August 22: I’ve decided to take up a new hobby: wake-surfing. I have to say that, at first, it didn’t appeal to me at all. I couldn’t understand the fascination of standing on a board 3 feet behind a boat going as slowly as possible while trying to pretend that I was on a huge wave in southern California. It seemed idiotic. But I am coming around to the attractions of the hobby.
Of course, I’ll have to buy a boat. New models of these boats range up to $350,000 presumably because of all the technology required to go slowly and make a huge wake. It must be amazing to see. If I’m careful, I can likely find an older used boat for less than $150,000. And of course, there’s the board itself which might run as much as $700 without the boots and lifejacket and tow rope which are necessary. While that’s a lot of money, I see it as an investment in my future happiness and enjoyment of the sport.
One of the great things about wake-surfing is that, while you are standing behind the boat being dragged along by the wake, eight or ten of your friends can be mere feet away in the boat critiquing your style. If they get bored of watching you standing there, they can crank some tunes on the on-board stereo and entertain themselves and any neighbours within earshot. I’m looking forward to surfing past my neighbours docks so they can enjoy the spectacle. There is the small matter of the wake washing ashore, but it’s a big lake here in Muskoka and I’m sure there are waves all the time, so what’s the problem ?
I’ve observed many wake-surfers at relatively close range and it appears to me that the only skill involved is the ability to stand still on a board while being washed along by the wake. “Falling” basically means that you have lost momentum, and you sink slowly into the water. In my past, I was an avid slalom water-skier which involved moderately more skill and balance than my new sport, and when you fell off the ski, you certainly did more than quietly sink into the lake. I’m pretty sure my new sport is better suited to a guy “of my age” where injury is a concern.
So there you have it: my new sport of wake-surfing. Standing on a board behind a boat carrying 10 or 12 of my friends listening to high-volume music while I entertain my neighbours. I’m sure the entertainment value alone will offset the damage to their shoreline and the boats tied to the dock.
What’s not to love ?
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Afterword: We spent a huge part of our Summer vacations being dragged around behind various boats learning to water-ski. We were fortunate to have our dear Uncle Bill Norton who would spend literally hours, and hundreds of dollars, taking any kid that wanted, out for a ski. At some point in the mid-60’s we felt sufficiently skilled to try something different and this photo records the outcome. That’s me on the bottom right, cousin James (Norton) bottom left, and my Sister Nancy on top. It wasn’t easy for her as James is fully 6″ taller than I. Fortunately, she was a good climber. And a fly-weight.