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WATERSKI MagazineBarreling down a speed-favoring, four-lane highway just 30 miles east of the nation's capital, the last thing you'd expect to see is a place to launch the family fiberglass. But as you draw nearer to Annapolis, Maryland, the concrete jungle begins to subside into water-spiked flatlands, and a quick glance over the Highway 50 bridge at the South River is all you need to get the ski juices flowing.
Although these salty waters are better known as a place to pull in some of the largest blue crabs in Maryland, the grass-banked tip of the river is crowned with a jump ramp and slalom course. On this part of the Chesapeake Bay's 20-mile tributary you'll find a dedicated bunch known as the South River Ski Club.
“We don't pretend it's the greatest water to ski, but you don't see many kids out here without their parents, so it's a real family place to have fun,” says Bob Morris, a former president of the 50-plus-member club.
There's the minor inconvenience of putting in several miles downstream from the course – at either Pier 7 or the ramp behind Mike's Crabhouse. And conditions really aren't much different than those of any other river – you'll hardly find a day when the water will sit still for a barefoot pass, and the salt water isn't conducive to hard-core, freshwater slalom enthusiasts. But skiing the site of many past Maryland State Championships, you'll get a sense of a bygone era of competition – when skiing wasn't about beating a stopwatch or another skier, but doing your best and having fun.
“That's the best thing about the South River,” says Terri Boddorff, a former Maryland tricks champion. “There are usually five or six boats docked together with people talking about skiing and having a ball.”
Sounds like good advice for any day on the water. – Tony Smith
