Bar bet from 50 years ago places sailors from across globe in Surfside Beach

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Sailors from places including Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands set off from Surfside Beach Tuesday.

The 8th leg of the Worrell 1000 kicked off this morning. Dozens of locals watched the restart of the catamaran sailboat race, which goes from Florida to Virginia Beach.

It started as a result of a bar bet between two brothers in 1974, and now involved a dozen or so boats from across the globe. The grand prize...simply bragging rights.

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Randy Smyth's team was in fourth place as of this morning. The former Olympic sailor says it gives them some future travel destinations since they don't get much time to sightsee mid-race.

"It does register than you know, next time cruising down the east coast, we'll try to pull in here and figure out what this town is all about," Smyth said.

To learn more about the Worrell 1000, or to keep up with results, click here.