World Championship water ski racing silver medallist Darren Kirkland won the Burnham-On-Sea leg of the UK’s National Water Skiing Championships when they returned to the town after an absence of over 10 years on Sunday (August 5th).
Big crowds of spectators lined the seafront to watch the action, as scores of speedboats sped across the bay with skiers in tow.
Darren Kirkland skimmed over the calm waters of Bridgwater Bay to win the Formula One race. He has competed in 12 World Championships and has won silver and bronze in the past.
Tony Williams, the British water skiing team captain, told Burnham-On-Sea.com the day had been a major success and he is “optimistic” that the event will return next summer.
“It’s been a tremendous day. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun has shined all day, the wind has been right for us – it’s blown from the right direction – and the sea has been reasonably flat.”
He added that there had been no injuries during the race incidents. “We had a couple of boats retire due to mechanical problems and none of the skiers that fell were injured. It’s all been very successful.”
Terry Moul, one of the organisers of the event along with John Clist, added that he had been “delighted” with the event and thanked all those groups who had helped contribute to it.
Spectators got to see several races, including a round of the national championships featuring the very best water skiers from around the UK [click here for video highlights] plus a 40 minute race for novices, ladies and seniors, and a 20-minute ‘bambinos’ race for youngsters.
See more photos of the water ski action here
Video highlights of the water ski action
.FORMULA ONE RESULTS
1 Darren Kirkland
2 Kim Lumley
3 Steve Benney
.FORMULA TWO RESULTS
1 Dave Sewell
2 Matt Fielding
3 Cye hayes
.FORMULA THREE RESULTS
1 Richard Kirk
2 James Hutchinson
3 Dan List
.LADIES RESULTS
1 Natalie Scott
2 Fiona Hawkins
3 Lucy Gale
.SENIORS (35+) RESULTS
1 Rod Hawkins
2 Scott Gibbons
.DAUPHIN RESULTS
1 Sam Clapson
2 Amy Clarke
3 Jake Frame
.JUNIORS RESULTS
1 Daryl Tyndall
2 Billy Smith
3 Alex Benny
.BAMBINOS RESULTS
1 Toby Duggan
RELATED LINKS:
Video highlights of the water ski action
Photo gallery of Burnham’s water ski action
Water skiing championships return to Burnham
Official Burnham Regatta Website
