The Paddleboarding Challenge was successful as two paddleboarders went from Bimini to Miami this weekend.

Management of the Big Game Club alerted this newspaper to the historic event when Bill Whiddon, 58, a creative art director and Thaddeus Foote, 38, an environmental educator, left their docks on Bimini on Saturday morning for the first-ever attempt to cross the Gulf Stream on standup paddleboards.

According to a news article from the Sun Sentinel, the 60-plus mile journey was done in 17 hours, 11 minutes and 43 seconds from the first stroke to the last.

Whiddon was quoted as saying: "It was paddle, hydrate, eat and paddle more. We did battle a 40-minute tough squall within the first hour of leaving The Bahamas and the seas went from flat to three-foot swells breaking into us."

The report said the reason behind the Bimini to Miami Blue Water Challenge was to raise awareness for the Surfrider Foundation's Rise Above Plastics campaign to reduce plastics in the ocean.

Surfrider is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches.

The men grew up in Miami and are said to be passionate about water sports and coastal conservation.

Foote was recorded as saying: "This crossing was a great opportunity to highlight the impact that plastics are having on our world's ocean and how our actions, as a society, can make such a big difference."