Bermudian waterskier Tim Peckett won a silver medal in the finals of the men's slalom at the British Senior Waterski Championships held at Gosfield Lakes, UK.

The Senior Championship, or Masters as it is also known, is the national championship for skiers aged 35 and over.

In tournament slalom skiing the athletes must complete a slalom course by passing through a set of entrance gates, then ski around six balls on alternating sides of the course, and out of a set of exit gates at the end of the course.

With each successful pass the boat speed is increased by fixed increments up to a maximum speed of 55kph.

If a skier completes a full pass through the course at the maximum speed, the rope is then shortened which further increases the difficulty of each run through the course.

This continues until the skier fails to complete a full pass through the course.

The skier is scored according to the number of turns successfully completed, and the speed and line length the skier was on at that point.

"While the boat travels at a constant speed the skier, who is weaving through the course behind the boat, attains speeds of up to 80 or 90 kph, well in excess of the boat speed" explained Peckett.

"Ripping through the course at those sort of speeds is a huge rush, especially in tournament conditions when it is one mistake and you're out.

"Trying to keep your head and ski with good form is a real challenge – physically, technically and mentally – under those conditions."

Peckett, who represented Bermuda in the 2008 Senior World Championships in Madrid, Spain, explained that he was introduced to slalom skiing by the first and only other athlete to represent Bermuda in waterskiing, Kent Richardson, who in more recent years has been well known as a top local triathlete.