These were the scenes in Burnham-On-Sea on Saturday morning (April 23rd) when Bristol Channel sea fog almost led to the cancellation of the first day’s action in the British water skiing championships.
Dozens of the UK’s top water skiers are in Burnham-On-Sea this weekend to take part in the first round of the UK’s championships – however, Saturday’s races almost did not take place.
Organiser Steve Bird told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We were plagued by very thick fog, which caused a 90 minute delay for the start of the first races.”
“The fog rolled in off the Bristol Channel and was so dense that visibility was too poor to race.”
“Just as we were taking the decision to postpone racing, the fog lifted and the spectators were rewarded with a superb race.”
The youngsters racing event was won by Lee Holland (1000), second was Ben Manchett (991.72), third was Sam Clark (922.49) and fourth was local racer Grace Cox (872.89).
Over 50 water skiers will be action during the two-day spectacle over the Easter weekend. It is the first time that the UK’s national water skiing championships have been held in Burnham since 2007.
Sunday’s races will start at 10.45am and will see the UK’s leading adult skiers in Formula One, Two and Three competing. There will also be further races for ladies, juniors and vets, with the main race of the weekend will be held at 12.15pm.
After the fog lifted, the water skiing action in Bridgwater Bay began (Photos: Nick Whetstone and Mike Lang)
