Back to Havasu

I reported earlier in the year that the International Jet Sports Boating Association ("IJSBA") would host the World Finals this year at Mission Bay in San Diego, California; the first time since its inception that the celebrated race had not been held in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Well, it appears that it isn't quite so easy to break with tradition. In a press release dated August 23, 1999, the IJSBA announced that it will return to Lake Havasu for the 18th Annual Skat-Trak World Finals.

On August 12, 1999, the California Coastal Commission voted 7-4 not to grant a permit for the IJSBA to hold the 1999 Skat-Trak World Finals in Mission Bay. Commissioner Christine Kehoe recommended that the permit be approved, but several environmental groups, including Surfers Tired of Pollution, banned together and convinced the other members of the San Diego City Council that the pollution from such an event would mean additional environmental damage to Mission Bay. It appears that the Commission made its decision in the wake of several conflicting pollution studies, causing the Commission to conclude that further research would need to be conducted before they felt comfortable issuing a permit to the IJSBA.

The IJSBA tried to alleviate the fears of the Commission by guaranteeing that no more than 11,000 gallons of fuel would be burned during the course of the 8-day event. Studies conducted by the Commission staff members determined that this would equate to only 3,000 gallons of fuel being discharged into Mission Bay during the event. This is about the same amount as would be discharged during a two week period of normal summertime watercraft usage. The IJSBA also guaranteed that only 45 watercraft would be in the water at any one time. They also planned to use unleaded fuel that did not contain the offending chemical additives and to test the bay water for pollutants before and after the event. The IJSBA was also prepared to make a donation to the Mission Bay Park Foundation for a study on the impact of pollutants on bay sediments. The Commission could not be persuaded and time was running out for the IJSBA.

So, back to Havasu we go. For almost everyone involved in the sport, Lake Havasu is synonymous with PWCs and they are glad to be going back to the place that has hosted the last 17 World Final competitions. Lake Havasu is a 20,000-acre, 45-mile-long lake and one of the premier locations for PWC enthusiasts. This year the competition will be held at the Crazy Horse Campgrounds from October 10th through October 17th. For more information on Lake Havasu City, Arizona, check out the article by Keith Bush of Personal Watercraft Illustrated entitled Capital City. This article was actually written when it was thought that the World Finals were being held in San Diego, but the article is full of useful information about the city and the lake itself.

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