We did it! 145 over the line! On Friday 27th January 2012 the Eagle pulled 154 skiers from the deep and 145 made the full nautical mile distance - SMASHING the old record of 114 skiers behind one boat.
7.15am Jan 27th 2012 saw 154 skiers entering the water while dawn broke over the mountains behind Strahan. A huge effort from the organisers and volunteers had the ropes connected to the Eagle so fast that we were ready to ski an hour earlier than the day before. The Eagle had been anchored in the bay overnight, perfectly in position and with the boom in place, which allowed the speedy rope connection.
The drag was tiny - only 25 seconds - and nearly everyone was up. We had to concentrate and focus on form, making sure skis over-lapped as little as possible (very hard to uncross them without falling off once over-lapped). The space for each skier was only 80 cms! Should to shoulder!
Once up the focus is on staying the distance - with no mucking around! Legs and lower backs get tired first. Changing stance slightly by bending knees more or straightening backs and standing a little taller helped.
It was amazing the difference good weather makes. The day before it was pure grit and guts to hang on through the surf, with waves pounding in every second or two, which you either had to bash through, jump over or really focus on using your knees to absorb the roll. Even the strongest skiers were gritting their teeth and clenching fingers to make it - the majority of skiers were suffering pumped out thighs, forearms and biceps, aching lower backs and cramped hands. Mantras like "just grip it!", "nearly there!" and "arms straight, knees bent!" would have been going through most skiers heads non-stop. I know I couldn't even spare a glance at the rest of the line - total focus on watching my space in front of the boom, shaking off water every 2 seconds so I could see.
Then the horn blasted again and Nic called out "148!!!!" (easy to miscount that many people without a photo to look at!) We just let it rip with the "YAH-HOO!". Everyone was grinning set to break their faces. The support boats were there in a flash to start hauling us in, asking what the total was and if we'd done it.
YES WE HAD! This record should stand for decades!
[report by Kelly Berggren - Skier L45]
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2012 AUSTRALIA DAY RUN #1 - 108 MAKE IT IN ROUGH WATER
Our ‘Club Boat’ the Eagle
World Heritage Cruises 35m cruise catamaran, Eagle, is the pulling power for our record attempts.
Located in Strahan, World Heritage Cruises offers a mix of history, stunning scenery & wonderful hospitality.
We would all like to thank everyone involved in making this event a success, from the sponsors all the way down to the grandparents who were babysitting!
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