Queenstown’s only competitor in this week’s New Zealand Jet Boat Marathon is primed to push for top honours.
Tom Kelly, 35, competes for the second year running with a helicopter turbine 1400 horsepower motor originally used in a Sikorsky
chopper that, as ‘Marine One’, transported late-’70s United States President Jimmy Carter.
Kelly unfortunately blew a gear box last year.
‘‘We’ve got a different-style gearbox this year and new pump and things so we should have a bit of reliability, all going well, ’’ he
says.
This will be his fifth NZ marathon — including the 2017 one which doubled as the world jet boat marathon — with his best
result being a sixth placing in A class.
Jetboating’s a bit in his blood as his uncle, Queenstowner Shaun Kelly, is a veteran world jet boat marathon competitor.
This year’s race, starting today, traverses Marlborough’s Wairau River, the West Coast’s Grey and Taramakau Rivers, then Canterbury’s Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers — about 1000km of racing finishing on Sunday.
Kelly says he and his navigator, cousin Matt Grant, are doing about 214kmh on the lake at present — ‘‘it gets along alright’’.
Racing at high speeds can be ‘‘a bit daunting at times’’, he admits, ‘‘but it’s pretty satisfying if a few things come together and you get
things right’’.
His boat, sponsored by Golden Homes, will be amongst five turbines in the unlimited class.
He and Grant will also be working towards next year’s worlds, again being held in NZ.
Having been assistant coach of the Wakatipu Premiers rugby side who won their comp this year, Kelly says if he can win next week
‘‘it would be a good way to go into summer with a couple of big achievements’’.
