Specific Type: Triple Launch Coaster
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In the summer of 2015 Playland’s Castaway Cove, a small boardwalk park in Ocean City, NJ, announced that they would be building a new roller coaster for the 2016 season. The plans for this coaster had been quietly in the works for three years according to park Vice President Brian Hartle. This 125 foot tall ride would be the tallest ride yet and right up against their height limit imposed by the state of New Jersey. The ride manufacturer S&S designed a custom triple launching coaster that would fit in the compact footprint that was available. The construction began in January 2016 and completed five months later in May. Unfortunately the opening of the ride was delayed. A piece of the track proved to be unsuitable during testing and ultimately had to be cut out. Shipping delays for the new length of track extended the delay and it became apparent that the ride could not open for the 2016 season. New Jersey has the strictest safety regulations in the country and a new coaster needs 80 hours of smooth testing with the ride operating as intended before the state can inspect the ride. GaleForce eventually opened to plenty of excitement on May 26th, 2017.
The ride experience begins when guests are locked into the single car. The car has three rows of stadium seats four abreast. Safety gates that have a cool blue wave lattice to remind riders of the seaside storm they are about to ride opens. Without warning the car launches forward. The train rolls up a vertical track, but runs out of inertia and starts to roll backwards. The car hits its second launch backward through the station and up and around the beginning of a twist, but the car runs out of inertia again and gravity brings it back down and towards the station again. The third launch pushes the car up to the maximum speed of 64 MPH. The car climbs the 125 foot tall vertical track twisting to stay upright. The train creeps over the hill, and dives down the beyond vertical drop. The car roars close to the ground and then ascends like a swelling wave, twisting again to stay upright. The ride continues to ride twist and drop, just like a storm two more times. The car crashes through the station as it sheds off speed, and rolls slowly backward into the station as the ride concludes. GaleForce has deposited the survivors along the shore leaving them with the choice, should I head inland or brave the next storm? |
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