Volume 2, No. 10.   June 14, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a shoot-the-chute!
Six Flags Darien lake in Darien Center, New York, announces the arrival of Shipwreck Falls, May 24, 2002. Measurements: 50 feet high (15 meters) , 650 feet long (197 meters), 45-degree-angle drop, 300,000 gallons (1.14 million liters) of water, 20-foot high splash (six meters), two 20-passenger boats. Delivered by Intamin.

Yes, Shipwreck Falls did officially open May 24, and the park debuted the ride with the suitable solemnity of a ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied by a steel drum band and actors roving the crowd as pirates. In a slight drizzle, the chute made its inaugural splashdown that Friday for the press and general public. The ride then went straight into service during what developed into a warm and sunny Memorial Day weekend.

But the real celebration came last weekend when the park, with help from a radio station, sponsored the Shipwrecked Weekend centered on the new ride. The steel drum band and roving pirates were back, the first 200 riders on both Saturday and Sunday received free hats and leis, and a group of rubber wader-wearing guests competed to see who could catch the most water in their pants while standing on the bridge crossing the splashdown channel. “That was hysterical watching those people try to fill up those waders,” said Jill Storms, the park’s public relations manager.

She also organized a “name the boat” contest in which guests could submit names for an authentic Niagara River wreck placed in the middle of the ride. A quick scan of the suggestions revealed that the most popular name would be S.S. Minnow—“Big surprise,” Storms said wryly, adding the contest would not end until this weekend by which time a more original name might emerge.

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