The first-ever TransAtlantic Windsurf Race (TAWR) kicked off in September 1998, when windsurfers from the USA, UK, France, and Greece set sail from St. John's Newfoundland in Canada.
Louie Hubbard, the organizer of the TransAtlantic Windsurf Race, had just lived a near-death experience in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with his yacht in 1993 when the idea emerged.
"When you've been doing something for four years non-stop, and you invested everything in it, the passion's there no matter how annoying the project gets, how stressed you get," explained Hubbard, three months before the TAWR.
Passion was not enough, though, and Louie Hubbard knew that.
Two weeks before the TransAtlantic Windsurf Race, a sponsor pulled out 80,000 dollars. Louie felt isolated, and it practically ruined him.
His challenge was nicknamed "The Everest of Windsurfing." The open ocean windsurfing race wanted to connect Canada to Weymouth in England.
That is more than 2,000 nautical miles or more than 3,600 kilometers.
Getting Ready: Logistics and Anxiety
The stage was set. The European teams meet up with the Americans at the JFK Airport in New York.
Then, a long trip to Canada on a bus. Four windsurfing teams, consisting of four windsurfers each.
They were anxious and tired, yet ready.
"People's lives are on the line. There is a risk. They know that, but everything's a risk in life," underlines Hubbard.
"If they're prepared for what they're doing, then it's almost less of a risk than being prepared for more mundane things which happen."
Excitement is building. All safety procedures and equipment are checked.
Money is running out for daily expenditures, but the Atlantic is calling.
Ribs are ready, and windsurfers want to do it. Louie is exhausted.
Atlantic Ocean Drama
The early GPS devices were ready, too.
There was only one rule: every team must always have one sailor in the water.
Each team has its own support rib and in the early hours of racing, swell got bigger and bigger. There was a tough task ahead.
On the third day, windsurfers had a five-meter swell out there in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It could be a serious problem in the making.
Still, sailors were back in the water riding powerful waves. Not easy at all. Actually, they were more surfers than windsurfers.
Fortunately, riders managed to keep moving and get the most out of the winds on offer.
On day five, drama time. One windsurfer was missing at sea.
The helicopter is called, and the athlete is rescued. It was Dave Weiss, who was already suffering hypothermia.
The TransAtlantic Windsurf Race keeps leaving miles behind, and England is nearer.
Windsurfers are sailing at high speed, and land is in sight. As they touch the sands of the UK, the crowd greets them.
"The vibe and the spirit on this boat are amazing. The boat crew has been amazing. I know very few people, in their right mind, which could do what they've done", says an emotional Louie Hubbard.
In the end, everyone completed the inaugural TransAtlantic Windsurf Race.
Team Liberty took the least important title - first place in the world's most challenging windsurfing event of all time.
Will there ever be another TransAtlantic Windsurf Race?
TransAtlantic Windsurf Race 1998 | Results
- Team Liberty (Yasu Soukichi, Anders Bringdal, Robert Teriitehau, and Nicklas Olausson);
- Team Greece (Theo Theodoridis, Jean-Marc Fantis, Phillip Adamidis, and Micah Buzianis)
- Team France (Jason Gilbert, Denis Pechere, and Antoine Martin);
- Team America (Kiran Beyer, Eddie Patricelli, Jace Panebianco, and Dave Weiss);
Key Crew Members at the TAWR 1998
Louie Hubbard (Organizer)
Hugo Feiler (Assistant Organizer)
Russ Kerslake (Rib Commander)
John Malbon (Rib Driver)
Kevin Shackell (Rib Driver)
Rory Chisolm (Rib Driver)
Richard Clifford (Safety Officer)
Chris Reid (Doctor)
John Chao (American Squad)