76 WHAT’S ON JUNE 2012

SPORT & OUTDOOR

The UAE loves its motorsports – and we’re not talking about the impressive tra�c dodging

witnessed on Sheikh Zayed Road on a daily basis. From hosting Grand Prix, to having its marinas lined with �eets of luxury yachts to churning out powerboat world champions at will, it seems that if you can strap an engine onto it, then in all likelihood, someone in the UAE will be already be racing it.

Enter the ZapCat – an ultra light boat with an in�atable hull and a powerful 50hp motor bolted onto the end of it. Agreed, it’s no aquatic Bugatti Veyron, but the boat is quick, corners sharper than a Formula One car and scuttles along barely a foot above the surf.

Time to grab my swimmers – and what I could muster of my courage – and o� to the new Watercooled watersports I go.

GETTING STARTEDLet’s not beat about the bush: ZapCats are fast. How fast? Well, somewhere between having a huge crash helmet thrust into my hands and being told to buckle up, I think I hear the boat’s pilot, Chris, mention that it can clock speeds of up to 80kph. Well, at least I’ll be buckled into my seat, right?

Nope. As my luck has it, ZapCats do not come with seatbelts – or seats, for that matter. Instead, as Chris covers in the safety brie�ng, I am to sit at the front of the boat with nothing but a rope and

Hurtling across the water at high speeds with nothing but

a rope to hold onto sounds terrifying. We sent our man Matt

to find out just how terrifying…

HITTINGTHE WAVES

SPORT & OUTDOOR

ZapCat

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JUNE 2012 WHAT’S ON 77

a foothold to stop me from involuntarily abandoning ship as it turns corners on a halfpenny with up to 3Gs of force throwing me about. Oh.

HANGING ONTaking the shotgun position at the front of the boat, I’m run through all the essentials: how to sit, what we’ll be doing and how to position my body so I don’t come �ying o� when hurtling round corners.

We motor out about 150m from the shore towards three large buoys. Chris then checks if I’m ready before �ooring the throttle as we shoot o� towards the �rst marker. Rocketing up to the buoy, I barely have enough time to remember what I’m

meant to be doing before

we swerve sharply to the le� – I straighten my leg and push myself

back out of the boat against

the G-force, grasping the rope as

if my life depended on it (let’s face it, it probably does). A split second later the boat is hurtling towards another marker, this time it’s a right turn. On cue I pull on the rope, lean forward and shi� my weight against the turn. It’s only been a couple of minutes, and I am already knackered. As we continue around the course, I start to get the hang of it, although I am convinced that Chris is taking it easy on me.

VERDICT�e ZapCat is a genuine adrenaline rush. Tearing across the water while having to reposition yourself in order to keep from coming o� adds that added element of danger. �e 20-minute time slot may not seem like a lot on paper, but it is more than enough considering how much it takes out of you.

Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, 9am to 5pm, Dhs170 for 20 mins. Tel: (04) 8876771. watercooleddubai.com

“It corners sharper than a Formula One car and scuttles along barely a foot above the surf”

‘Danger’ Matt

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