Portsmouth based Power FM’s breakfast show DJ, Zoe Hanson, joined members of ‘Team RYA’  at 2008 The Wight Stuff event, that saw some 60 plus personal watercraft users take to the water to embark on a 55 mile blast around the Isle of Wight.

The event, which is set up to raise money for the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’, kicked off from Leigh-on –Solent bright and early on the morning of Saturday 12 July.  Unfortunately however, due to rough water and bad weather conditions it wasn’t possible for the riders to go around the Island, instead the fleet took the slightly less bumpy ride out to Nab Tower – still quite a feat, with a round trip of some 45 miles.

Zoe, a novice rider, joined in with the RYA team, taking to the controls of the PWC she said: “The Wight Stuff was a great event for a great charity. What an amazing experience to travel round the island with a Brilliant bunch of people! The sight and feeling of being in the middle of 60 PWC's in the Solent is a picture I will always have in my mind. I did find it a lot harder on my legs than I thought it would be, you just sit down and go don't you? Well that’s what I thought, how wrong I was....”

Things did get a little tricky for Zoe and fellow rider, RYA Instructor Kaz, as the pair ducked under the water like a submarine off the back of a wave and both feel off – but it wasn’t enough to dampen their spirits or enthusiasm.

Andrew Norton, Motor Cruising Projects Manager at the RYA said: “The whole event has been fantastic and all in aid of a great cause.  There were a lot of tired people at the end of the day but everyone was pleased with what they had achieved despite not actually going around the Island.”

Zoe prepared for her Wight Stuff adventure by learning the basics of personal watercraft use on the RYA’s PWC Proficiency Course with Southampton based Stormforce Coaching and was presented with her certificate live on air by Andrew Norton from the RYA (Friday 11 July).