Jet Skiing is the Best Rehab
My day with the Great Lakes Ski Riders
Not every adventure starts with excitement. The gatekeeper at Elizabeth Park Marina insists on cash; he won’t take my credit card, the equivalent amount in Canadian cash, or defer my payment till later. Now I’m driving around Trenton, Michigan, frantically searching for a bank machine. I can’t find one. Eventually, Joe Cornett and Gabrielle Taub—the two main organizers of the Great Lakes Ski Riders—call to inform me they’ve paid my entrance fee.
“He’s an a**hole,” Gabrielle confirms. Earlier that morning, an elderly man had parked while the attendant had absconded from his post. But the gate was open, and using a cane, the old man took almost 20 minutes to shuffle his feet from his parking spot toward the dock on the Detroit River.
Upon his return, the attendant chased down the hobbling veteran to demand immediate payment. Infirm and tired, the veteran needed to sit and recover, assuring the gatekeeper he would pay on his way out. It would not do, and the attendant called the police. When they arrived, the police excoriated the gatekeeper instead of the geriatric.
The water is cold. I throw on my wetsuit. Everyone is waiting for me, floating and idling on the yellow and green machines like patient mallards. The engines are loud. Fumes rise from their rears. Their exhaust mixes with smoke from burning cigarettes. The jet skiers light up inside their life jackets to shelter from the wind. They wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from spray, or perhaps the forecasted rain. I haven’t introduced myself yet, but I like them, because they look cool—dark shades, countless cigs, and fast vehicles.
Everyone is here for the annual Kickoff Ride. The plan is to ride West along the river, making our way towards Detroit, where we’ll see Henry Ford’s old estate, some automotive plants, and the nearly constructed Gordie Howe Bridge.
There’s a little terminology controversy when it comes to the personal watercraft (PWC). Kawasaki calls them Jet Skis. Bombardier uses the name Sea-Doo. Yamaha claims the WaveRunner. Mechanically, they are the same: an engine pulls water in through an impeller and then pushes the water out. Everyone I am riding with uses the term “ski” to avoid brand-specific language.
