overnight camp

Water Monkey Camp has a new location (officially)

We are so excited to announce that Water Monkey Camp is moving to its new, permanent location directly on the shores of Merrymeeting Lake.  This property is the fulfillment of the Water Monkey Camp dream where we have a small, self-contained community of campers and staff pursuing their wakeboarding, waterskiing, wakesurfing, and wakeskating goals and ambitions. On the property we have:

  • Five cottages with two or three bedrooms in each as well as a full bathroom.  Campers and staff will live in these cottages just a few steps from the lake.
  • Clubhouse on the sandy beach for group use.  This is where camp will have meetings, cook-outs, watch movies, play games, and hold indoor instruction on white-boards and with digital video captured out on the lake.
  • Large multi-purpose field where campers and staff will have fun when they are not actively out on the water.  Think pick-up games of ultimate frisbee, soccer, kickball, etc.
  • Sandy beach and T-Dock on the lake where the two camp boats will be happily docked.  Campers and staff - under the supervision of lifeguards - will be able to swim, SUP, and enjoy the gorgeous New Hampshire summer from this amazing spot.

No matter how great the location, though, it is camp's top-notch staff and amazing campers that really make the experience.  Camp will still emphasize superior instruction using the best boats and equipment, gourmet, home-cooked meals, and a safe, constructive environment.  What Water Monkey Camp has done is embrace the best parts of traditional camps and apply them to a watersports-intensive program to create a unique place for boys and girls to thrive and have an awesome time.

As we get started working on the property this spring I will be sure to post pictures so you can share in our excitement and anticipation of this season at the new location.

-Evan

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2014 season recap

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The 2014 season of Water Monkey Camp is history and - with no hyperbole - could be described as epic.  Each year I leave camp thinking it was the best summer ever and the next summer just blows it out of the water.  Many thanks to all of the campers (and their parents), staff, and my friends and family for helping make it all possible. This year we had a 100% fresh staff which included all new instructors and a first time chef.  I was constantly impressed with the quality of work they all produced and the height to which they raised the bar for the Water Monkey Camp program and any camp that hopes to teach water sports.

2014 showed that we are certainly not lacking in top notch students to teach on the lake.  The guys and girls we have welcomed to camp have come from all over the U.S. and the world and each bring with them their own unique backgrounds, water sports abilities, and personalities but all share the same desire to have fun, learn, and make the most of their short time at camp.

Here is a breakdown of the 2014 season:

  • We filled 68 out of 70 spaces this summer over seven weeks of camp
  • Campers came from 12 states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas) as well as France and Canada
  • The average age of our campers was 13.849
  • Campers were 74% guys, 26% girls
  • Peak sustained water temperature was in Week 7 at 81 degrees
  • Lowest water temperature was in Week 1 at 74 degrees
  • 10,828 unique visitors to www.watermonkeycamp.com in the past 12 months
  • Served up 2,205 meals (and almost infinite snacks)
  • Taught eight campers how to do back rolls or tantrums
  • Racked up another 200 hours on the Centurion odometer to bring us to 500 hours of fun!
  • Burnt through 940.28 gallons of gas producing 8.344 metric tons of CO2...offset by planting 150 trees through www.CarbonFund.org! (we planted an extra 60 trees to offset some of the camper travel to/from camp)

It is too early to tell what the 2015 season will be like for Water Monkey Camp.  We hope to move to our new property but are still facing a long process obtaining zoning approval.  Having turned away more than 60 campers this year we desperately need to increase our capacity in order to make Water Monkey Camp accessible to more kids.  To that end we are purchasing a second boat (we have narrowed down the new boat options to two companies) and already started recruiting additional coaches so that we will be able to instruct 20 campers per day for the length of the summer.  One thing we can guarantee is that camp will continue to deliver the same experience that our campers know and love.

Keep in touch throughout the year and we hope to see you back at camp in 2015!

Sincerely,

Evan Goldner

617-855-WAKE

Gearing up for camp

It is April, which means summertime camp time is just a few months away.  This is the season where camp directors all over the country start working overtime to get things in order. Here at Water Monkey Camp we are in the midst of preparing for our first full-scale summer of operation and we could not be more pumped.  Campers have signed up and are expecting something great and we certainly will not disappoint.

The most exciting progress towards opening day has been our search for the perfect camp boat.  Being a wakeboard/waterski/wakesurf/wakeskate camp it is important that we have a high performance watercraft with some specific features.

  1. Inboard (powerful) engine - Outboards and inboard/outboards just will not suffice for our kind of use.  An inboard motor keeps the propeller sufficiently away from the rear of the boat so that there is no chance of anyone coming close to it at any time.  The power is important because day in and day out we will be working the engine to pull our campers around the lake; a weak engine just would not cut it.
  2. Tower - The tower is an essential piece of equipment for a wakeboard camp.  The higher the rope is attached, the bigger the air that riders can achieve.  The tower also gives us somewhere to attach some boomin' speakers for the boat sound system.
  3. Ballast System - Put simply, our boat needs to pump a huge wake.  A ballast system lets us control how much weight we can add to the rear of the boat in the form of tanks or bags of water, pre-installed into compartments on the boat.  The more water you pump in, the bigger the wake behind the boat.  This system is what makes wake surfing possible on the lake.  With the ballast filled up, the boat will create a perfect, clean wave to surf behind the boat without a rope.  So awesome.
  4. Sufficient seating - We want to be able to spread out in comfort all day on the lake; big cushy seats and benches are a must-have.

Once the boat is in our hands we will be sure to post some fun pictures.  Counting down the days until summer!