Frostbite waterski challenge 2011

 

Teams waiting to Launch

 The 2011 Frostbite ski challenge / race took place on the 4th of December in rather better conditions than the previous year. This time there was no need to shovel snow out of the boat although there were some brief flurries inland during the morning. The air temperature was well above freezing although the morning began quite over cast. The sun did break through the cloud cover for a brief spell to provide some warmth.This year's event saw 7 teams entered and the fund raising in aid of the RNLI. So far over £400 has been raised which is a credit to the teams who did a great job of finding sponsorship. Many thanks to all those that generously donated to the event. 



Alan Dyer and "Team Santa"

 The race itself is a simple 3 lap course and the first person to complete the distance is the winner. Skiers are only allowed to use a pair of standard skis and ski hands in front. Fortunately the water conditions were fine for skiing on a pair which was a rare thing for Hartlepool! An early casualty was the Watson / Jordan team who suffered battery problems and didn't get the engine started. Steve Graham also managed to forget his boat keys and so resigned to film the race. The race got under way just after 11am with the usual 3 minute start procedure. There was a last minute change of course on the water which shortened the lap length considerably but the distance was probably still enough. Simon Binks was the first away with Dave Owens close behind and Andy Llewellyn chasing in third. Matthew Cant was soon away aswell whilst Alan Dyer was still in the water. Dave Owen's soon took the lead though; with a sharp turn on the second buoy and a charge up the inside they edged ahead of the Bullett team forcing them wide on the 3rd buoy. From this point Dave wasn't troubled by anyone and completed his 3 laps in a time of 7 mins 27 seconds. Simon was still holding second place although he had lost some time on Dave. Simon also fell on the last leg of the final lap leaving the door open for someone to take second place.

Alan pleased with 3rd!

 By this time Andy Llewellyn who had been in 3rd retired from the race towards the end of his 2nd lap. Matthew Cant now moved up into 3rd. Both Andy and Matthew showed some excellent skiing considering they were new starters this year. Matthew particularly showed some good speed through the turns which Steve caught on camera.However Matthew also fell in having caught an edge on the 2nd turn and was unable to get up again. With Simon in the water It was Alan Dyer who leapt into 3rd place and almost caught Simon on the last leg of the 3rd lap. However Simon pulled out of the water to just edge ahead of Allan to make a close finish for 2nd and 3rd.


Many thanks to everyone who took part, helped and raised funds for the RNLI. I'm sure our efforts are much appreciated! There are more pictures here. Many thanks to the photographers!


Results were:

Ski Racing Race Classification
Championship	THYC FROSTBITE RACE			Race
timekeeper	G.WATSON / S.WHEATER	ON PIER
Order of arrival	Boat #	SKIER	DRIVER	OBSERVER	Total Time	Mean Velocity (km/h)	Points
1	"BLACK PEARL"	OWENS, DAVE	DINSLEY,JOE	RUDLAND,PAUL	0:07:27	24.161	1000.00
2	"Bullett"	BINKS, SIMON	MACKECHNIE, NEIL	LORD,BILL	0:09:14	19.495	806.86
3	RIB- "TEAM SANTA"	DYER, ALAN	WALKER,MIKE	ROYLE,PAM	0:09:24	19.149	792.55
4	CHERYLS RIB	CANT, MATTHEW	LYNCH,IAN	ARMSTRONG,STEVE	DNF
5	CADET RIB	LLEWELYN, ANDY	C-MARSHALL,IAN		DNF
6	"FALL GUY"	GRAHAM, STEVE	BERRY, JOHN	??	DNS
7	phantom	WATSON, GEOFF	JORDAN, DAVE	JORDAN,ALEX	DNS

Dave Owens leads Simon Binks and Andy Llewellyn