"Sun, camera, action" and "lights, camera, action" were the order of events at Bon Esperanza, the venue of the BonEs Championships by day and a slalom classic by night.

Organisers gave the skiers every opportunity to familiarise themselves with conditions by offering official practice the whole of Friday until late into the night. A persistent breeze and the lack of a warm sun saw the drivers having to don warm jackets. Skiers found the icy wind biting in to their skin, only finding refuge in the warmth of the water at either end of the lake. This did not look good for the nights ahead.

Saturday morning organisers were greeted with yet another problem. The EAME Scoring Software licence had expired over night, something EAME has omitted to advise us poor souls in the southern hemisphere. FortunatelySamantha Martin came to the rescue with an older version of the software which had no expiry date and the tournament began, albeit an hour late.

The first round of slalom, jump and tricks were the order of events. The boats used were all Ski Nautiques, the 196 for slalom and a 206 for jump and tricks (Many thanks to Waldie van Schalkway, Piet van der Merwe and Brian Nieuwstad for their generosity). Many personal bests (PBs) were achieved as conditions were perfect for skiing.

The skiing finished just before the kick-off of the Stormers vs Cheaters rugby match, a prefect way to pass the time (depending on which team you support) before the night skiing started. At 19:45 the first skier in the night classic took to the water in warm, windless conditions. Although the skiing was taken seriously, spectators enjoyed the occasion by lighting fires, burning some meat and enjoying a glass or two (or three, or four).

Sunday was a repeat of the Saturday. But with no rugby to the pass the time, the WP Water-ski Association organised an impromptu head-to-head slalom classic. The top 4 women skiers, based on a handicap system, were seeded and paired against each other, effectively creating two semi-finals and a final.  The same was done for the men.Anne Landman won the finals of the women and Tyron Stroberg the finals of the men. These tow skiers then took to the water in "The Battle of the Sexes". Tyronstumbling on his 3rd pass with a total of 15 buoys was not enough as Anne cleared her 3rd pass to take the title.

Prizes were given for the most improved skiers in each discipline. Michael Zaaiman won the slalom prize by shattering his PB by almost 14 buoys, while Mathew Nieuwstad won the ramp and tricks.

Click here for results of the BonEs Champs

Click here for results of the Night Slalom Classic