FUN SUN IN THE
MAKE A SPLASH THIS SUMMER AND LEARN MORE ABOUT A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL MUST-DOS
MAKIN’ WAVES EXPLORE WATER SPORT OPTIONS AT OUR TWO LAKES PHOTGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
T
odd Wilson,
a lifelong water-skier, is out on Jordan Lake every chance he gets. “I love slalom skiing,” Todd says of the method that uses a single narrow ski to ride behind a boat and carve across the wakes. “I would do that every day if I could.” But the newest trend on the water is wakesurfing. “[It’s] super addictive,” he says. “It doesn’t make you [as] tired, so you can do it all day – until you run out of gas.” And Todd would know; during the week he works as a strategic account program manager with AMN Healthcare, but on Saturdays, he works at the Raleighbased Inland Boat Company dealership. Whether you’re a veteran of water sports like Todd or a novice to the hobby, Chatham County offers abundant 72
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
opportunities to enjoy outdoor water recreation at Jordan Lake and Harris Lake. Jordan Lake Recreational Area accounts for 4,558 acres of the man-made, freshwater lake’s total 14,000 acreage. Partake in an old-fashioned swim at one of three public beaches at the reservoir – Parker’s Creek, Seaforth and Ebenezer Church – or get more adventurous and take advantage of rowing, sailing, windsurfing, boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, water-skiing, Jet Skiing, wakeboarding, tubing and stand-up paddleboarding. Easy entry to the water can be found at 11 boat ramps, including two 24-
SUMMER 2022
ABOVE Cher Wilson, Ava Jane Wilson and Todd Wilson. RIGHT Todd Wilson slalom skis across Jordan Lake.