Just a few observations from today and some food for thought.
When your supervising children swimming at the beach and a bunch of kiters doing a downwinder come through, it is hard to determine if they are in control and their proximity to the swimmers is quite unnerving even as a kiter.
Doing top turns right in front of a surfers face as he is trying to paddle back out?
In terms of public relations and respect it's not really that hard to just ride out behind them in a straight line so they know where you are going then come back in downwind of them.
You've spent all season weaving between the children at the local beach, how are you going to defend your right to access to the beach when they try to ban us?
You lose your rail on a top turn, too bad to the surfer that was 1m downwind of you.
Easy to become blase over time, but maybe just think about how your actions might be perceived by others in the future.
P.S. Yes I have no problem letting the person know if they are being are douche.
completely agree, if there are any swimmers, surfers, old nudists i stay well clear regardless of how confident i am that i can get by. iv seen guys boosting to show off to the ladies in waist deep water only to miss by a meter their kite decapitating said lady in g-string.
Agreed, our responsibility to be perceived as safe by the wider community to preserve access to spots... and it's not only beginners, everyone especially when you think of yourself in total control cause you've been kiting for X years, **** happens to anyone.
if you are unhooked and overpowered with your kite parked about 10 -15 ft off the water dont come straight through 20 windsurfers at Brighton - just pop around the outside for a little bit
I went for a back loop - got about 15 ft looking upwind only to see a kite about 5 ft away from me - and approaching at a rate of knot from directly upwind and i had to chuck the gear to avoid a very spectacular mid air collision. Guy was totally out of control. I know we have to share the beach but this incident was particularly alarming - am getting used to the lines though due to my old kiting background and history of being wrapped in other peoples kite lines at this location.
and well done to the guy who wrapped up 3 swimmers with his lines earlier the same day - looked like chaos on the beach - with everyone doing the line unwrap dance in the shorey. Glad to see no harm came of it.
Vishy, Judging by the number of thumbs up, we're all with you on this one mate. Unfortunately I suspect it's not the experienced kiters (or the locals) who are the issue - it's the guys who don't have a vested interest in protecting our beaches and keeping them open for kiting who are the problem!
An idea that was floated a while ago on this forum was to have a volunteer in a nice bright yellow shirt on the beach representing AKSA/WAKSA at popular locations, to spend a couple of hours on the weekends, who can represent us to the public and kiting community and make the local rules clear to kiters who may visit.
Might sound impractical, but I'd give up a session a month to help keep my local beach open and prevent others or my kids getting hurt - and it would give the public a good place to vent about kiters who weren't being courteous. Perhaps that is something some of the local shops would want to support as well.
Any thoughts?
Windsurfers and surfers wrote all the same sh!t here years ago.
But were abused and apparently were kite haters
So don't hold ya breath Vishy
had another incident yesterday - i am coming in on a wave from way out the back -shes a nice little head high wind wedge and i am excited about a fun bottom turn to foamy reo combo -
kiter riding out from beach toeside (possibly an ex surfer stuck on one stance) starts to shift his weight to the heel side on to the wave - so i can see from a mile a away whats is about to happen
its just a fat surge at this point - but its getting ready to form a nice little vert pocket.
and sure enough about 10m downwind he performs the mother of all drop ins.
Second half of my bottom turn is straight into his lines - well it would have been as i had to put on the handbrake. Now we are both standing there - the wave is totally wasted - and said kite dude is yelling and gesticulating at me. Awesome.
I cant believe this was intentional - i think its just pure ignorance - and i have had this happen a few times in the past as well. Perhaps some education on wave etiquette is in order ?
On a positive note -as usual Niall was ripping it to bits and getting some great airs and saw Ryland come through with a big smile on his face - as i fanged past downwind on another wave chase.
None the less it was a super fun day of wind wedge chasing!
I think it's about the swimmers perception.... For example when I am mucking around with my daughters and their friends at the beach, a jet ski might come through, fairly slowly from their perspective, but I don't know what they are going to do so I bring the kids together and go protective ..... Not because the guy is being a adick head but I just don't know what he is going to do, or what he has observed, or what he cares about.
It's the same for kiters, windsurfers etc, you may feel, and be, absolutely in control. But the people mucking around playing etc do not know how to assess and calibrate that.
Maybe you have to have kids to really get that protective instinct
