Grand Cayman may not be the biggest island around, but try circumnavigating it on a Jet Ski and suddenly it seems a whole lot bigger.
The 15th edition of Jet Around Cayman will take place on 13 June and top racers, both local and international, take up the challenge as they race for honours in five different classes, ranging from rookies to experts.
The action will kick off at 12pm as the racers head out from Seven Mile Public Beach. The course will feature one full lap around Grand Cayman, with racers staying inside the reef and passing through various check points and fuelling stops. Racers will head north from Public Beach, around West Bay, crossing over to Rum Point, past Old Man Bay, down and around East End, across and around South Sound to the finish line at Beach.
The Expert class will feature the best of the best, with racers who have extensive racing experience and competition skills. The competition will be fierce, but the reward promises to be great.
Among the many teams, team Guadalupe is once again bringing in a great team of five riders. The team swept the podium in 2010 in the Expert Open Class with riders Christophe Lycaon taking first place, Vincent Thomas taking second place and Vincent Karam rounding out the podium in third.
However, repeating the sweep will not be easy, as the other teams are have vowed to step up their game and will be fighting tooth and nail for a spot on the podium. With the competitive juices flowing, the organisers are expecting a very big turnout for the 2011 edition of the race. And of course, the hotter the competition, the better it is for the spectators on the beaches, who will get to see the racers roar past at great speed.
It won’t only be the eyes of the Cayman public that will be on the race, as there will also be international TV production companies in attendance to take the event to a much wider audience.
Just a step below the Expert Class, the Pro-Open Class is designed for those riders who have previously participated in Jet Around Cayman but are not yet ready to ride at the competition level of the Expert Class, while the Rookie Class is open to all new riders who have not previously participated in Jet Around Cayman. Rookies are also limited to stock Jet Ski craft
The organisers are also keen to see more participation in the Female class and are encouraging more women to take up the unique challenge offered by Jet Around Cayman, with organisers hoping to see a steady increase in the participation numbers in this category.
Of course, for those with so much experience that it is starting to tell on them, there is also the popular Veteran class for riders 35 and older.
However, the weekend will feature much more than just the race itself.
The kick-off party will take place at Margaritaville on Friday 10 June, from 9pm to 3am with DJs and a surprise live performance artist. The Jet Around Cayman riders and models will also be there for what promises to be a great night out.
On race day, Monday 13 June, the beach will be jumping, with a four on four co-ed beach volleyball tournament hosted by the Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation, as well as a four on four co-ed flag football tournament hosted by the Cayman Islands Flag Football Association,
For more information on the volleyball,
contact caymanbeachvolleyball@gmail.com
and for more on the football,
contact brendon.malice@gmail.com.
In addition to the sport tournaments, there will be two live performances throughout the day, a bikini model show, and a dance competition held on the main stage. The day will also feature activities for the kids, with a kids zone featuring bouncy castles and slides, an area for family games and activities, WOWBALLS Expo, and a whole lot of fun.
Jet Around Cayman 2011 is presented by LIME, Heineken, cayCompass.com, Butterfield Bank, Red Bull, Grace Products, Supligen, Crighton Properties, Weststar TV, CIWA, Wes-Tec Performance, Titan Security, Paramount Media, Vibe 98.9FM, Spin 94.9FM, and Monster Media.
For more information on registration,
contact Christina Hefner at Monster Media on
345-949-8423, or email events@paramountmedia.ky.
To view live footage and photos of previous Jet Around Cayman events, log on to www.jac.com.ky