community weblog - [ Watersports ]

LakeFront Radio Interviews Ben Favret - US World Champion Skier

We had a great time talking to Ben Favret today all about slalom water skiing  for which he has won several awards and championships. The one that meant the most to Ben was the 2001 US Team World Championships in Italy....Listen in to hear why this was a very special day for Ben and Team USA.   more...

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PEDAL VS. PADDLE: Propel kayaks provide another option for anglers

We call kayaking a paddle sport. In 10 years it may be more of a pedal sport, because another manufacturer has introduced a unique pedal-drive system to rival Hobie Kayaks' ground-breaking Mirage.

The newest pedal-driven version is from Native Watercraft, whose 12- and 14.5-foot fishing kayaks have achieved near-cult status among anglers.   more...

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Canoeing Canada's Bowron Lakes

"Ready: standing draw … now!"Chris yells from the stern, as we slide into the Chute and spin across the eddy fence. Suddenly we are barreling straight down the Class II Roller Coaster section of the Isaac River in his restored cedar-canvas Chestnut canoe. As I watch out for rocks in the transparent, emerald water, my excitement gives way to astonishment at the towering beauty we are slipping through.   more...

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DIY: Handy Under-Hatch Tool and Fly Stowage

Small, easily-misplaced items like hook removers, fishing and/or split-ring pliers, and hook sharpeners can be kept organized and quickly accessed if you stow them on the underside of a hatch. The only problem with this is that if the hatch is fiberglass and the material used to make it isn’t very thick, there might not be enough there to hold screws of reasonable length. And who wants to drill a bunch of holes all the way through a perfectly good hatch?   more...

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Holland man builds World War I fighter plane in home workshop

When Jason Petroelje first scanned the plans for the Italian World War I fighter plane he hoped to build, this is what greeted him:

"Idrovolante a scafo e galleggiantini laterali, biplano, monomotre, monoposto ..."

Petroelje is Frisian, not Italian. And although he spent a couple of years in post-WWII Italy serving with the U.S. Army, he was hardly an expert at the language.

Ten years later, though, his dream-come-true was launched from the shores of Muskegon County's Little Black Lake and took to the skies for a maiden flight that delighted Petroelje and his friends, family members and onlookers.   more...

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Introducing the Hyper-SubTM by Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design

Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design is proud to introduce the Hyper-Sub^TM Submersible Powerboat, a revolutionary new vessel with a design flexible enough to open the seas to industry and to individuals in ways never before thought possible. The Hyper-Sub is the first small craft built with the horsepower, sea-keeping, and range to allow operation on the high seas, which also functions as a self-charging, autonomous, one-atmosphere submarine.    more...

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Start planning for next summer, NOW!

What can boaters do to help them through the long wait for the next boating season? If your boat comes out of the water shortly after Labor Day, there are many things you can do to get through the long six months before you see your boat again. Planning now for next season can ensure you’re ready to get out on the water as soon as next year’s boating season begins.   more...

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BOATU.S. RECOMMENDS LEAVING YOUR BOAT'S GAS TANK FULL THIS WINTER

ALEXANDRIA, VA, Sept. 9, 2008 -- Ethanol-laden gasoline, dubbed "E-10" for its 10% ethanol content, is now commonplace at marina fuel docks across the country. However, as winter approaches and boaters lay up their vessels for the season, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has some recommendations to ensure that spring commissioning will go smoothly. That's because E-10 can phase separate, or form two separate solutions in the gas tank - water and fuel - over a long winter storage period. Once this happens, the engine may not run and internal damage can occur. more

Powerboating  Watersports  

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Early goose season is under way

MIDLAND -- My friend Skip Madsen in Grayling tells about the time he and friends went goose hunting and spent the whole day in fruitless efforts to call in Canada geese that wouldn't come close enough to hit with a cannon.

At the end of the session, Madsen and the other hunters were knee deep in water, gathering up the decoys, when Canada geese started dropping in virtually on top of them from everywhere.  more...

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How To Navigate in Open Water

Duane Strosaker didn’t drown the last time he missed a roll, but for one long moment it felt as if he might. The proprietor of the popular sea kayaking blog rollordrown.com got caught inside on an eight-foot day, and, to borrow a phrase from surfing’s rich vocabulary, he went over the falls. The ocean held him down until he finally pulled his skirt. "That was a long, quarter-mile swim," says Strosaker.  more...

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A final quest for gold for Clinton Twp. Paralympian

Cheryl Angelelli has those numbers -- one minute and 48 seconds -- written on a note taped to her refrigerator.

It's a reminder of the time she wants -- needs -- to swim in the 100-meter freestyle at the Paralympic Games in Beijing next month.

It's what has gotten her up at 6 a.m. six days a week since December and into the water or the weight room.

If she swims 1:48, Angelelli will break the U.S. record in the 100-meter freestyle and likely win a gold medal. She left Michigan last week to chase the dream, one of more than 200 U.S. Paralympians -- 12 from Michigan -- set to compete Sept. 7-17 in the games.   more...

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Divers discover history in Lake Michigan waters

Most people don’t expect to have any scuba diving experience in Lake Michigan, let alone an exciting one. While diving is usually synonymous with warm, turquoise water and dazzling marine life, scuba divers in the Great Lakes region guard a well-preserved secret.

“If you’re diving and you want to see fish you have to go to the tropics,” says Cris Kohl, author of eleven books on the Great Lakes. “But if you want to see the best preserved shipwrecks in the world you have to dive here, because you sure won’t see them in saltwater.”   more...

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Superior passion: Shipwreck search

It was a perfect day for shipwreck hunting.

Lake Superior was placid, and summer sunshine warmed Kraig Smith's tanned, stubbled face as he pitched the torpedo-shaped "tow-fish" over the side of his 22-foot C-Dory and watched the cord play out into the wake.

Smith's friend Jerry Eliason was at the helm of the boat. He kept a precise course with a GPS unit while monitoring a laptop screen receiving signals from the tow-fish -- a pet name for their homemade sidescan sonar transducer.  more...

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Are You Ready for Some Tubing?

From the look on Chris Samuels' widescreen face and from the strange sounds coming from the subwoofer in his chest, he isn't quite sure what he's getting into - or, in the case of the Connelly Interceptor, he doesn't know what he's getting onto. He has carefully lowered his dense 6-foot-5-inch, 317-pound body atop the big rubber toy, and already there are signs he's overmatched.   more...

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Swift St. Clair River is town's biggest thrill ride

Sara Anthony and her friends stood on the boardwalk for several minutes before jumping into the St. Clair River in St. Clair one day last week.

They were revving up their courage.

After they took the plunge, this is how they described the experience:

"Kind of scary at first," said Anthony, 19, of St. Clair.

"Really cold," said Liz Krause, 18, of Fraser.

"You really don't have to swim. The current just takes you from ladder to ladder," said Lindsey Trujillo, 18, of St. Clair.   more...

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