World Water Ski Racing Championship in Tacoma

On your marks! Get set for something unusual coming to Tacoma July 26, 2017. Have you ever seen water-skiers go over 100mph? I haven’t. It looks kinda like this:

WWSRC

This year the World Water Ski Racing Championship will conduct preliminary races in Commencement Bay with the final heats taking place at Seafair in Seattle. In other words, most of this exciting event will take place along the waterfront at Point Ruston here in Tacoma. The logistics are being finalized at the time of this writing, but I’m told permits have been secured and this is most definitely a go.

There will be no tickets, no admission prices, no grandstands. Just come on down and watch one of the craziest things you’ve ever seen and have a stroll along the new waterfront. You’ve been meaning to check out all the new restaurants down there anyway, so why not go when you can also view death-defying stunts going on at the same time.

Water skiers.. 100mph.. men and women..

The event puts ski racers in choppy Commencement Bay to do as many 3-mile laps as they can. FOR SIXTY (60) MINUTES STRAIGHT. When I first heard about this, I assumed it would be like drag racing, where competitors get up to their top speed for a few seconds and then it’s over. Not so. These people are literally skiing faster than I drive my car, and they don’t stop for an hour. There are currently 60 teams of MEN AND WOMEN from all over the world slated to be in Tacoma for this event.

If you’ve never heard of water ski racing, you’re certainly not alone. It appears this phenomenon heralds from Australia where they’ve been 100mph water skiing for quite some time. Just search YouTube for “water ski racing” and you’ll see some ridiculous stuff going back decades. Much like Ice Cross Downhill, the WWSRC could emerge in the U.S., seemingly out of nowhere, to sweep spectators off their feet in short order.

Electric skateboards everywhere!

It seems every day a different, new-age gadget goes rolling past me in the Proctor District. These battery-powered means of transportation are quieter and faster than before and it’s time for me to take a closer look. The high-end models are typically not available in local retail stores so we will take to the interwaves to find them.

You may have seen someone on an electric skateboard and not even known it. The remote controls are now wireless and often fit inside the palm of your hand. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of these boards you’ve seen buzzing around the neighborhood.

HINT: If you you see someone going swiftly uphill on a skateboard while standing idle on the deck, they are riding an electric skateboard.

GT Powerboard
Off Road Electric Skateboard

$1,339.00

0-23mph in 5 seconds!
45 x 11 inches
15 mile range on flats
72 pounds with battery

Maxfind Dual Motor
Electric Skateboard

$599.00

10 mile range
38″ x 10″
60 minute run time
12.1 pounds

Kayak Tacoma but don’t be an idiot

Ruston Way

Idiot’s Rule. Jane’s Addiction said so. This doesn’t mean you should be an idiot.

There seems to be an epidemic of idiocy down at Owen Beach at Point Defiance. Too often, inexperienced folks wander north on Owen Beach toward the Point, on foot or in a kayak, and they have no clue what they are doing. Beach walkers wrap the corner at low tide and then get stranded by high tide before they can make it back. Greenhorn kayakers get spun out and swallowed up by a wicked convergence zone of currents that can stoke up without warning at any time.

Does the beach needs more signs? Or maybe even just more parking lot signs? Something. Anything. There is a lot of ignorance down there and it needs to be reined in. Our local firemen rescue victims of their own stupidity from the sea cliffs too often. Fishermen assist terrified and/or capsized kayakers off Point Defiance too often (it happened again yesterday). It all seems relatively preventable.

Perhaps renting kayaks to people with no experience in the water would be more appropriate along Ruston Way? A kayak newbie has no business paddling Owen Beach. You have a ferry dock on one side and deadly currents on the other. Of course, the drop-in spot seems nice and safe, leading these people to think they have it all under control. After a few minutes of doing circles in front of the family BBQ’s and sunbathers, new paddlers build up false confidence and set off on a course toward 2 potentially hazardous situations.

The ferry dock is a pretty obvious hazard. Even these people can see that. So they often head north instead, toward the scenic point. The convergence zone of currents means a couple things: there is an abundance of attractive marine life and the water is very, very, very unpredictable. All it takes is one seal or dolphin sighting and the inexperienced paddler can’t resist wrapping the corner. This is where the game of Russian Roulette begins.

First and foremost, if you’re inexperienced and paddling near Owen Beach, STAY AS CLOSE TO SHORE AS POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES. In a kayak, this means 5 or 10 feet from shore, tops. Any further out than that could spell D-R-O-W-N-I-N-G if something goes haywire and the currents are in a mood.

Don’t be the next grown person to end up trembling in the arms of a fisherman. Know your limits and practice paddling somewhere else before you subject yourself to the temptations of Point Defiance.

Owners set to remodel classic Tacoma restaurant

Harbor Lights Harbor Lights Harbor Lights bar

Harbor Lights has been a staple on the Tacoma waterfront for decades. Over the years very little has changed here and its patrons love the consistency. Most people were a little nervous when they heard that the classic seafood joint planned to undergo a facelift starting today, March 11, 2013. It is rumored that the bar will be expanded and reoriented to maximize the water views from the inside. The signature food (crab) and the “strong pour” in the bar are rumored to be sticking around.
 
It’s rare to be stagnant in today’s world and be rewarded for it, but that’s what has happened with Harbor Lights. What a luxury, to have most of your loyal patrons prefer you NOT update with the times. This update seems like a roll of the dice to me..but I’m hoping for the best. See you on the other side!

This ain’t yer grandma’s Wednesday

Wednesday on the Water is finally catching on. It’s taken many years and countless posts for this never-going-to-be-a-household-name event to catch on. At least a dozen people have now participated and there’s no telling where inertia might take us.

Wednesday on the Water in Tacoma

In Tacoma we gather on Wednesday nights half the year to paddle around Commencement Bay or the Thea Foss Waterway downtown. Sailboats flock to the East side of the bay near Browns Point for a couple hours on Wednesday nights, often traversing the bay to round buoys near Ruston Way. They provide quite a show and so we started plopping down and watching a few years back. It makes for a relaxing evening of sights and sounds. Live music even shows up in various forms where you least expect it.

Of course not everyone has a boat, kayak or paddleboard. There are ways to fix that..

The subject of kayak rentals in Tacoma has come up repeatedly over the years so I figured I should let you know what we know, as of the time of this writing, 8/15/2012. Dock Street Marina (on Dock Street!) will rent boats on the Thea Foss Waterway until approximately 9pm and a group affiliated with Metro Parks rents kayaks at Owen Beach until 7pm.

If you are looking to buy a kayak or two, and you are new to this craze, I recommend Sports Authority. They have a large selection of affordable kayaks and everything you need to get started. Costco is another place for entry-level equipment that won’t break the bank. Keep in mind you will also need a good way to transport your boat.

If you already know what you like, perhaps check out Paddling Gear at REI. They always carry really nice outdoor gear.

Finally, I wanted to let you in on a bit of an obsession we’re cultivating around here. I want to start saving pennies in a jar to help pay for what will likely be our next big purchase. When the finances and the time and the stars and the moon align, we will be acquiring a kayak kit from Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington. With their help, we will be building our own kayak or two or three.. So light, so long and so pretty, I’ll probably need to take a sedative the first time it scrapes on the beach. Pygmy ships you everything you need to make your very own luxury kayak; all you need is space, time and a little elbow grease. Oh, and $1000 or so.

See you on the water.