Thrill-seeking brothers take boating safety seriously
For Michael King, jetboating is more than just a sport—it’s a family legacy and a tribute to his late stepfather.
Michael, from Browns, has been competing at a national and international level with his brother Ben Baxter for more than 13 years.
Both Michael’s father Stuart King and stepfather Alan Baxter instilled a love of jetboating in him from a young age.
“Dad built boats back in the 80s for the company he worked for.”
When his stepfather Alan was killed in a racing boat accident in 2002, his legacy continued on in the boys.
“After [Alan’s death] we continued to go watch. Then we thought ‘we keep going along to races, why don’t we get a new boat and give it a go ourselves?’ So we did.”
Amidst the thrill and speed of jetboat racing, Michael has witnessed firsthand the critical importance of boating safety.
“Safety has come a long way in the racing scene since the accident, that was over 20 years ago that my stepfather was killed."
They’ve really stepped up the roll cage rules and a lot of other safety in radio communications and electronic locator beacons.
“The speeds we are doing you need to be using your head, thinking about what you are doing the whole time. There are other people on the rivers because we can’t completely close them off, so you have to be wary and mindful.”
As an adult, Michael’s been able to share his love of jet boating with his own young family, spending days on the rivers and lakes.
One of the biggest safety features he advocates for recreational boaties to have is the “gamechanger” electronic personal locator beacons.
“If you got in trouble years ago you had no options if you didn’t have phone reception."
“Now, I’ve always got one [PLB] on me even if it’s just a quick trip up the Ōreti River and it’s only two minutes from home."
'I still put it in my lifejacket because you never know if you’re going to need it or you’re going to run into someone else who needs it.”
Michael now passes on crucial boating safety lessons to his own children, echoing the same ones he received as a youngster.
“We were brought up to put lifejackets on regardless because you never know what’s going to happen."
We really drum that into our kids now too and they are usually the ones bringing them to us and saying ‘here dad!’”
