Bouy chasing in Key West?

[PT Mike]

Pretty sure i know the answer to this question but i need to put it out there anyway. Any slalom courses in or near Key West? I'll be in FL. 01/18 thru 01/25 and in Key West 21 thru 24. I wont have a car as I'm taking the ferry down from Ft Meyers. Thanks

[liquid d]

NO

[lisastjohn]

Have fun in Key West! Unfortunately, no ski schools or active slalom courses at this time. I hope to reopen in the Keys so keep an eye out!!!! Can probably catch an ocean ski off of Smathers Beach through Sunsetter(have all kinds of watersports activities.) Lisa St John

[Edbrazil]

Back in early 1981 when I was working for a survey company, we put in a slalom course at Cow Key, a little ways up the Keys from Key West. See the Google Earth picture, with the yellow line representing the approximate location of the course. Lisa and another group also had a ski school/rides operation at the time. The course was put in with arrowhead anchors driven into the coral rock. Depth was typically chest deep, and tidal. I heard years later that it was still in use, but that was many years ago. Likely, all or most of the anchor lines have been cut out by now.

[jcamp]

@Horton do you have "Hall of Famer" for a baller status?

[Bill Gladding]

No courses I knew of when I lived there in there in the mid 80s. I used to free ski in Mud Keys and Snipe Keys just east of Key West on the Gulf side. I waterskied from Cape Romano Island to Ft Myers Beach one time behind a 34 foot lobster boat. That was a mistake because by the time I got back aboard the pony keg was afloat:(

 

My biggest ride was a 63' commercial fishing boat that belonged to US Customs. I skied behind it off Stock Island after I put the running gear back on it. That ended in a back flip due to a two foot chop. It was a mercy fall though because my eyes were burning from the soot put out by a pair of 12 cylinder diesels that were powering the thing.

 

Smoothest big boat ride was behind a 53 footer with only one 12 cylinder diesel. It was in the channel between Stock Island and Boca Chica by the Naval Air Station. The boat went 20 something and the wakes were huge but had no lip so it was like going over rolling hills. I made the boat so that was kind of cool too:)

[jerseydave]

www.keyscable.com

I am heading to the Keys Jan 18-21, but to wakeboard the cable. (system 2.0) The folks at keys cable also run a 1995 Ski Nautique, mostly for wakeboarding but I bet they would pull you for a slalom set if you want. No course (that I know of)