Ride Stiltsville Miami for Free

[The Kite House]

I know nothing is for free, but alot of people have friends who want to learn to kiteboard, but its a hassel. If you send your friend out to learn, you can come out and ride for free. I will let the video show you a bit more. I shot this flying in one day and ya know you just get spoiled when you have a good thing, so i didnt realize how nice of a thing we have going in Miami, until i watched it.


HFeBOul23c4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFeBOul23c4


Aloha

Paul Menta

www.thekitehouse.com

[kent]

Great idea Paul! You wouldn’t believe how many "instructors" were flying kites in the parking lot at Matheson and "handing off" kites on our lengthy beach this weekend.

Teaching from a boat is greatly appreciated by those of us that enjoy kiting at locations like Matheson which is usually over run by lessons. As you know, I have been in the industry for longer than most. It surprises me every time I see someone that makes a living from this industry actually taking chances with our access. All of these guys are good people and fun to hang with, but most need to take a bit more care with the kiting environment so that we can all enjoy it for a long time.

I hope that your lead will help other instructors in Miami to legitimize their operations. The days of undercover beach teaching are fast coming to an end.

In the long run, I suspect that if these guys invested in their businesses as you have, that they would be able to provide excellent value to their students while at the same time charging a higher price. It takes tons of work to teach lessons; all of you instructors deserve to be properly compensated for your work. Good job Paul!

Kent

[The Kite House]

Funny that i shouldnt get credit for doing something legal. Its always a quite subject, but there are so many illegal schools operating in Miami its insane. Its cost me quite a bit of money for all the things to keep it legal, what makes everyone else an exception? I am not allowed to teach at crandon[ on shore on the beach no thank you] and mathison. All these guys advertise but are not licenced by the city, permits, insurance , taxes. I have not mentioned who they are, but this is becoming a big problem. I understand all this will come to a head soon, would you start grilling hamburgers next to McDonalds and selling them off a portable grill..???? You would be shut down in 2 seconds.... So i will be called a jerk for bringing this up now, but who cares. I know Niel has his stuff legit, but who else, up and down is all llegal. Whats the deal?

[neil xrated]

Good job Paul, I am with you mate, everyone needs to be on the same page to keep it safe and fair. Cheers Neil

[The Kite House]

I know you probley feel the same about this Niel, but fair is not the word....i know your expenses are huge and for us to be legal and have boats and lic, pay tax and insurance and more costs so much. The others do buss illegal and take away from what could be earned. Its not competion, cant teach everyone, but when you follow the rules and pay for it and the ohters dont have too, i think there is something to be said about this and it is getting old. Fair competion is probley the word. Safe for sure, but how do you compete with people who teach for 1/2 of what you do cause they dont have to pay, report or have an expense?

Just wondering, as we added more boats this year and it costs, so ya gotta wonder why there are more illegal than legal businesses.

[clamike]

It is time that the local riders take their spots back over. There is limited space already, and more kite bans looming. We can't let our only riding spots go the way of Virginia Key, just so some people can make a buck off our sport.

As a community we need to secure our spots so we can continue to enjoy kiting in Miami. If there is one incident at either Mathesson or Crandon we can lose both spots at once. If you watch the way the lessons are being given that incident may not be far off. Teaching in onshore winds, flying kites in the parking lot and using a suicide leash (or not even teaching them how to use the safety system) with our students is a recipe for disaster. When is the last time you saw anybody teaching the self rescue?

As a school we do make money off of teaching, but this is not about closing down other schools. As Paul said, we can't possibly do all the lessons out there. What we need is greater responsibility from our schools. We do our best not to crowd local spots, and we don't bring our students into crowded obstacle-laced areas until they have the skills neccessary to handle these conditions. If others did the same, then as riders we would have more room to kite, and our spots would be safer. Believe me there is plenty of room for teaching, but it does take more effort (and money) to access it. I would be happy to help other instructors utilize these areas in an effort to keep our spots open.

In memory of kiting the waves off of Virginia, we are offering local riders the option of coming on the boat to the sandbars off Virginia so we can kite the waves. Please contact us if you are interested.

Let's be proactive before it is too late,

Mike Minichiello
kitehousemiami.com

[BigR]

In memory of kiting the waves off of Virginia,



:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( :(:(:(:(

[kent]

i for one am very happy to have Miami Kiteboarding taking charge at Crandon. i think that it is nice to have some entity responsible for maintaining our access. this is a good example of someone doing it correctly. good on ya! vive le France! we love you man.

i think that the situation at matheson was acceptable when it was just Big Kite Miami. he always took his guys well off shore and seemed very responsible. as riders we all owe it to ourselves and others to let anyone know when they are f'ing up. they may be bummed at the time, but you never know... maybe your warning will help someone to avoid an injury at a later point in time.

Kent

[admin]

Yes, good luck to Christophe for providing oversight at Crandon and thanks! The management has been angling for firm oversight of kiting activities by others for years. Voluntary compliance hasn't been that great of a success unfortunately, three bans or was it four?

It isn't a pleasant job keeping kiting numbers and behaviors in line per Park requirements but with hands on involvement and persistence you'll get it done. Thanks again for stepping up to keep things going there.

[admin]

Not to pry, but in exchange for providing a learning experience well away from land, rideable in all wind directions, boat escorted downwinders, what are your costs like beyond what land based schools incur? It is a unique experience and as a rule there is no other way to get it without providing your own boat. This is a natural approach in the Keys, Biscayne Bay, wide waterways inside the barrier islands on both coasts. Where there are no sheltered waters it can be more difficult to run things offshore. Then again, Neil uses a waverunner to commonly do lessons in the open ocean off a narrow launch in Ft. Lauderdale with success.

Some things that come to mind:

boat
fuel
insurance (a bunch of different types with separate premiums I would imagine)
captain
crew
dockage
maintenance
registration
occupational license
captains license

Must cost a packet. What am I leaving out?


What other advantages do offshore training and sea taxi service provide?

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

[Skyway Scott]

I am curious as well.
It's obvious the fees and time dedication to be on the up-and-up are very high. Getting a Captain's license to properly run a passenger for hire operation, such as the Stiltsville, is a tedious and moderately costly process.
I know because I am in process right now with the Coast Guard.
I can't imagine what dockage fees must be in the Keys, they are already crazy here.

I have heard a few of you guys mention city permits and other hoops you have to jump through to be legit as well. Is that just in the Keys you have to do that?
Or is this something instructors everywhere in FL have to do?

Is it technically not lawful to give kiting lessons without particular city permits?

[BigR]

each city is different on their own permits if needed. the bare minimum tho' is to be a licensed boat captain if you have people come aboard your vessel as a business. Also you have to register with the state as a business to get your tax ID number.

I know because I am in process right now with the Coast Guard.


hey scott, if you need to use a dock or lifts ( 1x electrical 1x manual ) you are welcome to use mine anytime, I won't even charge much more than a ckn sndwch LOL!

[The Kite House]

The law states you need to have a buss licence. If you pick up from anywhere, you must have the permision and it must be listed on you licence that you are a captian and 6 pack. Thats anywhere, and the costs in Miami and the keys are a fair amount, so thats why its tough when other people are teaching at half your price and paying nothing to do it. Its illegal, and it is only going to ruin what few riding spots are left. You will see, they tend to lump a whole sport in, with one thing. Look at Crandon, used to love riding there, now you need insurance[which i am not sure how valid it is] and other rules which are fine, but you have an outside contractor saying if you can kite there and makes money on you kiting there. As a rider, means most locals dont ride there anymore. I go by boat to ride those areas, then i am not under there jurisdiction. Mathison, will be next, but i see if they keep instructing there, you are just going to loose the whole spot. To clear up a point, i dont want to teach at either, Mathison scares me to teach there, find it horible that it goes on. Crandon, onshore, right to the bushes ro the swim area, to much liability for me. I am happy what i developed 5 years ago with going out to open area and leave the spots for riders. It would suck to loose more "riding " spots.

[Skyway Scott]

Whenever anyone asks about kiting and lessons in this area, I recommend Steve-O at WSW.
I have never seen Steve give a lesson.
Think about it. ;)

Thanks Raul. I have a backyard (no boat though :( ) LOL.

[E-Bone]

For what it is worth, I went out with Paul back on 12/19/03 or so with Eddie Toy and Jimbo Manning, back when Paul was getting things started down in Key West. We were in a much smaller boat than is being used now and I had just met Paul, so I was nervous about what I was getting into, especially when Paul was surfing that little-ass boat on the crazy waves going in every direction when we were exiting the harbor at Key West.

After we went out a few miles to some flats, however, and rigged and launched our kites in 2-3 feet of water, I relaxed and my entire perspective on kiting changed. We had butter flat water for miles all around in solid 20, with no crowds or obtacles nearby. The following session was amazingly devoid of any negatives, with all the positives kiting has to offer. We just ripped it up for hours on end. Even during heavy gusts, the lack of crowds or obstacles allowed me to enjoy the session without fear (and, yes, we were all on C kites, so that meant something back then).

I've been involved in this sport since 2001, but that late-2003 session remains one of my favorite kiteboarding experiences and epitomizes what I am looking for when I rig a kite, in terms of both conditions and camaraderie.

Boat-based kiting is not just for beginners. Every kiter who wants to know what it feels like to kite away from all of the bullsh*t that now seems to accompany all of the popular riding spots where everyone launches on land, give it a try.

Make the effort to go out by boat with a knowledgeable guide and you will not be disappointed. It will open your eyes to the boat-based kiteboarding opportunities here in Florida, which are presently hidden right under your noses. You won't look at kiteboarding the same way after you charge on a boat, I promise.

[clamike]

You are right E-bone it is a whole new world with a boat, I love being able to ride miles in each directions with no worries about crowds or obstacles. But it is also nice to go to a beach and get a quick session in. Though it seems like it is getting harder to find space with so many lessons going on in the prime riding spots.

All the nice shallow glassy areas in Crandon and Matheson have students flying their kite at 12, or doing wild downwinders towards shore. Crandon is slightly more regulated, but that makes it more centered around the school than the rider. Local riders are pushed out to deeper choppier water. And it is only a matter of time before a student starts looping his/her kite towards shore with the instructor trying to chase behind on foot.

You are right that it cost more to have a boat or jetski to do lessons, but the quality of the lesson improves with these tools. Land lessons should be cheaper because the students spends most the time walking back upwind (again, usually right through the riding area). With a boat people fly their kite almost the entire lesson, almost no walking.

As a licensed business one of the biggest expenses is taxes (as any legit business owner would know). It is disappointing to know that my tax dollars go to the parks where people are operating illegally or operating an uncontested concession.

Ultimately if, or when, the parks close to kiting we will be fine, still kiting offshore. It probably would increase our business. But that is not what we are after, instead it is keep as many riding spots open as possible and ask the local instructors to step up and do their part in helping keep kiting open in S. Florida. Don't contribute to the problem, be part of the solution. It will make your business even better.

Mike Minichiello

[CrazyJay]

Props to Paul, Neil and Randy (our local) for doing lessons legally and safely.
This will only help establish Kitesurfing as a LEGITAMATE sport.

I own a company and work in the trades and since 2003 it has been very expensive and time consuming to keep a valid license. It cost me nearly $5000 per year for license and insurance but it has greatly reduced the "fly by night" handymen who do shoddy work and give us a bad name. Every professional tradesman I work with is in agreement... If we catch someone working a job without a license then we turn them in immediately.

I think you are completely within your rights to report anyone who teaches consistently without a county/city license and liability insurance. It only takes one bad apple to ruin it for the rest of us.

Cheers, jayson