On the Blackwater today

[MoodySabre]

I took my 3 year old grand daughter for a first trip today (with my daughter) 20 knots of wind motoring up to Osea - never seen the river so choppy. 20 knots behind us coming back on the jib and 27 knots in the creek. She doesn't suffer from seasickness so the future looks great.

Anyway - I saw a sign on the road for the National Waterskiing Championships at St Lawrence. Not today boys I thought. Then coming back down the the river they started amassing - bloody great noisy boats (maybe 30) all rushed off down the raceway with skiers up. Quite a sight and what a noise /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif they really are bonkers but not objectionable like jetskiers. Serious bonkers.

 

[johnalison]

Yes indeed. I'm still recovering from coming back into the Blackwater once about er thirty years ago and seeing a cloud no bigger than a man's hand grow into a storm of speedboats trailing water-skiers at around 70 knots all across the river. Well-organised, but as you say, bonkers.

 

[ex-Gladys]

The nutty thing is that the skier has the tow line attached to a harness, so can't "let go" as with a conventional skier... I wouldn't want to be firmly attached to a power boat doing 70kt

 

[stevebrassett]

Would you want to be holding on with only your hands, then? I think I'd rather be on the speedboat. Or in the pub.

 

[ex-Gladys]

I WOULDN't want to bin it at 70 kt with a tow line round my waist...