Witnesses and information are
being sought after a jet ski was stolen from a driveway in Hollywood.
Four men hitched up the
Seadoo Bombardier jet ski, which was on a white wheeled trailer, to a
green or brown Landrover and drove off with it from outside a house in
Alcester Road at 9.36pm on Friday, May 15.
The jet ski, which is red and
grey and has ‘Seadoo’ and ‘Bombardier’ printed on the side,
was worth £2,500 and the trailer around £500.
The thieves removed the
trailer registration plate and the Landrover was last seen in Heath
Rise, Hollywood.
One of the offenders had dark
hair and was aged around 20-25 while another had a shaven head and was
aged around 30.
Police would like to hear
from anyone who has seen or been offered the jet ski for sale or has
information that could help trace the men who stole it.
Witnesses or anyone with
information should call police on 0300 333 3000 or ring Crimestoppers
anonymously and free on 0800 555 111.
Personal watercraft (PWC) do not enjoy the
best of reputations;
Seen by many as little more than a cause of
nuisance noise to people and marine life,
‘Jet Skis’ are best
enjoyed away from beaches and shallower waters.
But now an American
company hopes its new design of near-silent electric PWC
will win fans both above and below the waves.
The Eco
Watercraft Company has developed a low-maintenance,
electric-powered jet ski that produces no emissions at point of use
and can reach a top speed of 50mph.
Although the American government has compelled manufacturers of jet
skis to swap two-stroke engines for more efficient and quieter
four-stroke designs, many lakes across the country continue to ban
this type of craft.
The Eco Watercraft jet ski will not be subject to
restrictions of this kind.
A spokesperson for the Environmental transport Association (ETA)
said: “Electric cars tend to grab all the headlines but the
technology is being applied to all kinds of vehicles.”
Electric jet skis take advantage of the characteristics of electric
motors; they are easy to maintain and can produce large amounts of
power without needing high engine revolutions. Whilst currently
hampered by heavy batteries, the technology is developing at a fast
pace.
Ever dreamed of taking your
Jetski on holiday without the hassle of getting it there?
Ever dreamed of checking your
jetski in whilst waiting in the long queue at check-in?
Well now you can!
Xtreme Action Events (XAE)
hosts the ultimate jetski holiday in Ibiza every year. A holiday for
jetskiers,
families and friends.
Including lots of skiing in
warm waters, daily trips, competitions and evening entertainment.
For just £350 for a stand-up
or £575 for a sit-down XAE will transport your jetski by road from
the UK to Ibiza ready for your arrival a week later.
Launch easily from directly
behind the hotel Sol Pinet Playa and visit many of the islands
secluded beaches, caves and crystal blue waters and bright white sandy
beaches.
This is by far the cheapest
way to holiday with your jetski.
A selection of
Jetmans images from Round Two of the 2009 British Championship at Glyn
Neath Lakes, Wales are now online.
Check them
out in the Racing section 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
May : Dangerous Jet Ski Driver Given Warning By Police.
A jet ski driver was given a
warning by marine police after being caught driving dangerously around
Two Tree Island.
The coastguard and marine
police intervened after receiving a number of calls complaining about
an irresponsible jet skier on Friday at around 2.45pm.
While on the water, the jet
ski had collided with a moored boat and the driver was thrown into the
water.
The driver then swan ashore
and left the ski stranded in mud before being confronted by the angry
guards.
Peter Dimmick, a watch
officer for Thames Coastguard said:
"Thames Coastguard want
to point out a jet skier has a duty to other members of the public and
should behave in a sensible manner while driving their jet skis.
"They can travel in
excess of 40 knots and can be lethal if driven in an irresponsible
way."
Anyone with more information
can all 01702 321145.
22nd
May : Loch Lomond Jet-Skiers Could Have Been 10 Minutes From
Death.
A father and son almost died
in the freezing waters of Loch Lomond after their jet ski dramatically
overturned.
The drama unfolded as the
pair set off near to Balmaha on the motorised vehicle, unequipped for
the potential danger which lay ahead.
Around 8pm last Tuesday
night, the jet ski overturned throwing both passengers off board and
into the perishing water.
Fortunately, Loch Lomond Golf
Club’s gillie Neil Buchanan was taking a party of 10 out on a boat
trip and had decided to take a different route from usual.
Neil, 62, and his passengers
including three nurses, spotted the son, thought to be around
20-years-old clinging to the jet ski.
Neil said: “We were the
only boat on the loch that night and luckily we came a different
route. We came across the boy on top of the overturned jet ski. He
said he didn’t know where his father was so we went to look for him.
He was about half a mile away.
“It was lucky we were in a
large boat because otherwise I don’t think we would have seen him.
“He was totally grey when
we got him out of the water. The water was freezing. It was like the
north Atlantic.”
Neil’s boat returned to
collect the son before taking them to shore. An ambulance took them to
hospital where they were treated for hypothermia.
But the Blairglas man – who
has worked with the golf club for over a decade – fears that if they
hadn’t got there when they did, the pair could have died.
Neil said: “Luckily we had
three nurses on our boat. They wrapped both of them up in quilts,
trying to warm them up.
“The nurses said they would
have been dead if we were even another 10 minutes because of the
temperature of the water. They had already been in the water for about
half an hour by the time we arrived.”
Following the incident,
management at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park have issued
a set of guidelines to follow when going out on any water trip.
A spokeswoman said: “This
incident emphasises the need to properly prepare before embarking on a
trip even for a short period of time.
“Always wear the
appropriate clothing for the type of activity you will be undertaking,
especially a properly fitted lifejacket or buoyancy aid.
“Carry either flares or
better still a means of communicating if you get into difficulty. Even
a whistle is better than nothing.
“Know where you are, plan
your journey and leave word of your intentions with someone on shore
including your expected time of return.
“Carry the appropriate
equipment compatible with the type of craft you are using including
additional fuel if practicable.”
20th
May : Wavefest Joins Beach Rock
100x100 Event.
If you're a
dedicated jet skier or you are looking for a good excuse to get your
personal watercraft out on the water this summer, then this could be
the opportunity you have been waiting for!
Over the weekend of 30th
and 31st May, Norfolk based WaveRunner dealer Beach Rock
Leisure will be holding an action packed weekend in aid of the
Macmillan Cancer Support charity at Sea Palling on the beautiful
Norfolk coast.
The event will kick off on
Saturday with the Yamaha Wavefest Team on hand to offer you the
opportunity to try its latest and greatest WaveRunner products
including the awesome Supercharged FZR as well as the all new 2009 FX
HO.
Team Dread, Kellers and Ocean
Kayak will also be in attendance with demonstrations as well as giving
you the chance to try your hand at the thrilling sports of Kite
surfing and Wakeboarding.
But the fun doesn’t stop
there!
Saturday night will include a
social gathering with a live band, food and bar as well as an auction
which will give you the chance to bid on a selection of superb items
such as a Riva Full Handling Kit or 2 x GSE Airwaves Yamaha
hospitality passes to the Snetterton round of the British Superbikes.
On Sunday, Beach Rock Leisure
is giving over 100 jet skiers the opportunity to take part in their
100x100 event, to cruise an escorted coastal course of 100km to Great
Yarmouth and Cromer.
The 100x100 event will be a
challenge for all who take part and a chance to get together with
other like minded personal watercraft users.
For full details on the event
visit www.beachrockleisure.com
or call Gayle or Nick Deary at Beach Rock Leisure on 01692 598000.
All proceeds from the Beach
Rock Leisure 100x100 weekend will be donated to Macmillan Cancer
Support.
19th
May : Jetskier
& Personal Watercraft Magazine.
The June 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 Superjet Rebuild, Winter
Racing Round Up, Franky Zapata's Seadoo Special, Wavefest Solent, FNT
Round 1, Get Into Club Racing, Helmets And Goggles Guide, HSR S8-On
Test, Jet Boat vs PW and much much more.
A selection of
Jetmans images from Round Two of the 2009 JSRA Club Racing at Nitrojet,
Oxford are now online.
Check them
out in the Racing section 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.
16th
May : Showtime Freestyle Clinics.
Established freestyler Luke ' Showtime' Stocks has two clinics planned
for later in the year.
If you are a beginner or intermediate rider and fancy learning some
new tricks,
Get yourself along to Tattershall Lakes Country Park on Sunday 7th
June or Tyram lakes Sunday 26th July.
£30 per rider includes your day launch and tuition.
Insurance MUST be shown on the day
14th
May : Lewis Hamilton rides the crest of a wave on speeding
jet-ski with very trusting girlfriend Nicole.
By Donna Mcconnell
He's used to life in the fast
lane as F1 World Champion.
But it seems Lewis Hamilton
is just as confident when it comes to jet-skiing as he is on the race
course.
The 24-year-old proved he was
something of a dab hand at the watersport as he took the controls and
hit the waters with his glamorous pop star girlfriend Nicole
Scherzinger in the stunning Italian seaside town of Portofino.
After descending from a huge
yacht to take to the waves, Nicole held on tight while her lover took
her for a spin during a session of adrenaline-fuelled fun.
Image
Courtesy Big Pictures
While Hamilton might be
playing second fiddle to fellow Brit Jensen Button in this year's
Formula 1 Championship, he didn't seem too cut up that he hasn't
managed to win a race so far this season.
Instead, the romantic break
was a chance to focus on some quality time with Nicole for the racing
star, who finished out of the points again in ninth in his McLaren as
Jenson Button's Brawn scored yet another win in Sunday's Spanish Grand
Prix.
Despite all the obvious
trappings of his success, Hamilton has said his idea of a perfect day
is a little more down to earth that reaching breakneck speeds on a
racing track.
He told The Times: I’m
never happier than at a family get-together.
I’ve got my girlfriend
there, my mum and stepdad, my dad and (his second wife) Linda, my
grandparents, my cousins, and we have a family day where we have great
food and great laughs.
'That’s a pretty perfect
day for me.'
And he enjoys family life so
much that he is even considering starting one of his own.
'I’ve got a lot of young
cousins, and babysitting for them is great. I find children give me a
lot of energy. I can’t wait till I have ones of my own,' he said.
Amazingly, he insists that
despite the tenfold jump in his £1million a year salary, that money
hasn't changed his life at all.
'I suppose it depends what
kind of person you are but having money hasn’t changed my life at
all,' he says with a straight face.
'It’s great to be able to
pay for my apartment, but I’m the same as anyone.
As long as you can pay for a
roof over your head, put fuel in your car, buy food and look after
your family, then life’s fine. I’m just able to do that a little
bit earlier than most people.'
A selection of
Jetmans images from Westhorpe Watersports and Nitrojet on Sunday are now online.
Check them
out in the General section of the Photo
Gallery.
11th
May : Warning After Tay Jet-Ski Pair Saved.
By Alan Richardson
The dangers
of the River Tay were starkly highlighted again yesterday when a day
of sun-kissed fun almost turned to tragedy for two jet-skiers.
And in a
separate case a 33-year-old man was missing and a woman seriously ill
in hospital after they were swept into a swollen Ayrshire river,
apparently trying to rescue their dogs.
In the Tay
incident a 29-year-old woman had to be plucked from the chilly waters
by members of a Perth diving club when her machine lost power in the
middle of the river at Perth and began to drift dangerously
downstream.
Jim Graham, of
Perth Sub-Aqua Club, said it was sheer luck he and colleagues were on
the river at the time to aid the woman, who he said seemed dangerously
close to hypothermia and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
He said she had
been wearing inappropriate clothing and suggested both people were
ill-prepared for being out on the dangerous river.
Her 35-year-old
male companion was helped from the swift-flowing water by fire and
rescue personnel who had been called out when the alarm was raised by
members of the public at 3.50pm.
Witnesses said
the jet-ski overturned between the Queen’s Bridge and railway
bridge, leaving its riders clinging to the stricken machine.
Forth coastguard
and a search and rescue helicopter were scrambled as the regular
emergency services raced to the scene.
Mr Graham and
Jim Wilson, who were on the river to test a new motor launch, realised
what was happening and mounted their own rescue mission.
Mr Graham said,
“People were running around screaming and we saw the upturned
jet-ski with two people clinging to it.
“They had no
control at all and were just drifting down the river. Either they
didn’t know what to do or they had panicked.
“We got our
boat launched and picked the girl up about 500 yards downstream from
the bridge at the sea cadets’ launch.
“She was
wearing normal clothes with a lifejacket over the top and was very,
very cold.”
The launch where
she was reached is the last before the river widens and quickens on
its way to Dundee, meaning any rescue further downstream would have
been much more difficult.
Despite the
sunny weather yesterday afternoon, the water temperature remained
close to freezing and, after several days of heavy rain, the level was
higher than usual.
Mr Graham said,
“Because she was so close to hypothermia I don’t think she could
have done much if we hadn’t reached her—she was absolutely
freezing.”
After seeing the
woman to safety, Mr Graham and Mr Wilson towed the jet-ski to shore
while firefighters rescued the man by throwing a line to him and
pulling him in. He was uninjured.
Mr Graham said,
“He was in some sort of wet or dry suit so was better prepared in
that regard but he didn’t have a lifejacket and they obviously
didn’t know what they were doing.
“I would
always suggest people using the river have some sort of safety
training.”
At the height of
the incident, every fire and rescue vehicle in Perth, including the
aerial platform and heavy rescue unit, were at the scene as well as
police vehicles and ambulances.
In the Ayrshire
incident emergency services said the pair, who were walking with a
pram, chased after the animals into the River Garnock at about 2pm.
Firefighters
rescued the 30-year-old woman who was taken to Crosshouse Hospital,
Kilmarnock, where her condition was described as “critical but
stable.”
The couple were
thought to be walking up to three dogs, two of which were later found
dead in the fast-flowing water.
A police
helicopter, divers and marine unit were conducting a full-scale search
and rescue for the missing man with help from 10 members of the
coastguard, including an inshore lifeboat.
Clyde coastguard
watch manager Richard Morgans said, “As time progresses, though, and
with the speed of the river and water temperature, it looks
increasingly uncertain as to whether we will be able to locate this
man in anything other than a very poor way.”
11th
May : 2009 UIM
Aquabike European
Championship Results.
Results
from Round One of the 2009 UIM
Aquabike European Championship in Spain at the weekend are now online.
Congratulations to the UK
riders...
SKI JUNIORS
1
Emanuele BALZER POR
2 Paolo BERTOZZI ITA 3 Sophie PERRIN GBR
4 Lou DARDILLAT FRA
5 Tom VAN-DER-VALK GER
6 Kevin MORENO-ROJO SPA
SKI PROMOTION STOCK
1 Kevin
REITERER
2 Quinten BOSSCHE BEL
3 Emanuele BALZER POR
4 Almur BIN-HURAIZ UAE
5 Cedric TOSATTO FRA
6 Olivier POLO FRA
7 Martins GONCALO POR
8 Nacho ARMILLAS-BARQUERO SPA
9 Stephane VENDEVEILLE FRA
10 Arnau BERDAGUER-FIGUEROLA SPA
11 Steven LOPES BEL
12 Kevin MORENO-ROJO SPA
13 Vicente CANO SPA
14 Amador FERRER-GARCIA SPA
15 Juli PUJOL-SAIS SPA
16 Salvador VILA-PASUAL SPA 17 James BUSHELL GBR
SKI STOCK
1
Michael PORET FRA
2 Max VAN-DER-VALK GER
3 Yoann TOLLEMER FRA
4 Rui SOUZA POR
5 Steven LOIODICE FRA
6 Stefania BALZER POR
7 Romain RANDAZZO FRA
8 Daniel MATINELLI ARG
9 Gonçalo MARTINS POR
10 Yassir KORCHI
11 Nabil BROCA
RUNABOUT STOCK
1
Angelo BERTOZZI ITA
2 Giuseppe GRACO ITA
3 Sven PUTZEYS BEL
4 Mattia FRACASSO ITA
5 Jose-Manuel CRUZADO-PNTO SPA
6 Sandy LOIODICE FRA
7 Antonio D'ARMA ITA
8 Kuder BENADEL SPA
9 Alain FURNAL BEL 10 Seth WILKINSON GBR
11 Bruno SECCHIAROLI ITA
12 Pablo LINDNER-SANTOS SPA
13 Fabrizio PEPE ITA
14 Jos VLOEBERGHS GER
15 Juan-Luis ALOGUIN-MADARRO SPA
16 Jordi TOMAS-JIMENEZ SPA
SKI PRO
1
Steven DAULIACH UAE
2 Christopher COURTOIS FRA
3 Mickael PORET FRA
4 Kevin REITERER AUT
5 Brice LOPEZ FRA
6 Nacho ARMILLAS-BARQUERO SPA
7 Jose-Tiago OLIVEIRA-DE-SOUZA SPA
8 Jeremy PORET FRA 9 Anya COLLEY GBR
10 David SELLES-ALGADO SPA
11 Yuki KURAHASHI JPN
12 Julie BULTEAU FRA
13 Thierry COUTIER SUI
RUNABOUT PRO
1
Francky ZAPATA FRA
2 Sven PUTZEYS BEL
3 Jordi TOMAS-JIMENEZ SPA
4 Amador FERRER-GARCIA SPA
5 Angelo BERTOZZI ITA
6 Mattia FRACASSO ITA
7 Paolo PAESANI ITA
8 Jeremy PEREZ FRA 9 James BUSHELL GBR
10 Stephane FORASSASSI FRA
FREESTYLE
1 Valerio CALDERONI
2 Roberto MARIANI
3 Tom DE-POOTER
The wife of a South Yorkshire
jet skier who vanished off the coast of Bali six months ago has now
accepted he is dead.
Jacqui Hoyland, aged 44, said
it is unrealistic to hold out any hope that her husband Jeremy will be
found alive.
But the mum-of-two, from
Penistone, is unable to obtain official paperwork from Bali declaring
him missing, presumed dead, until he has been missing for 12 months.
Until then she is having to
pay the mortgage on their family home single-handedly as well as all
the bills.
She said it is difficult for
her to come to terms with the tragedy when his body has never been
found to give her some sense of "closure".
"The Balinese police
investigation into the disappearance was called off in February – on
Jeremy's birthday – with him presumed dead," she said.
"He is still recorded as
missing and when they do their daily searches of the bay and area
around the island they would notify us if anything is found but, other
than that, they have stopped looking.
"We have to accept he is
never coming back – if we were going to find him we would have done
by now.
We know where he was when he
made eight SOS calls and the tidal patterns at that time, but he was
never found and we don't expect him to be now.
"The not knowing what
happened and where he is is the worst part of all this, the sense that
there has been no closure."
Jeremy, who was 41 when he
disappeared, was on a jet-ski with a group of friends when he failed
to return to dry land last October.
A major rescue operation was
launched in the wake of his disappearance but there have been no
sightings of him or the jet-ski he was last seen on.
On the day of his
disappearance he made eight calls on his mobile phone to say he was
experiencing problems with his machine and that it was starting to
sink.
Jeremy's wife Jacqui and
brother have both spent time on the island helping to publicise his
disappearance and fight for more to be done to try to find him in the
hope he may have made it onto one of hundreds of tiny islands dotted
around Bali – many of which have no form of communication with the
outside world.
A plan to provide a greater
range of watersports at a beachside beauty spot has been met with a
storm of protest.
Herbrand Walk Developments,
which owns land at Herbrand Walk near the Cooden Beach Hotel,
submitted the application to Rother District council on March 27.
Plans include 20 new beach
huts, which would be of wood and double sized at 10ft wide by 8ft
long, space for 100 cars, a new entrance/driveway onto the beach to
provide access for jet skis, boats and windsurfers, bollarding the
entire beach 2.4 metres from the side of the road and tidying up of
existing kerbing.
The owner, Steve Hall,
proposes to provide two free-of-charge car parks, one at either end of
the beach, employ a lifeguard and a jet ski instructor between April 1
and September 30 each year, and have a portable winch on site so jet
skis and boats can be launched safely.
Other activities would
include rowing, wind surfing, fishing, kayaking and kite flying, and
there would be 10 refuse bins and four doggy bins, which would be
emptied daily.
In a letter to Rother
District Council, which is published on the council's website, Mr Hall
said:
"The benefits would be
an increase of trade for the local amenities, more visitors to Bexhill
town centre, the area would be tidy and secure, travellers will be
unable to set up camp as in previous years and the involvement of
local schools - free days, with training in all activities."
However the application has
received almost 100 online responses, many of which are objections,
and the Observer's postbag this week has contained several letters of
complaint.
Joey and Robert Mitchell, of
Cooden Sea Road, branded the plans a "disaster", fearing
increased noise from jet skis and increased traffic gridlock at
Herbrand Walk in the summer.
They said: "What an
extraordinary place it is - the beach is replenished routinely by the
Environment Agency. Were that not done there would be no land.
"Effectively, this is
already public land, maintained at public expense by the replenishment
of its beach.
"It cannot be treated as
yet another development opportunity to benefit only some of the
public."
Valerie Hamilton, of
Clavering Walk, Cooden, said:
"Should the increased
use of extremely noisy, smelly, polluting jet skis be encouraged in
this eco-friendly environment?
"The beach is separated
by the mere width of railway line from both a Site of Special
Scientific Interest and a RAMSAR site."
Melanie Sykes, who has owned
one of the existing beach huts for more than 30 years, told the
Observer she was keen to have as many people know about the proposal
as possible – she claimed the planning notices had disappeared from
the site but have now been replaced.
Peter Hill, of Cooden Sea
Road, objected on the Rother District Council website.
He said: "The noise from
the jet skis that currently use the sea in this area is an intrusion
on the peace and quiet that I should be enjoying, during the spring
and summer months, in my garden.
The proposal that many more
jet skis will be using this area cannot be allowed, as it will spoil
the enjoyment of many hundreds of residents in the area.
"This area of beach is
peaceful and unspoilt and this is the attraction that brings many
people to the area.
"A development of this
kind would be a total disaster."
Mr Hall told the Observer
there was already space for 100 cars at Herbrand Walk and that he was
merely formalising the parking arrangements.
He also said the idea behind
a qualified jetski instructor was as a safety measure to ensure jetski
users had the correct insurance and paperwork.
He said: "I do not want
to make it into a holiday camp or anything. I just want it so people
can enjoy it still and it will be tidy and safe."
Rother District Council head
of planning Tim Hickling said: "Officers are currently
constructing their report on this application and the recommendation
will go before a future planning committee.
"It would be quite wrong
to comment on the application in the media before it appears in front
of councillors and risk prejudicing the decision making process.
Members of the committee will
make their decision, based on planning grounds, on the evidence
available to them.
"The council is aware
the application has generated a large amount of correspondence.
"Any comments on the
proposal can be sent through either looking at the application online
at www.rother.gov.uk, emailing planning@rother.gov.uk or writing to
the head of planning at the Town Hall, Bexhill."
The closing date for comments
on this application is May 12.
To see what parking,
activities and water quality standard already exists at Herbrand Walk,
visit www.goodbeachguide.co.uk