Yellow kiter yesterday crashed at Leo

[rowena]

Hey everyone, this is good dialogue, because windsurfers at Leo have been getting pissed for quite awhile as more kiters crowd the waters, and the resentment has been building, as we all have seen.

I love the comments concerning square footage required for each sport. That's so true... I really don't want to get tangled in the kiters' lines. Yet I wonder how many kiters really consider that crashes can happen to the most skilled of the sport.

It's all about the ego. If there's 10 kiters out there, 3 are showing off and pulling dangerous moves, you remember the 3 show-offs, the ***holes, not the guys who are respecting everyone else on the water.

So it's up to the kiters to talk among themselves and tell the guys who are showing off to go down to Zeroes, and get out of the crowded areas. We windsurfers, a.k.a. poleboarders, don't know all the members of the teabag community, so it's not really our responsibility. (It might not be civil, anyway...) Those kiters who are into the sport enough to comment on the windsurf forum, you've got to police your own. If a windsurfer was doing something dangerous, we would tell him, as part of our community, and we have.

Having lived in Sun Valley, Idaho for ten years, I've seen the ego take over in skiing and make the sport difficult for everyone. It's ALWAYS about the ego.

Skilled kiters need to remind the hotdoggers of their sport that everyone on the beach REALLY ISN"T JUST LOOKING AT THEM and thinking, "wow that guy is so cool!" Get the ego out of the water. It's a HUGE ocean!

Really, not everyone wants to kite....

[fradge]

I don't think getting the lifeguards involved is a great idea. When ever there has been a problem in the past 15 or so years between surfers and windsurfers the lifeguards have always favored the surfers. When the lifeguards wanted to shot down windsurfing, in the past, Traig Trumbo was been there pleading our case. Traig lived in both worlds and most of the guys in the tower were friends of his. Now Traig plays for the other team. I don't think anyone has enough influence and they would rather shut us down then deal with us. It is better if we try an deal with it ourselves and only go to them as a last resort.

[FredBGG]

Traig is definatly very involed in kiting. It's his livelyhood.
I'm damn sure of one thing though he would never do anything to ban or jepardize windsurfing at the beaches. He used to windsurf and has lots of respect for the sport.

[boggsman1]

Why dont all you jokers just move up to the Bay Area. You get Davenport, Waddel, OB, Stinson, Limantor, Dillon Beach, etc etc etc. 25kts+ 60-70days a year. No nasty battles, except maybe Waddel weekends.

[jp5]

....plus, white sharks, more traffic, and even higher real estate prices.

[boggsman1]

Id say the traffic and the real estate is a wash with SoCal, and the sharks are only relevant if you break down or blow a gybe.

[pzwinakis]

Every time I read this forum it makes me realize how intellectually small some people are. I windsurfed for more than 20 years at a reasonably high level of ability and made the switch to kiting after seeing it's potential. In the old days, I used to go to town meetings to help windsurfing gain access to appropriate launches and the mentally-challenged people I had to deal with then, sound just like you folks do towards kiting now (same arguments, same attitude, Windsurfing is soooo dangerous... keep the kids away from them). If you could see how absolutely lacking in ability the vast majority of windsurfers are {almost falling down on every gybe, bottom turning sheeted out, falling down with every attempt to 'hit the lip', endlessly swimming after their gear} you wouldn't wonder why most kiters aren't taking you too seriously. I am still friends with the remaining (local) windsurfers in my area (CA) (even though I think their sport is antiquated and silly). I don't cut them off, they don't cut me off and believe it or not, we have fun together on the beach AND on the water. Why don't you folks get off your damn computers, go to the beach 10 minutes early and talk to the people on the other side of the fence. If you spent half the time chatting with people on the beach (that do that other sport) that you waste bitching here, your problem would probably be solved.

As far as the North Shore of Maui goes. I agree the situation is ridiculous but for different reasons you guys think. If anything is to change, they need to change the rules so Kiters have a reasonable place to wave-ride. It is generally accepted that kiters can be at lowers IF no windsurfers are out and the surfers are off the water and it's after 11:00am. I know what the rules say but that is the accepted behavior. The only other place to get any waves is Lanes which is absolutely great when the wind isn't too easterly which means you can't go out a lot of the time. Oh yeah, and the launch sucks so bad (the scars on my legs will never heal) Of course when there is a contest all the windsurfers go to Lanes WITH the kiters and there isn't a fuss. I guess it is ok for them to sail with kiters but kiters can't kite with them. Nice huh.

Kiting isn't going away anytime soon folks (the future of windsurfing is certainly a little more suspect though), regardless. Better make friends and deal with it or you will only make yourself miserable.

[boggsman1]

Dear PZWinikis......Just like Sargeant Hulka said in the movie "Stripes", "LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS!".

[kevinkan]

[madspaniard]

and how come a windsurfer falling in the water, missing a jibe, or swimming back with the gear can be compared to a kiter dropping the kite? who's in danger when the windsurfer falls? Where is your rationale intellectually-big person?