Published: April 24, 2007
Burnham-On-Sea zapcat pilots ready for national championships

Two Burnham-On-Sea sailing enthusiasts are making final preparations to compete in this summer's national zapcat championships.

Ashley Chappell and Ryan Jones, pictured, were training in Bridgwater Bay on Tuesday (April 24th) as they trained for the start of the national zapcat championships in a few weeks' time.

Zapcat racing is a new sport that involves small catamaran boats competing in high-speed races at sea.

Ryan told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "It'll be our first season competing in the national championships. The first race is in June and the excitement is already mounting. We can't wait to get started."

Both Ashley and Ryan live in East Huntspill, near Burnham, and are keen jet skiers who are frequently seen using Bridgwater Bay during the summer.

Their first race will be in Bournemouth on June 2nd and 3rd. And during the course of the season, they will compete in scores of races around the country.

Zapcats are designed to cope with a huge variety of sea conditions from flat calm lakes to large breaking surf. Their unique fully inflatable catamaran hulls mean they are stable when afloat, whether stationary or at speed.

Zapcats reach high speeds and carry out manoeuvres that simply could not be attempted by craft of a similar size, pulling in excess of 2 'G' in the tightest of corners.

Ashley and Ryan are searching for sponsors and would like to hear from companies interested in sponsoring them. Ashley can be contacted on 07870 206210.

RELATED LINKS:

Zapcat Racing [External Link]