UK PWC News

UK Personal Watercraft News

31st August : Jet Skiers Tried In Vain To Save Stranded Whale Near Bristol Channel.

Jet-skiers tried in vain to save the life of a 33ft long whale after they spotted it in a river estuary near Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.

Derek Jones and his son Sean, 12, tied a rope around the whale’s tail after they discovered it beached five miles up the River Parrett from the Bristol Channel.

They tried to drag the whale back into the Channel on the back of their jetski for a quarter of a mile, but the knot came undone and the mammal drifted off.

A lifeboat crew from Burnham-on-Sea later confirmed that the whale was dead.

It was last seen floating with the outgoing tide between Steart Island and Steart Point, out into the Bristol Channel.

Mr Jones, 49, from Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, said on Monday:

“We couldn’t believe the size of the whale. It was huge. I have been using this stretch of water for over 30 years and never experienced this before.”

The sales representative, added:

“My first thought was that it was an old long boat that someone had left on the muddy beach but as I got closer I realised it was living.

“My family and I are dolphin lovers but it was too big. I knew then that it was a whale. I felt sick because it was trying to breathe and bubbles were coming out of it.”

Mr Jones called his wife Christine, and asked her to contact the coastguard for help.

“My son and I tried to attach a rope to it so we could pull it back out to sea. We wanted to save it, but the rope came loose after a quarter of a mile. We are gutted that we did not save it.”

He added: “I towed it with the jet ski which sounds ridiculous now. But it was instinct. I did everything I could. The whale was just too big and heavy for us to do it alone.

“It is really sad. My son and I were feeling pretty low yesterday after what happened.

The whale is not something you would ever think of seeing in the Bristol Channel.”

Steve O'Connor, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue group, which was alerted, said:

“We think the whale was alive at the time the report came in and we had 15 marine medics ready to go out and rescue it, but it sadly died.

“There are a number of reasons why it could have become stranded. It could have had a navigational error that made it take a wrong turn or it could have been under stress.”

The organisation said the mammal was “almost certainly” a Minke whale, which is not normally seen in the Bristol Channel.

Mr O'Connor said that at 33ft the whale was bigger than the average size of about 26ft, and it was unusual for it to be so far up the estuary.

The minke is widely distributed in relatively small numbers along the Atlantic seaboard of Europe mainly from Norway, south to France, and in the northern North Sea.

Mark Simmonds, science director at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: "Assuming it is indeed a minke whale, they are fairly commonly seen close to the shore around the UK, but more so in the North rather than the South.

"The minke whale is the smallest of the filter feeding whales that we often see in the UK.

"When whales are sick or wounded they might come ashore and the size of this whale is quite large.

"I'm sure the jet-skiers meant well but towing it is not ideal as it could cause more harm. You should always call the experts."

How to rescue a whale:

Anyone finding a live dolphin, porpoise or whale stranded on a beach is advised to call either the RSPCA or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) as soon as possible. They will then be given advice over the telephone.

Advice to the public includes:

Support the animal in an upright position, and dig trenches under the pectoral fins.

Cover the animal with wet sheets or towels (even seaweed) and keep it moist by spraying or dousing with water.

Do not cover, or let any water pass down the blowhole (nostril), on top of the animal's head. This will cause the animal great distress and could even kill it.

Every movement around a stranded animal should be quiet, calm and gentle. Excessive noise and disturbance will only stress it further.

Take great care when handling a dolphin, porpoise or whale; keep away from the tail, as it can inflict serious injuries - this is particularly the case with whales and it is advisable to leave handling larger whales until experienced help has arrived.

Under no circumstances release the animal into the sea before the rescue team has arrived.

Telegraph.co.uk

31st August : Whale Dies In Somerset Estuary After Failed Jetski Rescue Attempt.

Ten-metre minke whale left to drift into Bristol channel

Jetskiers found a dying whale floating in an estuary in Somerset, coastguards said today.

Derek Jones and his 12-year-old son Sean, from Bristol, spotted the mammal still alive in the Parrett estuary at Burnham-on-Sea at about 5pm yesterday.

They tried to tow it back out to sea with a rope attached to their jetski.

A lifeboat crew was called out at 6.30pm and confirmed that the creature had died.

The minke whale, which was 10 metres (33ft) long, was left to drift with the tide into the Bristol channel.

There are only a handful of minke sightings in the south-west each year.

A British Divers Marine Life Rescue member, Steve O'Connor, said:

"We think the whale was alive at the time the report came in and we had 15 marine medics ready to go out and rescue it, but it sadly died.

"It could have had a navigational error that made it take the wrong turn or it could have been under stress.

We will not know the exact cause of death unless a vet examines it. The body may come aground again elsewhere but the majority of times it will just float away."

He said the whale was bigger than the average minke size of about eight metres.

"It was definitely fully grown and fairly big. They have been spotted in the Bristol channel before but very rarely, it is not something that happens in this area often.

"Around the UK we will deal with about 50 strandings a year of dolphins and whales but it is unusual for it to be so far up the estuary."

Mark Simmonds, science director at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said:

"Assuming it is indeed a minke whale, they are fairly commonly seen close to the shore around the UK, but more so in the north rather than the south.

"When whales are sick or wounded they might come ashore and the size of this whale is quite large.

I'm sure the jetskiers meant well but towing it is not ideal as it could cause more harm. You should always call the experts."

Guardian.co.uk

30th August : Spice Girl Geri Halliwell On Jetski.
By Dan Evans
Sexy Spice Swirl Geri Halliwell zooms around on her jetski - giving onlookers a bum steer.
The 37-year-old singer showed off a cheeky trick by STANDING on the machine's seat while still slicing through the calm seas of St Tropez.
Mum Geri also displayed a trim bikini body as she soaked up the sun on hols with aristocrat lover Henry Beckwith, 30.
One holidaymaker said: "Geri is looking fantastic and Henry couldn't take his eyes off her as she whizzed along the water.
"She was having a whale of a time."
...without any blubber in sight.
NewsOfTheWorld.co.uk

29th August : Exmouth Lifeboats Launched Seven Times In One Day.

Exmouth inshore lifeboat had a busy weekend when the inshore lifeboat and all-weather boat was launched a total of seven times.

The inshore lifeboat last Sunday towed a 20-foot speedboat suffering with engine failure back to Exmouth.

Just over an hour later the crew was back on the water towing a jetski back to shore after it broke down near Dawlish Warren.

The crew then joined a police search for a man believed to be missing in the Langstone rocks area of Dawlish.

He was later found by police safe and well on land.

The all-weather lifeboat was launched to help two casualties suffering from the cold after their inflatable boat suffered power failure off Budleigh Salterton.

On returning to its mooring, the all-weather lifeboat was tasked to a yacht aground on the sandbanks of Dawlish Warren.

The inshore lifeboat was later that evening launched to check on two swimmers reported to be in difficulty in the water at Exmouth.

Exmouth lifeboat operations manager Kevin Riley said the crew did a 'sterling' job,

ExmouthHerald.co.uk

28th August : JSRA British Championship Results.
Results from Round Five of the 2009 JSRA British Championships at Nitrojet are now online.
Check them out at...
www.jsra.co.uk

27th August : Diver Airlifted To Safety Amid Search For Missing Jetskier.

By Joanna Codd

A woman diver was airlifted to Poole this evening to be treated for the bends after returning to Weymouth just after 8pm.

She was driven to the Portland coastguard base, then flown along the coast.

During that incident, a man was reported missing in Poole Harbour after his jetski was found floating between Baiter and Salterns Marina.

It was towed to the Baiter slipway.

His car and trailer had been left parked nearby.

The search was stood down when he turned up safe and well at another location.

BournemouthEcho.co.uk

27th August : Goat Rescued By Jet Ski On Loch Lomond.

By Sean Murphy

Two animal welfare inspectors called to an emergency on Loch Lomond had to rescue a wild goat using a jet ski.

Officers from the SSPCA were forced to take to the water after reports that a goat had fallen from a cliff and was stranded on a ledge above the loch.

Jet-skiers Elaine Grimes, from Glasgow, and boyfriend Derek Hill, sparked the rescue after they spotted the wild goat stumble by the side of the loch close to the bottom of Ben Lomond.

"The cliff gave way under its weight," said Ms Grimes.

"It ended up crashing down onto a little shelf sticking out of the bottom of the cliff. It wasn't too seriously hurt but it was stuck."

Fearing for the animal's safety they called the SSPCA.

Senior Inspector Nicki Scott and Inspector Jennifer Connolly, were sent to the scene but could only reach the animal from the water so were kitted out in suits, shoes and lifejackets by the helpful couple.

"Derek grabbed the goat by the horns and one of the officers got hold of it by the rump," said Ms Grimes.

"I helped the inspector hog tie the feet and we all put the goat on the back of my jet ski.

Then we got it to the beach to let it go."

EveningTimes.co.uk

26th August : Ultimate Choice Back By Demand!
When the Ultimate Choice promotion from Yamaha ended this August, they didn’t expect to be inundated with requests to keep it going.
So, by popular demand, Ultimate Choice has returned for a very limited period with a twist – a 0% APR Typical finance option!
Yamaha is giving you the opportunity to purchase a brand new WaveRunner from one of their Authorised participating Yamaha WaveRunner dealers with a choice of one of the following options;
0% APR Typical finance over 2 years OR £750 part exchange bonus OR £1000 Yamcheque to spend on Genuine Yamaha Parts and Accessories.
So, the Ultimate Choice has become even more difficult as you decide which one of the stunning line-up of WaveRunners to purchase as well as which fantastic option to choose from on this enhanced campaign.
But hurry up - This offer WILL END on 30^th September 2009!
To find out more visit www.yamaha-motor.co.uk
For full terms and conditions or get down to your nearest Authorised Yamaha WaveRunner dealer now and make the Ultimate Choice!

25th August : Redcar Jet Skier Rescued After Suspected Smash.

A Jet Skier was rescued from Redcar beach by air ambulance after suffering suspected spinal injuries.

The man, understood to be in his 30's, is thought to have crashed into another Jet Ski early on Sunday evening.

Lifeboat crews were scrambled to the section of beach in front of Granville Terrace, but stood down when they heard the man had already been taken ashore.

Dave Cocks of Redcar RNLI said: "The lifeboat was literally seconds from launching when the request came to abort the launch and for the crew to go to Granville Terrace by land.

"One of our crew members set off an orange smoke flare so that the air ambulance pilot could identify the location.

When the aircraft landed on the beach our crew members, including one who is himself ambulance crew, helped put the man, understood to be between 30 and 40 years of age, into the helicopter.

"He was taken to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough."

A new campaign launched by the RNLI called Serious Fun aims to encourage people to enjoy themselves safely when they take to the water this summer.

"Personal Watercraft (PWC), commonly called jet skis have become an increasingly popular leisure activity over the past few years. We've occasionally been called out to a broken down PWC but, fortunately, there have been very few incidents where a person has been injured using one.

"The RNLI offers an excellent free DVD called "Serious Fun" which gives practical advice on staying safe on the water and advice from top trainers and sports experts.

Go to www.rnli.org for details," said Dave.

Did you witness the rescue, or are you the jet skier?

Get in touch with the Gazette newsdesk on 01642 234367.

GazetteLive.co.uk

25th August : Mark Foster Led Take To The Tees At Watersports Festival.

By Lucy Richardson

An Olympic swimmer chose a wetsuit over trunks to launch a watersports festival in the region.

Mark Foster led a flotilla of boats from the Castlegate Quay, in Stockton, to the Tees Barrage before taking the helm of a jetski to encourage amateurs to Take to the Tees.

Visitors were invited to try free taster sessions, from water-skiing, sailing and rowing to paddle boarding – a new craze popular with Hollywood celebrities including Cameron Diaz.

Mr Foster, 39, six times world champion, who has broken eight world records in his career, is also familiar to millions from his appearances on last year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.

He said he was passionate about encouraging people to swim as the skill saved lives and was an ideal way to keep fit.

“My father could not swim, so he was determined that my sister and I learnt for safety reasons,” said the 39-year-old, who has competed in five Olympic Games.

“I discovered that I love the water and just took things one step further.”

“Unless people can try different sports they will not know if they like them or not,”

he said at the Tees Barrage – one of the proposed training camps for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Among the hundreds of people who queued on Saturday to book a place for yesterdays classes was David Mole, 40, from Durham and his tenyear- old daughter, Charlotte who were eager to try kayaking.

While Charlotte said she was eager to capsize her canoe, her father said he was looking forward to taking up a sport he had last tried as a boy Scout.

He said: “We came here to see what was going on. It is going to be great to do something together as a family.”

The Wheelyboat Trust, a charity dedicated to providing disabled people with the opportunity and freedom to enjoy waters in the UK was one of the many stallholders at the barrage.

Laura White, who helped organise Take to the Tees, said it had been an outstanding success.

“It is the first thing of its kind, there has been nothing like this before on the river,” she said.

“People think that you have to be a member of a club or have all the right equipment, so this event is a fantastic way for them to come along and have a go for free.”

TheNorthernEcho.co.uk

24th August : 2010 WaveRunners Online.
Introducing the 2010 range of Yamaha WaveRunners.
	FZR
	The ultimate high-performance sport model.
	FZS
	Ultimate high-performance for three.
	FX SHO
	Ultimate Supercharged ‘sports-touring’ watercraft .
	FX High Output
	Ultimate ‘sports-touring’ watercraft.
	FX Cruiser SHO
	Ultimate Supercharged ‘sports-touring’ watercraft with extra-comfortable passenger seating .
	FX Cruiser High Output
	Ultimate ‘sports-touring’ watercraft with extra-comfortable passenger seating .
	VX Sport
	The best selling, comfortable and affordable PWC.
	VX Deluxe
	VX with extra features.
	VX Cruiser
	Seating for 1 to 3 and ideal for all levels of rider.
	Superjet
	For pro to novice racers.
Check Out The Full Details At www.yamaha-motor.com

23rd August : JSRA British Championship Pics.
A selection of Jetmans images from round five of the JSRA British Championship at Nitrojet last weekend are now online.
Check them out in the Racing and Freestyle sections of the Photo Gallery.
As always Server space restricts the quantity of images shown. If you appear in the gallery there may be more of you. E-MAIL for Information.
*Please Note: These Images are intended for viewing only. Unauthorised reproduction is not permitted.

22nd August : Yamaha At The Cutting Edge!
Yamaha is very pleased to announce that its WaveRunner products have been chosen as the official rescue boats for the British Water Ski Federations (BWSF) Cutting Edge competition on 4^th-6^th September at the West Midlands Water Ski Centre near Tamworth, Staffordshire.
The BWSF developed the Cutting Edge programme to introduce young people to the fantastic sports of water skiing and wakeboarding and every year members of the programme are invited to take part in the annual Cutting Edge Competition.
For the 2009 event, Yamaha Motor UK Ltd will be supplying two of its WaveRunners to Cutting Edge for use as rescue craft during competition, as well as tow vehicles for the lunch time demonstrations by some of the UK’s top skiing athletes.
The craft will be manned by Authorised Yamaha WaveRunner dealer AVOS Watersports, who will also have a display at the event with a small selection of the latest WaveRunners as well as a range of Genuine Yamaha Apparel.
So, if you want to witness a crop of the UK’s waterskiing fraternity battle it out on the water and talk to AVOS about a new WaveRunner, get down to the West Midlands Water Ski Centre from 4^th September!
For more information on The BWSF and the Cutting Edge Competition, visit www.britishwaterski.org.uk.
To find out more about Yamaha WaveRunners log onto...
www.yamaha-motor.co.uk

21st August : Boy Plucked From Sea In Jet Ski Drama.

A rescue mission was launched on Sunday after a teenage boy got into difficulty off the coast of Boulmer.

The 13-year-old was air-lifted to hospital with suspected hypothermia at around 1pm after his jet ski broke down and he started drifting out to sea.

He was with his grandfather at the time who tried to swim out and save him.

But half an hour later the boy was too far out and emergency services were called to help.

RAF Boulmer 202 squadron, Boulmer Volunteer Rescue Service and the Coastguard were called to the scene.

The helicopter crew air-lifted the boy to safety while the lifeboat was launched to recover the jet ski.

The helicopter then landed on the beach to pick up the boy's grandfather, who is from Alnwick, to accompany him to hospital.

Coastguard Craig Thompson said:

"The weather conditions weren't good, the wind was picking up and there was a very, very fast current to consider as well, with the tide going out."

He said the teenager, from Dinnington, was on a stunt jet ski on which passengers stand up.

"He was 13 years old. I think it is a little bit wrong him being out on it," Craig said.

"We are looking around to see if there is a legal age for riding those jet skis.

"The age of the boy and the weather conditions were the main things we were bothered about."

The teenager was released from hospital later the same day.

NorthumberlandGazette.co.uk

18th August : Jetskier & Personal Watercraft Magazine.
The September Edition of Jetskier & PW is on sale from all the usual stockists priced £3.50. Included in this edition are all the usual sections plus Poole Harbour - On Safari, Meet Another PW Family, Out Of Alderney - The Long Ride, JSRA Jet Joust, Wakestock, FNT Report, Apparel Guide, Kwakas Go Turbo and much much more.
Get Yours Now!

11th August : Personal Watercraft In The Thames Estuary.

The Port of London Authority (PLA), in partnership with its key stakeholders, has developed a Code of Conduct for Personal Watercraft (PWC) users in the Thames Estuary.

The Code has been developed to complement similar guidance developed by Kent County Council and the Kent Coastal Forum along the Kent Coast.

Personal Watercraft are permitted in the Thames Estuary but must users must ensure that they act safely and responsibly.

The Code of Conduct is contained within an informative leaflet and can be downloaded by clicking here.

To obtain hard copies of the leaflet please telephone 01474 562269.

PLA.co.uk

10th August : Freeride Innovations.

Freeride Innovations make and distribute freeride and freestyle parts and accessories.

The southwest company have just released a dedicated stand-up jetski 'Tow Rope'.

Other recent additions include their hood saver straps in a 'multi-colour' option and a heavier duty fitting kit for their Freeride Footstraps.

All their products are tested in house by their team of freeriders and freestylers and come with full colour fitting instructions and now also with a Freeride-Innovations decal.

Why not visit them at...

freerideinnovations.co.u k

6th August : Watersports Event Organiser Condemns Planned Law Changes.

One of the UK's leading figures in the world of watersports has expressed concerns over plans to make changes in the law, which could potentially see windsurfers and kayakers fined and jailed if involved in an on water accident.

Gary Willingham, whose watersports event, the Animal Windfest, has brought some of the biggest names in wind-surfing and kite-boarding to Poole, Dorset for the last 11 years, fears that the proposed amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act, 1995 will discourage people from taking up watersports in general.

The proposals, in a consultation paper, are intended to close a legal loophole identified in the Court of Appeal four years ago.

Judges overturned the conviction of Mark Goodwin, of Weymouth, Dorset, who nearly killed a man when riding a jet-ski.

They ruled a jet-ski was not a seagoing ship, so not subject to the merchant shipping legislation.

The new rules would bring Britain into line with a Convention on International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea.

The changes would see unpowered craft, which include canoes, kayaks, sailboards and surfboards, reclassified as "ships" and would bring operators under the same regulations as merchant vessels.

As a consequence, users face prison and fines of up to £50,000 if they are held liable for any accidents.

Windsurfers, families in dinghies or a beginner oarsman could be prosecuted if they collided with a swimmer and anyone out on the water would be liable to a random breath test.

Gary said: "This proposal is a strange one. It’s practically impossible to police, it’s aimed at the wrong people and, most of all, it confuses a fairly straightforward situation.

"There’s a clear difference between powered and unpowered craft and there are rules already in place on beaches governing their use.

This particular piece of legislation should definitely be changed to include jet-skis because they are powered craft but if you include kayaks and surfboards, where will you draw the line?

Do you prosecute people who have accidents on lilos or bodyboards?

"It’s the equivalent of applying the same rules used for cars to cyclists, skateboarders or even little kids with 'heelys' shoes.

You wouldn’t treat a child on heelys who collides with another person in the same way as you would a driver who runs over a pedestrian.

"Perhaps the most worrying part of this is that it will put people off taking up great sports like wind-surfing and kite-boarding, and that would be a huge shame."

The Animal Windfest will be held in Sandbanks, Poole between 11-13 September this year.

Windfest is the south’s only free, three day watersports event. www.animalwindfest.co.uk

Cowes.co.uk

1st August : ATP Billet Adjustable Handle Pole.
Introducing the Air Time Products Billet Adjustable Handle Pole.
This new pole is adjustable from -1" over OEM to minus 4".
The Pole is very simple and easy to adjust giving the user the freedom to have a length suitable their riding style and conditions.
The top and bottom section of this new Pole are made from Billet aluminium, centre sections tubes are made from aircraft grade 6082 T6 aluminium, tensioning bolts are A2 stainless.
Feeling this isn't quite short enough?
No problem we've covered that too with the "extreme kit”.
This kit comprises of a further 2 centre tubes, simply remove the originals supplied and fit these to take you further than the minus 4.
As with our Carbon Pole this will fit your stock OEM bracket or can be fitted to the ATP Billet Pole bracket (the ATP Pole Bracket is supplied with all stainless hardware and stainless adjustable Hood Hooks at no extra cost).
The ATP Steering system is the perfect match for this Handle pole along with a specific Chin Pad.
Comes with Pole Bushes and cable locator.
Price: £550
www.airtimeproducts.co.uk