On Sunday 27 May 2007, Armando Wester raised his arm as he skimmed onto the Aruban shore: the first of eleven kitesurfers to finish what became known as the Big Crossing.
Twelve miles of open water
The riders set off from Puerto Escondido on the north coast of Venezuela. With them were windsurfer Ryan Lampe and about thirty small boats and yachts. Plenty of people had tried to cross this stretch of water before, and in 1988 the Aruban swimmer Roly Bislick was one of the few to succeed. According to the newspaper The News, this was the first acknowledged attempt by kite or windsurfers.
Faster than planned
Armando had expected the crossing to take about two and a half hours. Favourable wind cut that to just under two. The riders reached the Aruban coast near the refinery quickly, and then the real work began: light wind made the last leg, up the coast to the finish at the Fisherman’s Huts, the toughest of the day.
The finish
Armando, who organised the event with Arusurf, the Aruba Surfing Association, was first to the beach. Eighteen-year-old Maki Wiggins came second and Lysander Loefsok third, followed by Ryan Lampe on his windsurf board. Monique Venema and Manou Becker were the two women who took part. The day ended with trophies and an after-party.
Nearly twenty years later the shack is still at the same spot where the crossing ended. Your first ride can start there too.
Source: The News (Aruba), 27 May 2007, Archivo Nacional Aruba.