Collateral Damage on Cape Cod

[iceratz@comcast.net]

I have heard of Kiters trying to cite the Chapter 91 access law in Mass for rights to "fishing, fowling & navigation"

Windsurfers have succeeded here with Coast Guard approval of a windsurf board as a vessel and a floatation device not requiring PFD.

Kiters will never get that privilege due to the craft not supporting/floating riders when unable to sail powered....yet another reason they should be banned from public beaches..

[smann]

we almost lost access to a great spot down here in NJ...
( seaside heights)

Apparently a kiter let their lines cross a little girl in the front of a kayak , and then tightened and knocked her into the water.

as a result they wanted to ban all wind sports, and not allow beach access of any kind.

so far, after an open letter and some talks , it seems like they are willing to let people launch from there.

It really is unfortunate when one or two bad seeds or accidents cause such havok on what should be peacefull coexistance.

side note: a couple years ago a kiter yelled at me on the water that he was going to "beat me with a crow bar" if I didn't get out of his way. He kept jumping about 40 to 50 feet upwind , and would land in directly front of me, he had no clue he was going downwind the second his board came off the water. I don't blame kiting, I blame that dude!

later on the beach a couple other kiters came over to me and apologised for their "friends" beahaviour...


good luck

-=s

[bates]

Doesn't mean they are all bad apples, but some sports attract certain types of people. Kiteboarding is a great example

[jkrug]

the hatred some of you guys spew towards kiters makes me embarrassed to say i used to windsurf. of course there are dickheads that kite; there are also dickheads that windsurf. (anybody remember 'sailingjoe? he's on your team). we should be fighting these bans together, not fighting each other.

windsurfing can be dangerous to swimmers just as kiteboarding can be. so is driving a car down the street. the only difference is in the numbers; a great majority do not do our sports. let's face it, the general mentality of your average citizen these days (and some windsurfers here, too) is: if i don't like it, it should be banned. if i do like, it should be mandated. the stupidity of this 'logic' is obvious.

banning a sport is almost always an over-reaction for an otherwise simple fix. guys in kiting have gotten access at West Dennis and Chatham when it was threatened. working with the town to get rules/restrictions in place just makes sense. some will still ignore those rules, but let them get penalized, just as a dangerous driver does.

finally, i laughed a bit when i saw someone imply the Masskiting crew are the exceptions to these problems. c'mon guys, you caused the Chatham problems, and your travelling in large packs is what intimidates people. most of that crew ARE good guys, but please, keep it real.

[iceratz@comcast.net]

[inlandsea]

South Village Beach also has a kiting Ban on it and those that are teaching and riding there know it and have been asked to leave more than once.
The days of kiting at west Dennis are numbered.

All Hail the Carolina Skiff!
Hell i might start selling them!

Philip

[outcast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfq0bvVhQWw

[iceratz@comcast.net]

[jkrug]

[iceratz@comcast.net]