rules to play water skiing

Ideally, the boat driver should concentrate on driving and the observer on observing. The perfect combination on the water is like the driver and co driver in a rally car. The driver has more than enough to concentrate on looking out for other boats, objects in the water, floating or submerged hazards. An expert observer should be able to relay all signals and other information about the skier direct to the driver, and deliver any special instructions, freeing the driver to concentrate on the complex task of driving the boat.However, great observers can be hard to find. Often the observer is either too young to be fully relied upon, or maybe they just lack experience.In practice, you should let the observer observe when the skier is up and away. While the skier is in the water the driver has a bigger role to play even when the observer is mature and experienced.

The driver should also be aware of the location of the skier at all times, preferably via a rear view mirror which allows the driver to see the skier with glance quick sideways glance, rather than having to turn to look aft (that means to the back of the boat!)While maintaining a forward watch, particularly while the boat is under power or in a river current, you should practice making quick glances to either side of the boat, and in your rear view mirror, so as to keep tabs on the skier. Thats a big task I have just described 360

The safest place for a skier, apart from on shore or in the boat, is standing on the water at the end of a taught ski rope while the boat is at planning speed. Any time a skier is in the water, their ability to move quickly is gone, so they are at the mercy of any boat which comes near, including yours.

The driver has a massive role to play in the success of each and every start, whether for a first timer or for an experienced skier. Ski boats tend to have high power to weight ratios, and one of the biggest driving faults I see is to use too much power to pull skiers out of the hole. Even if your boat is underpowered you still probably need to pull kids out of the hole at considerably less than full throttle.But before you start the pull, you need to get lined up with the skier in the correct position, ensuring that the skier is clear of obstacles and that the rope is held fast in their hands, and not wrapped around them in any way. The only time to start the pull is when you, the driver, have verified with your own eyes that it is safe to do so, and then only after the skier yells Hit it!.Maneuvering before the start of the ski is a busy time for the driver because not only do they have to monitor the skier and the rope the exact amount depending on how much you can rely on the observer they also need to retain an eye on other boats and the water directly in front of the boat.

First time skiers may need to be supported by someone while in the water, but from the drivers point of view the key element is throttle control. This is the one time when you may need to take glances behind and hence continue a watch on the skier while you are pulling them out of the hole (all other times it is not advised look ahead and check the skiers progress in the rear view mirror).Light weight skiers (kids) are probably best pulled out of the hole starting from just above idle speed, then accelerating smoothly on to the plane, ending up at between 25 and 35 km h. If you give too much throttle, the skier will be pulled over the front of their skis if they recover from this they will then probably bend their arms and fall backwards.Even adults should only be pulled out of the hole slowly and smoothly.

Biskit riders have no control whatsoever over their ride, other than jumping off the back! So it is all up to the driver. Lighter riders may stay inside the wake throughout the ride but heavier riders will move easily outside the wake. Once this occurs, their speed must increase as you turn, in order to keep up with the boat. The faster you go, and the tighter you turn, the further outside the boats path they will move, which means they are subject to hazards you, the driver, and the boat, are not.Many nasty biskit accidents have occurred when the biskit has been outside the wake in or after a turn, and the biskit has hit an object such as the shore.

The better a slalom skier is, the more they will appreciate (or demand) top driving skills. For free skiing, the driver needs to pay attention to water conditions look for calm water. When you find a patch of calm water stay in it! Drive up and down it with keyhole turns at either end so that you preserve good water for the skier.If the skier falls, throttle back to idle immediately, then backtrack to the skier. Executing a high speed turn back to the skier is not only dangerous, but also puts wakes back through the calm water youve found.If a slalom skier is leaning over in a turn then turning the boat will either pull them onto the water (boat turns away from skier) or give them a lot of slack rope (boat turns toward skier) either way its bad. Hence you need to signal to your skier when you are about to change direction. If they are busy skiing and dont notice, and you have to change direction, do it gently and while they are crossing the wake.When a slalom skier signals for more or less speed, change by 3 km h (2 mph) up or down, respectively.

Driving the slalom course is a specialized task and ideally you need instruction from someone who knows how. Its not that difficult, but there is no substitute for being shown. Nevertheless, heres some basics.The boat must follow a straight line between the pairs of boat buoys in the centre of the course, as shown above. The two pairs of buoys at either end of the course are called the entry and exit gates. After the boat passes the gates on the way out of the slalom course, you should count to at least 3 (one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand) before you start your keyhole turn so that you can come back down the course the other way. The idea here is to give yourself and the skier adequate clearance and time to get lined up for the next pass through the course.

There have been some nasty accidents when another boat, towing a skier or not, has come close by to buzz a boat. They have either hit the skier or a ski, or have caught the other boats ski rope in their prop. Either way, its potential disaster, so keep at least two rope lengths clear of any other boat while you are towing a skier or buzzing a stationary ski boat.

I have seen boats on the Taieri River at Henley towing skiers within a rope length of the shore, often with nasty looking rocks at waters edge. If you have a skier behind you, and they are or could be outside of the wake, then they could fall and hit the shore. You need to ensure that the skier has falling room between their furthest distance from the wake and any obstacles.

The driver must be 15 years or older. A younger person can drive the boat but must be directly supervised (i.e. in the adjacent seat) by someone who is at least 15 years old.The observer must be at least 7 years old.You must keep your speed to under 5 knots while within 200 m of the shore or 50 m of another boat. There is an exception for ski lanes and certain other designated areas and access lanes.If youre like me, the only time you ever operate in a ski lane is when no one else is there Otherwise you end up skiing in everyone elses wakes. But if you are operating in a busy ski lane, you should exit to the right (standing on the shore looking to the water) and enter again from the left, i.e. operate in an anticlockwise direction.