Thousand Islands Region — Serving Southeastern Ontario and Upstate New York. We provide the boat, driver & instruction

Charleston lake watersports

 Charleston Lake watersports

Season:

June — September

Telephone (613) 924-1794

If you are trying to contact us out of season, please send an email to: waterskiorboard[at]aol.com

rip'n ride

Charleston lake Watersports is a delivery partner
of the Rip'n Ride program.


waterski and wakeboard canada

Member School of Water Ski and Wakeboard Canada


WSWO - Water Ski Wakeboard Ontario

Member School of Water Ski Wakeboard Ontario


Professional Instruction

On this page:

About the instructor

Nigel has been a ski boat driver for over 10 years and an instructor for 6 years. He receives ongoing instructor training during the off season in the UK. He holds a number of certificates relating to towed watersports:

  • SBDA (Ski Boat Driver Award) from the British Water Ski Federation
  • ICC International Ski Boat Driver Certificate (UN sanctioned)
  • British Water Ski certified coach
  • Water Ski Wakeboard Canada certified instructor
  • NCCP Coach Level – 1
  • National 2 Event Judge (BWSF)
  • Current first aid certificate

Charleston Lake Watersports is operated by Nigel Brown during his summer break from his busy music business in central London in the UK.

Please note that the charges for tows and lessons only go towards covering the costs such as fuel, insurance, maintenance and equipment.

Events such as the Ontario Summer Games and the Barefoot Clinics were subsidised by Nigel personally. For the 2009 season there were be a number of free introductory clinics and lectures.

Anyone wishing to sponsor or support a special event, especially involving the local community would be most welcome.

Beginner Instruction

With a trained instructor and proper equipment, beginners progress quickly through the initial phase.

At Charleston Lake Watersports, you do not need previous experience to join in the fun. Water skiing and wakeboarding is very accessible – even for those who are not great swimmers or sport minded. Beginner instruction starts at the dock, with a safety brief and dry land training.

Before going out on the lake, wetsuits and sport specific PFDs (life jackets) are fitted. Using a boom, which extends from the side of the boat, it could not be easier to learn the basics before advancing to the towline. A comprehensive selection of the latest designs in equipment makes learning simpler and faster, as does a fully equipped tournament water ski boat.

Note: All programs use the same facilities and all first-time visitors receive a safety brief before the session begins.

Tows (Individuals or groups)

Who would believe that being towed by a professional driver could make such a difference!

Enjoy being towed behind a great boat with a choice of the latest equipment. Perfect too for the boat operator who rarely gets a chance to be towed expertly. There is no obligation after the first session to continue to have instruction. The costs are the same. A tow or pull refers to a participant’s turn.

A single tow will generally last 10 to 15 minutes. Depending on the length of the session, it is possible to share as many as 6 tows per hour.


Lessons

Receiving professional sports instruction is a prudent and accepted way to improve skills – watersports is no exception

Lessons include much more than just how to accomplish a start or execute a turn – the process is all about having fun as well as learning relevant, current and safe procedures on the water. Towed water sports are highly technical individual pursuits, and with ongoing tuition the true nature of these activities can be explored. A qualified watersports instructor/NCCP coach uses the latest methods and equipment to provide a relaxed and accelerated tuition to a variety of towed sports.

Participants who wish to partake with Rip 'n Ride, can progress as part of their lessons and can even take their tests. Rip 'n Ride is a national program to encourage young people to try out the various towed sports at centres throughout Canada.


Boat Driving Lessons for Watersports

It is the boat operator’s responsibility to know how to tow participants as well as being responsible for the safety of those onboard or behind the boat.

Participants appreciate being towed well, so developing your boat driving skills enhances towing experiences. A knowledgeable driver is hugely respected by the participants. The lessons include:

  • slow boat manoeuvring
  • participant recovery
  • towline handling
  • deepwater starts
  • setting speeds and driving patterns for the various activities, plus a host of safety and technical considerations to maximize the experience for the participants