Water Skiing at Shaldon

Water skiers at Shaldon demonstrate skills on the estuary of the River Teign in a designated area near Coombe Cellars. Shaldon is a fishing village opposite Teignmouth and the river hosts commercial and pleasure boats. Shaldon developed as a shipping port with its shipyards providing some of the men-of-war battleships used in the Napoleonic Wars. Today its quaint location and it having one of the oldest ferry crossings in England make it a delightful tourist destination.

The South Devon Water Ski Club is based at Shaldon and still has a jump and a slalom course and hosts competitions. Ralph Samuelson of Minnesota invented water skiing with rudimentary equipment in 1922 and toured North America teaching the new sport. Although he upgraded his equipment from washing line and barrel staves to window sash and mahogany skis, he never patented his designs. The sport is regulated by the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation and includes slalom, jump, and trick but there are also events such as racing, freestyle jumping, formation displays, synchronised skiing and even marathons but only if you manage to hang on a minute!