VIDEO: Balancing act
Posted on 02 February 2012
Members of Australia's Horsehead Water Ski Club broke their own world record Jan. 27 when 145 water skiers - shoulder to shoulder - stayed up for one nautical mile behind a 114-foot boat.
The record-breaking run, in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, started with 154 skiers, but nine of them fell, according to local reports. The youngest skier was 12, the oldest 60.
Click play for footage of the record-setting feat.
The props of the power catamaran, a tour boat named Eagle with twin 1,550-hp turbo diesels, were modified to drive the boat and skiers at 26 knots.
A 308-foot aluminum boom off the stern prevented the five miles of tow ropes from tangling.
The Horsehead Water Ski Club set the previous record of 114 skiers in 2010. Certification of the new mark by Guinness World Records is pending.
