You can’t get anywhere on a PWC by “twisting the throttle.”
That’s what happens when you put a V-twin saddle-hobo of 45 years on a jet ski and turn her loose with a handful of women in the waters outside Chicago — a day of discoveries and laughter, sunshine and sisterhood, and a brand new appreciation for the skill, talent and athleticism of the PWC racers I’ve been working with for more than 20 years.
But I’m skipping ahead in this story.
This particular adventure began several weeks before that day on Lake Michigan, when plans went into full swing for The Watercraft Journal to attend a Sea-Doo Social Club Women’s Chapter ride.
A part of the Uncharted Society program, the Sea-Doo Social Club Women’s Chapter brings women together to share the fun, relaxation, and new friendships while learning, or improving, riding skills and building confidence. Like other Uncharted Society outings, no experience is needed to take part in a Women’s Chapter rides, and the equipment — in this case, the PWC and a life jacket — is provided.
As The Watercraft Journal posted last Autumn, Uncharted Society was created specifically for the adventurous at heart, but with, perhaps, dreams bigger than their pocketbook. Uncharted Society puts dream-worthy adventures like exploring exotic destinations (aboard a Sea-Doo, of course), carving through Rocky Mountain snowy terrain (on a brand new Ski-Doo snowmobile) and or a meandering trip through a desolate western landscape (you guessed it – on a Can-Am) within reach by providing turnkey adventure packages.
Kicked off as a test project, the idea behind Uncharted Society was to eliminate a hefty portion of the cost barrier to embarking on those dreamed-of adventures. From the original 30 adventure packages, Uncharted Society has now created more than 300 unique opportunities to fit just about any outdoor adventure aspiration — and while there are a plethora of stateside adventures just waiting for your next 3-day weekend or quick jaunt — for those with eyes set beyond America’s borders, there are international opportunities galore.
With the arrangement of the website, you can find your perfect adventure a number of ways; by destination, by vehicle, by ride type (rental or guided), and by duration (Half day or less, Full-day, Multi-day, Multi-hour). The 2025 collection of outings includes adventures related to fishing, camping, mountain biking, electric vehicles and a women’s only experience.
After a quick flight from Chattanooga to O’Hare International and my first ever Uber ride (eventless, and quiet, since my driver did not speak English!) I checked into my room at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown South Loop. I won’t take up to much of this article on the subject, but I feel it worth noting that this hotel — which, at a hefty several-hundred-dollar-per-night rate, I expected to be, if not luxurious, then at least comfortable and clean — was the only downside of my Sea-Doo weekend, and it was an extreme downside:
An error on their part with my reservation that almost left me without a room, clerks that were rude and unconcerned with the fact that their error, which they later admitted to — threatened to leave a guest to their city without a place to sleep, and to top it all off, a run-down, shabby room with worn out furniture, threadbare carpets, rusty fixtures, and an air conditioner that was so noisy that I had to choose between not sleeping from the noise, or turning it off and dealing with the heat.
Even that experience, however, could not diminish my enthusiasm the next morning when, not really certain what to expect of the day, I joined Jaelle LaVergne-Periard — another member of the SeaDoo team — as she thankfully took the task of navigating Chicago streets and got us both to the dock unscathed.
After being introduced to the other ladies taking part in the ride, as well as our head honcho(ess) of the day, Sea-Doo Ambassador Alvean Azurin, and being given a brief rundown of the ride route and schedule, as well as covering of some basic safety guidelines (don’t wander off too far, and stay away from specific shorelines where rocks lurked beneath the waves), it was time to actually step on the skis.
Since the experience level of the group ranged from a few neophytes like myself, to one more experienced rider, and a couple with limited ride time, they took their time with the process and made sure everyone was comfortable with the basic controls of the ski before we launched.
I do feel the need to highlight Next Wave Powersports, who hosted the ride. Based out of Diversey Harbor, in the heart of Lincoln Park and walking distance to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, their staff, along with the Sea-Doo crew, provided a wonderful introduction to riding.
To be perfectly honest, the actual process of getting on the dang ski has been one of my biggest hesitations about learning to ride. Watching people mount skis from wobbly and bobbing docks, and after having attempted launching a kayak from similar roller-coaster docks before, the trepidation of loading my notoriously klutzy and balance-challenged self and getting situated on the ski was a big concern. But stepping onto the dock at the marina, and seeing the skis lined up, all securely nestled in their floating … “cradles” is the best term I can come up with … put me at ease on that score.
It definitely ratcheted down any nervousness about getting on the ski (especially in front of others), as it was an easy “step-onto”, a solid, firmly-in-place ski, instead of a precarious “step-down” onto a rocking, bobbing ski. It might seem like a small issue, but it was one of those small things that added up to the day’s ride being as enjoyable as it was. The staff at Next Wave played a good part in that, also, as each of them was friendly, polite, helpful and went out of their way to make me, and everyone else, feel at ease.
The skis themselves also made the day’s ride seem like a top-tier outing — each of us was teamed up with our very own GTX 130, which is a Sea-Doo rental-specific model, but corresponds closest to Sea-Doo’s touring line GTX 170.
Now, before any of the more experienced riders/racers heckle me for the low-end model, that 130 horse-power rating was plenty for my first outing, and even though I was all proud of myself for the fact that, by the end of our ride, I was “gunning” it (stop laughing, y’all!) and zooming around the choppy waters outside Chicago like some teen on a joyride, I can only surmise that the fact that the models you can walk into a powersports store and go away with start out at 170 hp, and range, in this model, all the way up to 325 hp for the GTX Limited, gives everyone plenty of growing room in terms of acceleration and speed.
And, taking a dive into completely “girly” topics, the fact that the rental model comes decked out in one of my favorite tealish/turquoisish colors just made my day, and only added to the sappy grin I am sure was plastered on my face the entire ride. I can definitely say the fact that current-day PWC models come with handy “brakes” and “reverse” was a more-than-pleasant fact and made it possible for even me to make it through the entire day without any bumper-car interactions with fellow riders, the shore, buoys or the dock. Another HUGE bonus of the GTX model is not only do they have a nice roomy storage compartment right in front of the seat, inside that storage compartment is an easy-to-access waterproof cell-phone holder. That discovery was akin, I would imagine, to finding out that your cute new dress has POCKETS!
OK, back to the play-by-play. After we all had a few minutes of practice with the throttle and how to brake and reverse, we idled through the marina and under DuSable Lake Shore Drive (passing dozens of stenciled penguins on the walls of the underpass — part of a spring rash of “graffiti” in 2023 that left the soon-to-be-loved penguins on storefronts, walls, sidewalks and windows in the nearby East Lakeview neighborhood in 2023.)
After slipping back out into the mild sunshine on the lake side of the underpass, and as we idled waiting for the everyone to regroup, I did my first bit of official “Chicago sightseeing,” put-putting around to check out the sculpture standing watch over the lakeshore and the large number of joggers and bikers enjoying the park trails. Once everyone grouped up again, we set out, following Alvean’s lead, and meandered south just off the shoreline, past the North Avenue Beach Pier.
While there was a bit of a learning curve to maneuvering (hint, there is no such thing as counter-steering on a PWC!) every minute that slipped by and every successful practice turn boosted my confidence that “even I can handle this!” (I am sure, however, that random observers wondered why the heck some old gal was doing random turns, unnecessary stops and arbitrary donuts (in reverse, even!)
The varying levels of experience and comfort of the members of the group became apparent, as some people went flying along the shore, looping around to come back to those not quite as zippy yet, while others were happy at a near-idle glide.
I would put myself in mid-pack of that range at that point … While I certainly backed off the throttle when the choppy waters tugged the bow of the GTX off course and I felt like I was going to just slide right off the side of the seat, there was a constant little voice in the back of my head throughout the day saying, “C’mon, you gotta at least ACT like you’ve been working around some of the fastest PWC racers in the world for the past two decades, surely you learned something by osmosis! (Note: I doubt water conditions that day would be termed “choppy” by more experienced riders, and I feel somewhat self conscious about even using that term after having shot several Daytona races!)
After giving the group time to find their comfort level and for the beginners to learn the controls enough to eliminate the potential for “close encounters” between riders, Alvean and the other ride wranglers gave us the opportunity to do a few loops while they took photos of each of us with the iconic Chicago skyline in the background.
We next visited the historic Navy Pier, idling past Centennial Wheel, the unique architecture of the festival hall, the Aon Grand Ballroom with it’s 80-foot domed ceiling, and Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre and the several resident lake cruise ships — my favorite of which was the 148-foot, four-masted gaff topsail schooner Tall Ship Windy, which was at dock when we passed by.
There was again time for a photo op — normally something I would avoid like the plague, but even I did a little grandstanding with my newly born on-the-water confidence and, taking some advice from Alvean, braved a standing stance as I ratcheted up my speed enough to throw a little wake for the photos … surprisingly enough, I felt like I had even a little more maneuverability and control from a standing position as opposed to seated, which seems counter-intuitive, but was an observation that lasted throughout the day (although my leg muscles did NOT last throughout the day!)
I will note that, while having a group to ride with, and the camaraderie of it being a woman-only outing, was nice, I had been concerned slightly before the event that it would be a typical “woman’s outing” where everyone was attached at the hip with their fellow females, and the focus was on gossip, makeup tips and giggling. I am happy to report that my concern was unwarranted. The Sea-Doo Women’s Chapter seems to eschew that route, we all had freedom to explore, and there was a blessed lack of girly-talk.
We continued just offshore, and as we took in the scenery, I was able to get answers from the group leaders to my questions about the buildings we were passing, including the 5-million gallon Shedd Aquarium that holds about 32,000 animals. It is the third largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere and the 11th-largest aquarium in the world. We also passed the Adler Planetarium, the first planetarium in the United States.
Next, we looped out to the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. Built in 1893, the Lighthouse marks the Chicago Harbor, a historically pivotal point where the nation’s maritime transportation network connected the East Coast, the Great Lakes, and ultimately the Gulf Coast. We then returned to the entrance to Diversey Harbor, where the ride crew gave each of us the option of calling it a day, or taking an extra bit of time on the water and riding out to the William E. Dever Crib Lighthouse (Looking at the map afterwards, I would guess the distance at about 3 miles from the harbor to the lighthouse).
It was at that point that the little voice in my head got a bit louder, and, after enthusiastically counting myself into the group headed to the lighthouse, I apparently got a “wild hair” and set out ahead of the pack, aiming toward the landmark intake crib — one of two remaining active water cribs providing drinking water to the City of Chicago. While the trip to the structure, and the 30 or so minutes we spent at the lighthouse, could not be considered anywhere close to putting the GTX “through its paces,” it definitely counted as me putting myself through my paces:
I set out with a purpose, to push myself and see what I could do. Although there was a fairly consistent feeling of instability, especially when hitting chop from the wind or the wake left by another rider or nearby boat, I would imagine that is due to my inexperience, as opposed to the GTX, which felt solid and secure when I wasn’t intentionally crashing into and over rough water.
I realized afterwards that I unfortunately never once looked down to see what speed I actually achieved, and I doubt it was anything most would consider impressive, but as I nudged the boundaries of my comfort level, learned how to move better with the ski, discovered how to time my turns with the choppy waves a little better, (and finally figured what my racers mean when they say “hooked up”), I felt that addiction I’ve had for the PWC world for the past 20 years, turn into something entirely more personal.
And impressively, in my mind at least, the Sea-Doo Women’s Chapter team did not attempt to babysit. There was no crew trying to corral me back into the herd, there were no scolding looks, even as I did loops around the rest of the group as they chatted, trying to channel my inner Sophie Francis and pretending I was rounding buoys at Crazy Horse, and not one word was said as we pulled back into the harbor about this old gal acting like some wild-child.
I do feel bad that I can’t give more of an in-depth review of the Sea-Doo GTX, but having nothing to compare it to, and no previous ride experience to judge its handling, power and acceleration to, I don’t think any statement by me on the ski would be reliable, but I will say, at no time did I ever think, “dang, I wish I was on a different ski for my first ride.” Quite the opposite; I left the waters of Lake Michigan feeling like there was very, very little that could have improved on my “first ride” experience.
I will quickly note that the outing did not end at the dock, but instead, the Women’s Chapter treated us to lunch at a little park adjacent to the nearby North Pond Nature Sanctuary, and I had enough time left in the day afterwords to scrunch in a visit to the Aquarium, Field Museum, the Cultural Center, and the Riverwalk.
In closing, your WCJ editor now has at least one ride under her belt, which she thoroughly enjoyed and is looking forward to taking y’all along on more rides this summer as I explore the local waterways and improve my riding skills.
