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 www.surfski.info is proud to announce yet another
media scoop unparalleled in the world of paddling journalism.
We
were sent a photograph of an extreme ski, the V235-F, which has been designed
especially for the radical surf conditions prevalent in the Arabian Gulf...
V235-F Foil-Ski - the "Silver Surfer"
The
photograph below shows T. Otaal Boolschidt in action in front of the Dubai
Kayak and Surfski Club on the all new prototype V235-F, a radical design equipped
with a hydrofoil in the nose. The "235" of the name was apparently inspired
by the fact that GPS readings have indicated that the maximum speed of the ski is
some 235kph.
Rumour has it that the "235" (as it's known to its fans) is a
70% copy of the XLR8 surf ski recently returned to Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving
club under mysterious circumstances, modified and optimised for Molokai escort
boat wake riding...
 Showing off the V235-F in front of the DSKC clubhouse in Dubai
Tragic Accident
Boolschidt
was unfortunately badly injured and the ski destroyed when it collided with an
empty beer bottle almost exactly 0.000001sec after the photograph was taken.
 The mysterious beer bottle...
Sabotage?
Curiously
the beer bottle was undamaged in the collision and an examination of the details
on the label suggests that by deliberately dumping the bottle in the sea in
front of the DSKC, a rival manufacturer may have actually sabotaged the
development of the V235-F.
 ...detailed analysis of the bottle labels...
An
alternative explanation is that there is no "rival" manufacturer and that the
V235-F may simply have been the output of a local "skunk-works" operation. Something smells fishy at any rate.
Safety
Questions
are being asked about the safety precautions that were in force at the time of
the accident. It's clear that Boolschidt was not wearing a PFD: could he have ducked under the bottle had he been
wearing one? And where was his paddle? No sign of a leash was found in the wreckage. An investigator has described the incident as
being "a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in an oily rag dropped overboard
from a dhow and are there any more of those beers?"
On a more serious note:
The V235-F
is NOT being offered as a prize in the Dubai Shamaal Anchorman competition, but
a $6,500 Epic V10E IS!
The winner of the competition
receives:
-
Return
flight to Dubai
- Hotel
accommodation
- Participation
in activities such as Dune bashing, beach parties, fishing, golf, tickets to
the Dubai Sevens rugby competition, and best of all...
- A
$6,500 Epic V10E (same as the ski in which Oscar Chalupsky just won the ARB
World Cup in South Africa) to paddle the race in AND TO TAKE HOME.
To enter:
Simply
register on www.surfski.info.
Click here
for full details and instructions on how to enter.
Click here for more information on the race.
Postscript 1: Hydrofoil Kayaks
The V235-F
concept was inspired by this website: http://www.foilkayak.com
Postscript 2: Epic Beer
The Epic
beers are the creation of Ian Kingon, Epic Kayaks' distributor in Dubai. In mid-summer in Dubai temperatures go off
the scale and Ian wanted to add something cool to the mix when his customers
came to collect their skis. Apparently
it was 47C when the guys arrived and they were more interested in the beer than
the skis...
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