Published: Tuesday, 27th July 2021
The roaring engines of speedboats and high-octane water ski racing, jet skis and offshore power boats return to the river Great Ouse this weekend.
People can watch the action from the historic waterfront of King’s Lynn for the Hanseatic Festival of Watersports 2021.
The free event will see the return of Formula 1, 2 and 3 water-ski racing, along with jet skiers and OCRDA performing demonstrations on the water, on Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August 2021.
The Hanseatic Races have evolved over the past five years and are firmly established. Now in its sixth year it matches the famous Diamond Race which takes place in the Hanseatic town of Antwerp in Belgium.
The Hanseatic Festival of Watersports committee of Jason Russell, Tom and Michelle Lumley, Andrew Hornigold, Martin Bennett, Richard Stannard and Dan Roberts agree that the pandemic may have stopped the event being held last year but anyone who witnessed the action in 2019 will want to come back for more and see this breath-taking sight again.
Tom Lumley from the committee added: “We tried for many years to put this event on and when the borough council agreed to let us go ahead we were ecstatic. Since its concept we have invested a lot of time and effort into this event and it has truly paid off. I would like to thank all the sponsors, especially the borough council and Peter Carter Haulage for their support."
Cllr Graham Middleton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Business, Culture and Heritage at the borough council, said: “This is a fantastic event to watch from the South Quay. It has grown in stature each year and is now ranking as one of the best venues in the UK and Europe. This year the event has been opened up to include a wider variety of water-based activities that create an impressive spectacle for people to enjoy from the Quayside. Visitors from around the world will be coming to see this race, and we’re proud of what our wonderful town has to offer them.”
The event is supported by Adrian Flux, Barrus, Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, British Water Ski & Wakeboard, Brown&Co, Carter Haulage, GB Watersports, Minuteman Press, Rollins Electrical and Studio 20a. Tom Lumley said: "If any individuals or companies are interested in being part of this event and would like to be a sponsor , we would welcome you with open arms."
There will also be fun family activities happening on the quayside across both days. The races will start at 10:30am each day through until 3:30pm with live music and a firework display on the Saturday afternoon. Full details of the schedule will be published at facebook.com/hanseaticskirace.
For more information about events in King’s Lynn visit west-norfolk.gov.uk/events