The World’s Toughest Row — a 2,800-mile race from Monterey to Hanalei Bay — was scheduled to kick off last Saturday, June 6, but was postponed due to weather conditions.
The race, instead, kicked off on Tuesday, June 9 at 1 a.m.
Standing on the cold, foggy dark Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey and witnessing five teams start what will be at least a month-long journey was both inspirational and frightening. Race organizers say that rowers can reach a daily ]expenditure of up to 10,000 calories. Rowers consuming freeze-dried meals and snacks, and drink up to 10 liters of water per day. Weight loss of up to 25 pounds is common due to the extreme physical demands.
The 22-foot rowboat is equipped with essential supplies, including a water maker, sleeping cabin, and emergency equipment, but no engines or sails are allowed.
Liz Wardley and Andrew Breen at the start of the World’s Toughest Row. (Photo courtesy of WTR).
Competitors leaving the dock to head to the start of the World’s Toughest Row. (Photo by Jo Murray).
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Liz Wardley and Andrew Breen at the start of the World’s Toughest Row. (Photo courtesy of WTR).
For years, we’ve been following (and have acted as her California parents) competitor Liz Wardley, one of the most phenomenal female sailors in the world, who we first met when she sailed out of Long Beach aboard Maiden.
For this race, Wardley temporarily traded in her sails for oars, and is applying her deep understanding of weather, systems, and ocean strategy to this race. Ireland’s Andrew Breen is her teammate, and the duo have been training for more than a year.
You can track their progress via ybtracking.com/yb-races-app.
Once Liz reaches the finish, she will fly to France to deliver a foiling IMOCA yacht to Rhode Island for the start of the Ocean Race Atlantic 2026. That race starts at the beginning of September, and she will, of course, be on board for the race.
Hours prior to the race start, Liz dropped off a small carry-on bag for us to bring to Hawaii for the next leg of her adventures. When I asked why she was with me, instead of sleeping, she said: “FOMO.” (That’s short for “fear of missing out,” for those who don’t know).
All last weekend, I too suffered a serious case of sports fan FOMO, with so many great things happening.
Amphitheater
El Escudo, a new hybrid passenger vessel owned and operated by Harbor Breeze Cruises, made its maiden voyage on Saturday, June 6 for the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) 94th annual meeting hosted in Long Beach this year.
El Escudo shuttled passengers to from Pine Avenue Pier via an eight-minute ferry ride to Queen Mary and the new F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach that evening for Snoop Dogg’s performance
Harbor Breeze’s long-time owner Danny Salas was a passenger that evening, and his son Christopher was at the helm.
Big Texan at Santa Monica Pier. (Photo courtesy Route 66 California Association).
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Big Texan at Santa Monica Pier. (Photo courtesy Route 66 California Association).
Christopher led the crew that took delivery of the vessel in Bellingham, Washington, and navigated to local waters.
The vessel is part of a demonstration project of the Los Angeles Marine Emission Reduction (LA MER), supported through grant funding by the California Air Resources Board. The Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles and funded portions of the project.
Mary Rohrer, President of QMI was on board the Queen Mary listening to the concert and noted the large number of pleasure craft boaters were enjoying the festivities from the water. My guess is the spectator fleet will grow during summer concert season.
Golf
Earlier in the week, my husband and I volunteered at the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at The Riviera Country Club, where members are celebrating the course’s 100th anniversary.
We watched Nelly Korda claim victory at the 81st U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday, June 7, with her final putt swirling around the hole — almost teasing her — before it sunk for the win.
Korda is the youngest four-time women’s major winner since Mickey Wright was 25 years old in 1960. Korda won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Nelly Wynn’s swing coach is Long Beach’s Virginia Country Club’s Jamie Mulligan. VCC had a cadre of volunteers marshalling at hole nine all week.
We did catch an interview with Amy Alcott, a World Golf and LPGA Hall of Famer with 29 LPGA Tours. She was humble and grateful in her interview. She talked about the proximity to Will Rogers Ranch, now a state park, and even quoted him: “It’s great to be great, but it’s greater to be human.”
Caravan
Will Rogers called Route 66 “the mother road,” and on Saturday, June 7 a caravan with 70 cars representing 100 years of history on the road embarked on its 2,448-mile, 20-day journey to Chicago in celebration of the anniversary.
Big Texan at Santa Monica Pier. (Photo courtesy Route 66 California Association).
Big Texan at Santa Monica Pier. (Photo courtesy Route 66 California Association).
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Big Texan at Santa Monica Pier. (Photo courtesy Route 66 California Association).
Amarillo’s Big Texan hosts a 72 oz. Steak Challenge Road Show at various stops, with prizes awarded to diners that can eat the entire steak meal in less than 90 minutes. The Big Texan team is towing a 500-pound, 12-and-a-half foot tall fiberglass bull dubbed “Big Moo” in the Chicago bound caravan.
Sailing
Long Beach Yacht Club members Principal Race Officer Randy Smith and Skipper Steve Flam along with Tactician Gavin Brady were in at the Saint Francis Yacht Club competing in 2026 U.S. Match Racing Championship Qualifier – a feeder event for the U.S. Match Racing Championships over the weekend of June 6 and 7.
Eight teams competed in J/22 class keelboats. Flam and his team won some of the flights, but SFYC’s Nicole Breault won the coveted place at the USMRC in San Diego later this year.
Rowing
I also missed Learn to Row day, one of my favorite summer kickoff events. Long Beach Rowing Association President Hanne Chupik reported that 118 attended.
Fireworks
When it comes to 4th of July, I was initially sad that Big Bang on the Bay wasn’t going to take place. But now, Visit Long Beach and John Morris have teamed up along with some of my favorite Olympians to make it an extraordinary weekend including an Independence Day Cruise aboard the La Espada.
The July 4th Fireworks Observation Cruise in Long Beach Harbor is a firework-filled harbor cruise experience. Reservations are required. Due to holiday traffic and road closures, organizers strongly recommend arriving two to three hours early to ensure you don’t miss the boat.
Tickets are $90 per person on Harbor Breeze Cruises’ website.