Jamie Cramphorn stumbled upon Bob Wing’s article “Water Skiing in 1643” which was published in Bob’s book; “Water Skiing In Australia”. Here it is …
According to an article in the ‘the pictorial press’ published in London in 1885, the first water skier may have appeared in England in 1643!!
The article goes on to say that this happened on the river Newbury at a time when their was a civil war between the ‘Roundheads’ and the ‘Royals’. It seems that the Roundhead army was marching through Newbury when they observed “a tall, lean slender woman dancing upon the water”. The article states that she was standing on a plank moving down the river ( it doesn’t say what behind) “standing bolt upright she was able to turn and wind it as she pleased” the commanders were said to be eye witnesses to her tricks as she rode past them, It goes on to say… the Roundhead army were said to be astonished and thought that clearly she must of been a witch!…….She was taken prisoner and condemned to die by pisto!!!
Jamie added …”Guess theirs always been trouble between water skiers and authority”.
