GOWAKE Swansea
South Wales’ first cable powered wakeboarding park opened in July of
2010 in Swansea’s SA1 development and became a key attraction for
water sports enthusiasts. In excess of 600 people came through the
doors to participate in the sport in the 3 months of operation.
In Wales there a two of these simple wakeboarding cable systems in
operation, and the same system was recently used at the prestigious
London boat show in January.
The Swansea facility cable line runs diagonally across The Prince of
Wales dock which surrounds the SA1 development project. This means
customers who visit have an opportunity to glide over the perfect flat
water conditions and back again to complete a 340m return trip on a
wakeboard. The wake park operated successfully last year and hopes to
re-open in April 2011.
Wakeboarding - a variant of water skiing - is one of the fastest
growing extreme water sports, with parks under development all over
the world. Described as a combination of waterskiing, snowboarding and
surfing, wakeboard riders are traditionally towed behind purpose built
motorboats, using the wake to create the lift needed to carry out a
range of airborne manoeuvres and jumps.
Cable powered systems are a greener alternative to boats and are
ideally suited for enclosed waterways. The portable, straight-line
cable system is powered by a frequency regulated electric drive motor
and it is ideally suited for beginners enabling instructors to provide
one to one tuition.
The 'Go Wake' park is expected to be a key attraction for the region
this coming Summer with marketing support from Swansea County council
helping to raise awareness. We are keen to open in time for the Easter
holidays.
The plans for the Watersport Centre of Excellence on Swansea bay are
also progressing significantly, with this addition to the wide range
of water sports already available in Swansea Bay including, kayaking,
wind and kite surfing, stand up paddle boarding, yachting and jet
skiing this promotes Wales as a viable alternative to Devon and
Cornwall. It also endorses the region’s reputation as a fantastic
holiday destination.
Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, said
“The fact the activity will be based in the Prince of Wales Dock,
which is just a short walk from the city centre, supports our vision
to develop SA1 into a thriving extension of the centre offering new
social, leisure and business opportunities.
“There cannot be many places in the UK where an activity like this is
on offer within a stone’s throw of a city centre – it makes it
accessible to all and will, I am sure, also prove to be a popular
spectator sport attracting visitors and residents into SA1. “
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