intensified: navigation, forecasting and risk management became top priorities. The tides, currents and open-water conditions of the Pacific Northwest far exceeded anything the team had sailed before. They spent time going through scenarios, building decision-making frameworks they could rely on under fatigue and pressure.
The race began June 14. Stage 1 was a 50-mile crossing of the notoriously unpredictable Juan de Fuca Strait, from Port Townsend, Washington to Victoria, British Columbia. It’s a proving ground designed to weed out teams unprepared for what followed.
Pas se Vite, at sea.
Pas Si Vite’s preparation paid off. They were among 65 teams that advanced.
The 2-day layover in Victoria was spent fine-tuning the boat and diving deeper into the weather outlook, while also forging bonds within the close-knit R2AK community.
At noon on June 17, Stage 2 began with a Le Mans-style start. Crews sprinted down the docks, pushed off, and paddled, rowed or pedaled out of the harbor before raising sail.
Pas Si Vite’s twin pedal drives gave them an early edge as they turned toward open water.
What followed was 7 days of relentless variability: dead calms, gales over 35 knots, treacherous tidal currents and whirlpools and dark nights that demanded constant, high-stakes decisions.
Not every call was exactly right. But the team’s guiding philosophy — persevere and “fail forward” — helped them make steady, safe progress.
They made it through 2 mandatory checkpoints very fatigued, but in good form.
In action: Tristan Zeman …
The race was ultimately won by a high-speed trimaran that finished more than a day ahead of the monohull fleet. Its crew collected the $10,000 top prize (famously nailed to a piece of driftwood).
Behind them, the real drama played out among the monohulls. Pas Si Vite fought for 2nd place (the prize: a set of steak knives). The Connecticut crew briefly held the top spot on the monohull leaderboard before a late, unexpected wind shift slowed their final approach.
After nearly 7 days of continuous sailing and navigating, Pas Si Vite pedaled into Ketchikan in light winds. They finishing 3rd overall, 2nd among the 34 monohulls that started — a remarkable result for a first-time R2AK team.
They were greeted warmly by friends, family, locals and fellow competitors. They stayed for a while in Ketchikan, celebrating alongside other crews arriving to ring the finish bell.
… and on shore.
Beyond the race itself, Pas Si Vite has used the event to raise money for SoundWaters Young Mariners Program. The Stamford-based summer program for students entering grades 6–9 blends sailing, science and creative arts to build self-confidence and community. (Click here for more information, and to donate.)
What’s next for Ben, Tristan, Vlad, Sebastien and Stew remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: It won’t be long before they chase their next challenge.
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