Watersports blog

A sixteen-year old teenager trying to break a solo sailing attempt around the world was reportedly missing in the Indian Ocean located about two thousand miles east of Madagascar. This development was reported by the family of 16-year old Abby Sunderland, a resident of Thousand Oaks, California.

The young sailor left her home alone last January 23 via her sailboat named “Wild Eyes.” On Thursday, she lost her satellite phone contact with her family. She did set off her emergency beacons which triggered rescue efforts from Australian, French and United States governments.

Sunderland was attempting to beat the world record as the youngest sailor to ever circumnavigate the world. This title was held her brother Zac, the one who clinched the title for a brief time last year.

Search efforts are being done by the authorities to find the young sailor. Her family is concerned but hopeful that Sunderland’s advanced training will put her through the ordeal.

A highly-extreme cliff diving competition has taken place at the edge of a ninety feet deep sinkhole in Mexico. Several competitors flocked to the remote part of this country to take part in the “Cliff Diving World Series.”

Participants performed their best stunts with others reaching speeds of forty miles per hour before plunging the dark waters of Cenote Ik Kil.

The champion of this high adrenaline event was Gary Hunt of Southampton. He pulled off a Triple Quad stunt, considered one of the most difficult dives in the world.

The event, sponsored by Red Bull, lasted for 2 days. It took longer for each competitor to try and get up the cliff for succeeding rounds.

Hunt scored 373.85 in total. He outperformed Silchenko by more than ten points. Coming in third place is defending champion Duque.

Missoula-based entrepreneur Cat Thordarson surprised everyone in the town when she ventured into an unlikely form of business – providing swimwear such as bikinis.

Thordarson designs sexy swimwear based on her clients’ preferences. The items come up in different shapes and sizes. She also welcomes custom made orders.

The decision paid off for the Entrepreneur because the editors of popular magazine Sports Illustrated is reportedly impressed with her designs and may likely avail of her services to dress up the models for the magazine’s next issue.

Thordarson said in the interview that the editors of the magazine were impressed by her design. She said that the meeting was initially about delivery of the bikinis but it turned out to be a long interview with promising results.

The young entrepreneur graduated with a degree in apparel merchandise, design and production from Iowa State University.

Stafford and Stone Canoe Club member Mark Proctor secured his place at the prestigious European and World Canoe Slalom Championships which will take place in Great Britain next month after placing runner up at the canoeing national trials held in Nottingham.

The canoeing star will be undergoing rigid training for a month in anticipation of the event in Bratislava. The top three players in the trials have secured their place in the championships.

Proctor has already signed up to become part of the World Championships in Slovenia in September this year. The young canoeing artist is excited to have gotten these opportunities along the way.

He said that he has always maintained his high standards in order to achieve quality results on his performances. He aims to finish in the world’s top ten so that he can take part in competitions in the big stages.

Marine consultancy ASR Ltd faces harsh criticisms after its latest venture in building an artificial reef to turn an English beachside town into a top surfing destination did not meet expectations.

The company landed a lucrative contract with the Bournemouth council to spearhead the project at Boscombe beach. The aim of this undertaking is to make the area a top surfing destination.

However, there had been budget overflows and delays in the creation of the project. The funding reached more than $5 million. The result was a disaster.
The artificial reef would have aided in creating larger waves in the beach – about two to three times the normal size in order to entice surfers to flock the area and enjoy the adventure.

The waves were said to be too short which did not attract the expected number of visitors in the area. The council is currently conducting the investigation on this matter.

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the global policymaker on water sports, has laid out its plans for the near future. UIM President Raffaele Chiulli revealed these developments after the conclusion of the SportAccord International Convention in Dubai.

Part of the future projects includes youth development, alternate fuel and energy and proper marketing strategy. The officials also stated that it will enforce stricter anti-doping policies. Chiulli said that this ensures the longevity of the sport.

The Italian official said that the recognition they got from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was a signal that they can continue developing water sports.

Chiulli secured an agreement with World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA), a Dubai-based organization, to create the Offshore Professional Committee (OPC) for the development of the X-Cat and Class One World Powerboat Championships.

Water sports have been taken into consideration for inclusion in the Olympic Games. The decision will be made by 2013 in Buenos Aires.

So get your swimwear out and lets get practicing for the Olympic games

Three-time diving world champion Alexandre Despatie of Quebec added another accolade in his long list of achievements after winning the three-meter springboard gold medal at the Canada Cup FINA Grand Prix diving competition held last Sunday.

Despatie earned 9 and 9.5 scores in the final round to secure the top spot among fierce competitors. Shixin Li of China settled for silver after getting 8s and 8.5s in his score. Despite the 3.9 degree of difficulty, the Chinese sensation failed to interpret the dive to earn lower scores. Australia’s Scott Robertson settled for third.

In a statement, the Canadian diver said that his last dive basically sealed the victory. He said that he always wants to make a strong impressive in the last dive because anything can happen in the standings especially if the scores are close.

Despatie also won another gold last weekend on the three-meter synchronized diving event.

The authorities in Queensland said that they are still conducting the investigation over the fatal jet ski accident that happened on Moreton Bay on Saturday. Two men were involved in the incident, the one died on the spot while the other one is still under intensive care at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

The victims have been identified as 26-year old Keith Whalley, who died after the jet ski collided with a fishing boat. His passenger, 22-year old Scott Stretton suffered severe head, pelvic and chest injuries and is still under medication.

The fishermen rescued the victims but were unable to resuscitate Whalley.
The authorities believe that the jet ski riders were drinking and did not use the lights.

They are currently interviewing the victims’ friends to determine if there’s excessive alcohol consumption involved prior to the accident.

The Shermalot Ski Team tries once more to convince the officials that their waterskiing activities at Lake Arrowhead dam in Rome, Wisconsin are not causing damages in a bid to stay on to the area. Losing the appeal would mean finding a new place for their summer shows.

Previously, the Adams County Committee has decided that the team should move out based on the findings stemming from last year’s incident. The authorities asked the team to present evidence that they are not eroding the dam.

On Monday, the members presented a 21-page long report to the committee to show that they are not harming the natural resources.

Rome resident and ski team member Anne Wenzlaff said that summer shows are preferred near the dam because it is safe and has good visibility for boat drivers. With no neighbors nearby, the team is not compromising the safety of anyone.

The committee will announce its decision this week.

A scuba diving enthusiast has filed a $4 million lawsuit against operator Ocean Adventures Dive and Sun Diver Charters for allegedly leaving him at sea by the charter boat crew assigned to him six years ago. This development was heard during a trial conducted in Los Angeles Superior court this week.

According to the attorney of Daniel Carlock, his client was left at sea during a scuba diving expedition and he thought he won’t be able to make it back to shore.

Atty Scott Koepke said that Carlock thought he was going to die. When rescued, Carlock then filed the suit in court, stressing negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress as his main allegations.

Defense attorneys stated that the 51-year old scuba diving enthusiast did not follow the rules for safe diving.

According to the defense team, Carlock did not tell them who his diving buddy was and did not surface from the agreed location.