New Zealand boatbuilder and racer Nic de Mey, President of the New Zealand Water Ski Racing Association, made his debut at the Diamond Race in Viersel, Belgium, taking second place in the F2 class.
Held on a 100-metre-wide section of the Albert Canal near Antwerp, the Diamond Race runs on a tight oval course with 2.5km straights, packing up to 14 boats onto the water at once. It's one of the toughest events on the water-ski racing calendar.
de Mey is now building Phantom F2 boats for northern-hemisphere racing. The carbon raceboats are proving well suited to the rough, fast water typical of those events.
His next goal: at least four Phantoms on the start line at next year's World Championships in the USA.
