Joelle Embres' Blog
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Fla. Keys offers new James Bond-like watersport
Posted Under: General Area in Key West, Parks & Recreation in Key West | June 28, 2011 7:12 AM | 678 views | No commentsKEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- Visitors to the Florida Keys can now pretend to be, and actually fly like, James Bond, thanks to a new watersport.
Participants strap on a flight pack that looks like the one actor Sean Connery wore in "Thunderball." A 30-foot hose tethers the apparatus to a tiny boat with a pump that uses seawater as propellant.
During training, a certified instructor operates the vehicle via remote control. Once they get the hang of things, participants can control their direction and altitude.
Erik Adams, manager of the Key West-based Jetpack Adventures, says the Florida Keys is the first region in the United States to offer the experience. Another operator in nearby Marathon begins business next month.
Jetpack Adventures charges $249 for the 1.5-hour experience, which includes half an hour in flight.
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved.
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Swimmers race around Key West; student wins
Posted Under: Quality of Life in Key West | June 20, 2011 7:02 AM | 683 views | No comments
An 18-year-old Canadian swimmer has circled around the island of Key West in 4 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds.
Cameron McKnight of Waterloo, Ontario, was the first solo finisher in the 12.5-mile Florida Keys Community College Swim Around Key West. He was the race's youngest solo entrant Saturday and is a collegiate swimmer at the University of Waterloo. He also won the men's division.
Dale LeClair took top female honors. The 41-year-old from Boca Raton finished in 5:04:20.
Nearly 150 competitors, in divisions for solo swimmers and relay teams of two to six people, followed a clockwise open-water route that circled the island and encompassed the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Copyright 2011
