The knights of Rhodes have always sought for ways to test each other in a honourable way, they evolved from jousting, in rowing boats, to sword fighting while manouvering an obsticale course with a sailboat to jet ski jousting.
track
The track is indicated by two yellow buoys one-third of a cable apart. With a line pulled taut between them kept on the surface by alternating white and red floats, with the center float in yellow again for reference.
The jousters approach each other both on their relative right side of the track, holding a shield in their left arm and a lance in their right. Speeding towards each other, and when they meet, they will try to push their opponent off their jet ski. If they both miss they turn around at the end and go again.
Jet ski
The jet skis are modified to be steered with the knees, in the saddle there are two buttons which can be pushed with the knees, to turn the jet port or starboard. Most jousters keep both buttons pushed, and release one or the other to steer, this way they sit stabler on the jet ski. The jet ski does not feature a windscreen or handle bar. Nor a back rest. The speed is controlled by a gas leaver which is set by hand at the start of the track. Jet ski's connect to jouster by a stop cord, if they fall off the ski engine turns off and the jet ski stops.
Armour
The armour design did not change much since the medieval times, the material it is made off how ever did change a lot, making this version much thinner and light weight compared to the steel predecessor.
The jousters wear fully enclosed carbon-fibre helmets, with two narrow eye slits for vision. This serves two purposes; it protects the head and face, but it also increases the difficulty, by reducing the sight, as the sport is quite a bit more dangerous on the fast moving jet skis.
On their body the jouster wear a padded jacket with stab/slash proof outer layer with a high collar, A Cuirass, gorget, pauldruns of which the left one is bigger, and the edges flared away from the wearer, rerebrace, couter and vembrace, gauntlets and cuisse. Their buttox and lower legs are not protected by the carbon-fibre plate armour, but just by the slash proof pants, as this is protected by the design of the jet ski, and the lower legs are left free to aid in swimming.
Shield
The shield is also made of carbon fibre, and strapped to the left arm. The shield is of a confex shape to guide the opponants lance away from the body of the jouster. Shields are usually painted with identifying patterens or colours.
Lance
The lance is a wooden pole of of about 7 meters with a blunt tip. Often painted in bright colours and spiraling motifs. The lance isn't designed to hurt the opposing jouster, but to assert a blunt force, if the force is to big the lance will break before it penetrates the armour.
Goal
To push the opponent from the jet ski they sail, without falling off yourself. The jousters are to aim for the shield of their opponents, hitting anything else will result in point reduction or disqualification.
It's all about showing control of the jet ski while combining the lance and shield.
If the jousters do not hit each other at the end of the track they turn around the buoys and go again.
points
| Action | Points |
|---|
| Opponant is unsaddled and pushed off the jet ski into the water, you stay seated. | 10 |
| Opponant is unsaddled and pushed off the jet ski into the water, you are pushed out of the saddle but stay on the jet ski. | 8 |
| Opponant is pushed out of the saddle but stays on the jet ski, you stay seated. | 6 |
| Opponant stays on the saddle, you hit the shield. | 2 |
| Equal | 0 |
| Opponant hits your shield. | -1 |
| You sail over the dividing line, before or after passing the opponent. | -5 |
| You hit the jet ski of the opponent before hitting the shield. | -8 |
| You hit the body of the opponent before hitting the shield. | DQ |
This is really fun :D Super dangerous though :p We had a king who died while jousting and I doubt this is much safer...
I read about that when researching jousting :D. But I guess accidents still happen. Being knocked off and splashing at speed in the water in armour doesn't sound like a safe idea. It still sounds fun, and I would try it probably :P maybe at a slower speed.