New World Record Attempt

Dateline: September 28, 2000

How big of a boat does it take to pull 120 water-skiers? A big boat, that's what. Try a Klondike Express boat. Imagine skiing behind a 137 feet long catamaran ferry boat with a 34 foot beam and over 6000 horsepower. That's exactly what the Seattle Ski Show Team will be doing on Saturday, October 7, 2000, on Seattle's Lake Washington as they attempt to break a world record set by an Australian team in 1986 with 100 skiers. In a separate attempt, they will also try to pull 40 hydrofoilers and beat the current record of 12 hydrofoilers at the Canadian Fly-In in 1999.

To avoid ropes getting tangled and massive propwash, engineers have created a contraption that extends way past the beams. Ropes will extend up to 400 feet long, with a total of over 35,000 feet of rope. The one nautical mile attempt is being made up of a minimum of 120 skiers from clubs in Washington and Oregon.

Proceeds will benefit the Learning Disabilities Association of Washington.

This world record attempt rides on the heels of the Mississippi Challenge world record attempt this past summer. The team borke the record of water skiing the commercially navigable length of the Mississippi River in 6 1/2 days, lopping off 3 1/2 days from the old record.

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