VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — Since 2022, Mike Eason and Team Rudee's have waited with anticipation for their next chance at the Worrell 1,000.
On Sunday, the catamaran sailboat race returns with the first day of competition beginning in Hollywood, Florida. The team hosted a kickoff party on Tuesday evening at Rudee's Restaurant.
It is a crown jewel event for Eason, who competed in the event from 1988-1991 and is now the team's manager.
"I tell people it's like climbing Mount Everest," he said. "If you tell people you've done that, people understand you've reached a certain level of skill and ability."
Sailor's Randy Smyth and Dalton Tebo will guide Team Rudee's boat through the 1,000 mile race up the East Coast, which is set to finish in Virginia Beach on May 25. Smyth is a six-time winner of the Worrell 1000.
Both will go through very tough conditions throughout the two weeks on the water.
"When you go down to Cape Hatteras and deal with 30-40 knots of wind, there's not many fishing boats you see that will go out in that," Eason said. "It's a physical and mental challenge as well as a challenge to keep the rig and everything working right."
Started in the 1970s, this year's edition will also be the 50th anniversary for the race. It's held every other year with 12 teams are set to compete in this year's journey.
"We're ready to go. This is a year-and-a-half, two year project," Eason said. "Putting the team together, the boat, all the logistics is a good bit of work. So we're anxious to get started."
