Wakeboard event gets OK
Pro tour stop planned May 30 to June 1
Organizers of a nationally-televised professional wakeboarding tour took another step towards bringing an event to Lake Norman in 2013.
The Lake Norman Marine Commission on Jan. 14 unanimously approved a rafting permit from World Sports and Marketing of Winter Park, Fla., which organizes and runs the Vans Pro Wakeboard Tour and King Of Wake series, for the weekend of May 30-June 1.
The rafting permit covers a small cove in Mooresville at the end of Stumpy Creek Cove, along Perth and Cornelius roads, and will allow boaters to drop anchor and group together to watch the competition, which is expected to draw more than 70 professional wakeboarders from across the nation and thousands more spectators for the three-day event.
According to commission executive director Ron Shoultz, boaters who want to raft up and watch the event will check in at a designated registration boat, then be escorted by patrol boats operated by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary to the rafting location.
The event will be patrolled by lake law enforcement units from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office and other lake-area agencies, including the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
“It’s a great spot as far as being a confined area,” Shoultz said before the vote was taken. “My take on this is that the organization that is managing and coordinating this … has done their due diligence and been very proactive in reaching out to everyone as to what needs to be done.
“The takeaway from all this means nothing but positive things for Lake Norman.”
In other business by the commission:
• Commissioners approved a 2013-14 budget proposal of $106,500, of which $102,000 will come from the four counties – $25,500 each – surrounding Lake Norman. However, Shoultz cautioned the final budget may have to be adjusted if the counties choose to contribute a smaller amount.
• Joe Kluttz of Duke Energy’s lake services division reported that because of recent heavy rainfall in the Catawba River basin, water levels in Lake Norman and the other lakes in the chain were above projected levels. According to Kluttz, Lake Norman’s water level was nearly a foot above its normal January level, and that allowed the region to remain in a Stage 0 drought alert status.
• Russ Klein of the Lake Norman Sail and Power Squadron said his organization will conduct seven boating safety classes and four boat safety checks during the 2013 boating season. Details on when and where the classes and safety checks will be held are still being determined, Klein said.
Morris Sample, Lincoln County’s representative on the commission and chairman of its charter boat committee, said that the charter boat operators have entered into a program with tow boat companies SeaTow and BoatUS to help keep Lake Norman clear of debris that could be a hazard to navigation and boating safety.
Classes
The Lake Norman Ski Club is holding registration for a series of youth water skiing and wakeboarding classes.
The Learn2Ski and Learn2Wakeboard classes are open to students age 15-under, and are tentatively scheduled for June and July.
All classes will be held in the cove at Vinnie’s Raw Bar and Restaurant on Williamson’s Road in Mooresville, and will run 8-11:30 a.m.
The registration fee is $20 per person, and all participants must have a signed waiver-release form from their parent or guardian.
For information, to obtain waiver forms or to keep posted on exact dates, go to www.lakenormanskiclub.8m.com.
Sailing Scene
The OYC will hold its annual member Chili Cook Off on Feb. 2. For details, go to http://www.outriggeryachtclub.org.
The Lake Norman Yacht Club will hold a rules seminar at 9 a.m. Feb. 16, at the commission’s race management center. The seminar will go over current and new race rules for the 2013 season. www.lnyc.org.
The Christy Allen Team 