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UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / JUNE 9, 2022 Brian Grubb riding a wakeskate on a sunken boat off Key West. BRYAN SODERLIND/ Red Bull Content Pool
Legendary wakeboarders l Storm Alex fails
Tropica to wipe out Keys trip
KELLIE BUTLER FARRELL www.keysweekly.com
A
s Tropical Storm Alex churned in the Gulf of Mexico, five athletes from the elite Red Bull wakeboarding team ironed out final their Keys waterways advenfor details ture. Unfazed by the first storm of the ed 2022 hurricane season, the group arriv an in Key Largo for what was sure to be
epic adventure. n, "We brought a lot of equipment dow n we had two boats, two skis," said Bria eGrubb. Grubb is a two-time world wak st boarding champion and, at 41, the olde member of the team. "It's kind of a lifestyle. We've been doing this since we were 10 years old," with said Grubb of competing and touring ed gniz friend Parks Bonifay. Bonifay is reco vaas one of the sport's premier trick inno tors. He's also a bit of a jokester. "I prob My ably did too many belly flops this trip. belly's a little red today," said Bonifay. si The two, along with teammates Mas Piffaretti, Guenther Oka and Meagan on Ethell, spent five days catching big air Key their wakeboards from Key Largo to West. Tropical Storm Alex forced the crew to pull their boats out of the water in did Marathon for a day and a half, but that p not put a damper on the trip; the grou just headed to the Keys Cable Park in Beach Marathon and Grassy Flats Resort & Club. "It actually worked good because they n have a wakeboard cable there. So whe dn't the weather was too bad and we coul a get out on the water, we actually rode said e," protected wind spot which is a cabl Bonifay. The cable park uses overhead rs cables set on a track to pull wakeboarde t boa by rope around a body of water. No
required. This was the fifth annual trip across close Florida's waterways for the group of to pen hap also who , friends from Orlando the in rs arde ebo wak be some of the best world. The five started their Keys adventure at the Anchorage Resort and Yacht Club ed off Jewfish Creek in Key Largo, and head south. Once the storm passed, conditions were glass calm. "After a day and a half was of waiting out Tropical Storm Alex, it the out, ping pop crazy to see the sun at water getting blue again and no wind of e ntag adva took all," said Bonifay. He skiing the conditions to do a little barefoot old the in gaps ugh behind a Sea-Doo thro Seven Mile Bridge. Grubb found his own obstacle course off by way of a sunken boat in the waters ing stick was l drai han Key West. A "perfect" ng. slidi for l out of the water, idea "That was a pretty unique spot that of the was kind of sticking up in the middle ure feat little ect perf a ocean. For us it was to hit," said Grubb. As the professional wakeboarders n headed back to Orlando on the afternoo of s orie mem fond of June 6, they left with the Keys and a desire to return. s "The Keys is one of our favorite spot to got we time first to ride and this is the b. do all of them in one trip," said Grub nicer lot a of hell a is "The scenic view ifay. Bon ed add ," than it is in Orlando Next year the group will hit the Pansored handle for their yearly Red Bull-spon voyage. But it won't be the same, at least not a bit for Parks Bonifay, who fancies himself ing play lly usua t's boa of a parrothead. "My he ," here n dow er loud Jimmy Buffet a lot joked.
Brian Grubb winching through the mangroves down an old smugglers run in Marathon. BRYAN SODERLIND/ Red Bull Content Pool
Parks Bonifay bare footing under the old seven-mile bridge at sunrise. BRYAN SODERLIND/ Red Bull Content Pool
ckside ll doing a ba Meghan Ethe at Keys il ra e in e incl lipslide up th AN RY Marathon. B Cable Park, nt te on C l Red Bul SODERLIND/ Pool
