Windsurfing Magazine

kristin
2009-02-18 14:00:00 | 542 views | 1 Comments

Check out the trailer for the official event film:

Hook-In-Hold-On began in 1979. It was dreamed up in a bar in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands by Mark “Smitty” Schmidt who surmised it would be fun to set sail upwind to the British Virgin Islands aboard windsurfers. I was just getting into windsurfing then and I still recall looking down from our house on the side of the mountain and seeing the racers streaking on a broad reach from Cane Garden Bay back to St Thomas.

In 1980 Molson Golden stepped to the plate and Hook-In-Hold-On became a sponsored event. The intrepid fleet of racers went from St Thomas to St John, over to Jost Van Dyke, up to Cane Garden Bay on Tortola and then to West End before dipping back into the USVI. These were the heydays of the Windsurfer class and HIHO was virtually a one-design event. Competitors rumored to have carried their belongings on their backs and camped on the beach each night.

Johnnie Walker Sponsorship
The following year Hook-In-Hold-On entered the international arena under the patronage of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey. The event expanded to encompass all the British Virgin Islands and charter boats were employed for the participants to live aboard.

Very quickly the Johnnie Walker Hook-In-Hold-On was pulling in competitors and press from around the World. It became the windsurfing event of the sport. It was certainly the most unique windsurfing event in the World- a winding tour through the British Virgin Islands with a race pointing you towards the next fiesta. Sponsor Johnnie Walker promoted their brand at every opportunity, even putting a spin on one of the Caribbean’s best know drinks with the Johnnie Colada- that’s right a Pina Coloda made with Scotch whisky!

I competed for the first time in 1982 on a stock windsurfer. I recall being overwhelmed in the beginning of the week of racing. Back then the courses were very long- 10-mile upwind legs. (Remember, all the boards had centerboards). I still recall the awesome Dutch racers charging upwind on their Dufour Wings. They all had custom sails- big white triangles. The Dutch also sported Speedo bathing suits and, of course, neoprene boots. Chest harnesses were high tech then and harness lines were ropes tied to the boom.

Caribbean boys always dominated the overall standings in those Hook-In-Hold-On days. The top Virgin Island and Puerto Rican racers dominated the event. Between 1982 and 1984 St Thomas racer Chris Thompson was pressured alternatively by Puerto Rican Kiko Dalmau. Chris won in 1982 on a Ken Winner board (a Dufour wing with footstraps) holding off a bay of Dutch racers armed with Dufour Wings and large sails. Kiko came back the next year and snatched victory riding a Mistral Pan Am (sort of an Equipe from the dinosaur age). In 1984 the Thompson’s- Chris and his wife Christine- took double bullet on Mistral Superlights.

Things changed in 1985 when F2 boss Peter Brockhaus saw the event as an opportunity to have a ball in the Caribbean and showcase his racing talent. Brockhaus saw to it that his team were present in force to lay down the law that the F2 Lightening was the superior longboard of its day. Brockhaus and his F2 team broke the Caribbean in 1985 when a young Brit named David Perks snatched 1st overall.

A standout memory of mine from the 1980’s version of the event was the incredible team efforts. Besides the formidable Dutch racers there were the Antiguan’s who would arrive on an enormous schooner packed with racers and gear. Led by Andre de San Phalle the 1986 team included a scrawny kid named Eli Fuller who would later have his name etched on the perpetual trophy quite a few times. Big Puerto Rican teams were defined by their style- big boats; flashy gear; sexy women; and a Champion named Kiko. One thing a Caribbean team always arrived with was rum. The Antiguan’s would have cases of Cavalier; the PR’s Don Q. Lately Team Martinique took to bringing the scion of their islands best rum, Neisson. Great parties aboard their yacht!

The former Hook-In-Hold-On was last run in 1986. The event had stabilized itself to include only two classes: Open & Cruising; The F2 Lightening was passe- the new board of choice was the Mistral Equipe; and a record 148 competitors sailed over 100 miles through the British Virgin Islands for a week. This was my 2nd time in the event and I made my mark by tying for first place with Austrian speed merchant Erich Maderthaner. I was on a custom board while Maderthaner rode a stock Equipe. I won the first race and then finished 2nd in every other, except, fatefully, the last when I slipped to 3rd in an agonizing downwind pumping session with my good friend Inigo Ross from Antigua. Maderthanner and I tied for first and at the awards event sponsor Pan Am offered up a flight ticket to Europe which I used to get to Spain to finish my last term of uni.

Johnnie Walker Drops Sponsorship
By all accounts Johnnie Walker was ecstatic with their event. They shipped down models to make a HIHO calendar, produced a broadcast quality video and entertained their South American dealers aboard yachts following the event. This didn’t stop them from pulling the plug on sponsorship which they suddenly did in late 1986.

Wow, no more HIHO. It was a drag. Faithful participants still came down in the Summer, rented charterboats and retraced the event. Jeremy Wright from Boardsailing BVI tried putting together something called the Pussers Pain Killer Thriller but it didn’t gel. The local windsurfing talent poured their energies into pro racing and national championships and they flourished; and Virgin Islanders occasionally drank Johnnie Coladas and reminisced.

“New” HIHO
My 1986 win led to a short career as a World Cup journeyman. But, needing to move on I had the idea of resurrecting the windsurfing event I loved so much so, in 1992, a lawyer friend of mine in St Thomas assisted me in obtaining the rights to the HIHO name. A friend of mine and I formed a company called Ocean Promotions and the event was reborn in July 1993. The name was shortened to HIHO and beside relocating entirely to the British Virgin Islands, little else was changed. It was still a yacht based tour though the islands with plenty of windsurfing racing and great parties. The obvious difference was we were now in the short board era. As organizers we hustled the yachts up to the North Sound on Virgin Gorda- effectively the top of the Virgin Islands- and then spent the rest of the time sailing downwind.

The first year saw a dozen or so racers. I am indebted to Julie Renfro from Aruba who came with a few racers to round out the numbers. Another key ally was The Moorings, the Worlds largest charterboat company, who offered us a comp boat. The media smiled on us a too. We nailed the cover of the US magazine Wind Surfing magazine that first year!

The growth in those early days was a labour of love for me. I poured everything I had into the event and watched it grow quite quickly. In 1995 we sat down with Bacardi Rum and mapped out a several year agreement which saw them start to pump quite a bit of support into the event. In turn we were able to really develop our ability to network and promote the race. Bacardi provided money for TV and that really got things going. A few of the former Johnnie Walker HIHOers returned to race. Torben Kornum from Denmark came back with a group and a TV crew; Kiko Dalmou showed up one year and the Antiguan’s returned with plenty of racers and lots of rum.

With the “new HIHO” we worked hard to be faithful to the roots of the event which I felt were the keys to its success. We had to combine a great trip through the islands aboard yachts with outstanding windsurfing racing. Superlative meals & entertainment were also a must. We were on the mark because the numbers swelled. By the late 1990’s we were attracting 60+ racers and over 200 people to the event. There were racers from all over the World with teams from Japan, Poland, Brazil, the UK, the US and all over the Caribbean. We netted great coverage in big magazines which in turn fueled entries.

I always looked at the event as a long-term effort. In 1999 Bacardi announced that they were in for one more year. Coincidentally, 2000 was then the biggest year yet. We had 90 racers in two classes and whopping 250+ people. Maybe it was a little to big that year… One thing I like about the event is meeting the people.

I never forgot what the head of Club Mistral once told me that “the HIHO event is the dream of every windsurfer” and so we try and make sure everyone gets what they want. Top racers might sometimes be bored with the racing, especially early in the week when we tend to race smaller courses. To us HIHO is a little like a marathon where you have a few World class racers, a bunch of strong amateurs, then the rest who just want to finish. HIHOers come with different goals and expectations. I like the participants who say I want to go to all the parties and then finish every race.

Bacardi said goodbye and we welcomed Highland Spring Water, which is the #1 bottled water in the BVI and a top seller in the UK. A new sponsor ushered in a few other changes including the one-design concept. I reasoned that if everyone raced the same boards then it would be more fair. BIC really helped out with making the Techno 2 the official HIHO board.

Another change was bringing our friend Eli Fuller in as race director. Having won the event a few times Eli decided to sit it out for a while to let an injured knee repair. On your average windy Summer day, the sun beating down onto the azure water and the course takes the racers downwind around a few islands with a finish on a white sand beach, Eli and I would exchange the same chat by VHF. “Boy, I’d love to be out there.”

2005 was an exceptional year. Sometime before the event I got an out-of-the-blue e-mail from a Commander Gerry Northwood who wondered if he could bring his frigate, the HMS Liverpool, to the event. Commander Northwood offered the ship as a start boat, a party for the event participants on deck and use of the ships helicopter. We graciously accepted! I personally had to assist the ship in anchoring off Necker Island which ranks as one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. The following day Eli was on the bridge where he orchestrated the start. After the days race the ships company threw us a cocktail party, then joined us for the pirate party at the Last Resort. WOW!

One of my favorite accolades came back in the 1990’s when a group of racers complimented us on how the race was run. An Italian participant said the food was great, while his Austrian friend said everything ran like clockwork. (Not sure what a Brit might have added were one a part of the conversation…) It points to the relatively complexity of the event. I mean we have to string so much together for just a weeklong event. One of our keys to success is the captains we use to run the yachts. We more or less rely on the same captains every year. They know the precise tempo we like to set and, more importantly, the safety standard we demand. Our Admiral is Peter Ratcliffe who has worked with us for more then 10-years.

Our long-term relationship with Neil Pryde has been successful for us. Without a doubt, providing top quality gear to racers to use has been nothing less than a success. It’s great for participants to know that all they need to pack is a harness because great equipment awaits them in the BVI.

So where do we go from here… 2009 will be the 17th time we’ve run the event and, thanks to the anniversary, it’s a solid sell-out. I’m flattered by some of the heavyweight media that have contacted us to attend this year. Going forward we’re considering adding SUP’s, and kiters always come knocking but we always turn up our noses. I think I’m most excited about my 11-year old son Josh who might tackle a few of the legs this year. Andan, Poland, Brazil, the UK, the US and all over the Caribbean. We netted great coverage in big magazines which in turn fueled entries.

I always looked at the event as a long-term effort. In 1999 Bacardi announced that they were in for one more year. Coincidentally, 2000 was then the biggest year yet. We had 90 racers in two classes and whopping 250+ people. Maybe it was a little to big that year… One thing I like about the event is meeting the people.

I never forgot what the head of Club Mistral once told me that “the HIHO event is the dream of every windsurfer” and so we try and make sure everyone gets what they want. Top racers might sometimes be bored with the racing, especially early in the week when we tend to race smaller courses. To us HIHO is a little like a marathon where you have a few World class racers, a bunch of strong amateurs, then the rest who just want to finish. HIHOers come with different goals and expectations. I like the participants who say I want to go to all the parties and then finish every race.

Bacardi said goodbye and we welcomed Highland Spring Water, which is the #1 bottled water in the BVI and a top seller in the UK. A new sponsor ushered in a few other changes including the one-design concept. I reasoned that if everyone raced the same boards then it would be more fair. BIC really helped out with making the Techno 2 the official HIHO board.

Another change was bringing our friend Eli Fuller in as race director. Having won the event a few times Eli decided to sit it out for a while to let an injured knee repair. On your average windy Summer day, the sun beating down onto the azure water and the course takes the racers downwind around a few islands with a finish on a white sand beach, Eli and I would exchange the same chat by VHF. “Boy, I’d love to be out there.”

2005 was an exceptional year. Sometime before the event I got an out-of-the-blue e-mail from a Commander Gerry Northwood who wondered if he could bring his frigate, the HMS Liverpool, to the event. Commander Northwood offered the ship as a start boat, a party for the event participants on deck and use of the ships helicopter. We graciously accepted! I personally had to assist the ship in anchoring off Necker Island which ranks as one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. The following day Eli was on the bridge where he orchestrated the start. After the days race the ships company threw us a cocktail party, then joined us for the pirate party at the Last Resort. WOW!

One of my favorite accolades came back in the 1990’s when a group of racers complimented us on how the race was run. An Italian participant said the food was great, while his Austrian friend said everything ran like clockwork. (Not sure what a Brit might have added were one a part of the conversation…) It points to the relatively complexity of the event. I mean we have to string so much together for just a weeklong event. One of our keys to success is the captains we use to run the yachts. We more or less rely on the same captains every year. They know the precise tempo we like to set and, more importantly, the safety standard we demand. Our Admiral is Peter Ratcliffe who has worked with us for more then 10-years.

Our long-term relationship with Neil Pryde has been successful for us. Without a doubt, providing top quality gear to racers to use has been nothing less than a success. It’s great for participants to know that all they need to pack is a harness because great equipment awaits them in the BVI.

So where do we go from here… 2009 will be the 17th time we’ve run the event and, thanks to the anniversary, it’s a solid sell-out. I’m flattered by some of the heavyweight media that have contacted us to attend this year. Going forward we’re considering adding SUP’s, and kiters always come knocking but we always turn up our noses. I think I’m most excited about my 11-year old son Josh who might tackle a few of the legs this year. And we still kick back every now and then with a Johnnie Colada.

Bio: Andy Morrell’s association with the HIHO event goes right back to its roots. He raced in the event in the 1980’s, then took it over and plans to keep running it “for some time.”

And we still kick back every now and then with a Johnnie Colada.

Bio: Andy Morrell’s association with the HIHO event goes right back to its roots. He raced in the event in the 1980’s, then took it over and plans to keep running it “for some time.”