Lassing, police
 

Well, tonight rocked and was fun. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/obhistory/KSPG.html

Unfortunately the police showed up.

I don't know the specifics as to why, since I didn't talk to the cop (I was riding). But, beware in the future at Lassing.
I have a gut feeling that second and third times won't be as "nice" as the first warning, if that even happens.
Hopefully the cops won't show again, but I think one of the neighbors there sort of has it in for us. (the one with the yard/search light that lit up frickin' half of the park). That light isn't usually on. I have a gut feeling that is who called it in and that they activated the light due to us being there.

I think the best we can do is stay as far north as possible (away from that house) in terms of parking/rigging and not make a bunch of noise.

Awww Man, I have group lessons booked there every night next week...:(
So, are you guys going to lay off the night riding over there before, or after you draw more police activity and pissed off neighbors? (The rest of us are hoping its before):mad:
I heard the Skyway's much better at night,fewer kite-eating powerlines and trees over there too,brah...;)
Continued ACCESS ROCKS!

I've been night riding there for years, so I don't really plan on stopping now.
The wind is pretty much mostly at night and from the east this time of year and Lassing is glass flat.
I guess we will see what happens next time and play it by ear.

If the cops show again, I guess it's over.
That's the first time I have ever seen a cop out there. I think I have at least 50 night sessions in at Lassing.
I don't really get why they showed up.

Did some one speak to the police? A kiter? It would be helpful to know what the nature of the problem is and if they are going to claim to be enforcing some type of ordinance. I'm sorry I missed a night ride. It just didn't look like it was happening with enough certainty to justify the fuel to get there. Last night ride at Lassing.... priceless

the cop seemed pretty cool, she acted like it was completely stupid that she was telling us to leave... basically just doing her job even though she didnt agree with it....
and bobo, she was pretty clear that it was just one bothered resident who called the cops, everyone else out there loves us.....
as scott said it was probably the resident with the, literally, 50 million candle power flood light giving anyone at the park a sunburn :)

fwiw I've been out there a few times when the cops showed up. In those cases it was either because of people chatting on the side of the street late at night, or a home owner complaining because they detected the odor of pot coming from the park ... when I got there everyone except for a couple of people were coming in from riding so I don't think noise was the problem.

Wind blowing towards houses, use some common sense people.

I can't be 100% confident why the cop showed up, but think it is probably one resident that called it in. It's just a gut feeling based on a few circumstantial coincidences. Mainly that the spotlight is never on (I couldn't see jack cuz that thing was blinding me) and that the cop came up to our cars right in front of that house. The only reason I parked there (and Danny did too) was because the "normal" spot I park had a two newbies attempting to drag/hurt themselves with a 3m trainer in it and I didn't want them dragging into my kite will rigging it.

Continued access does rock, that's why I hopped on and offered some advice about where to park/rig and noise at Lassing if there at night. Not night riding there, well... that's sort of not continued access and not even an option for me, unless the cops tell me that is the case.
If they do say that, it will not impact kiting there at normal hours.
Why would it? Technically the park closes at sun set, so the cop was enforcing a public law against the public, not kiters for endangering people through kiting or similar.

Anyway, I hopped on initially just to say try to stay north. I think it's a good idea to stay away from that house on the corner of 20th, if my hunch is right.

It's a good idea to park further down after dropping off your gear (or on the side street), and rigging near the water instead of near the road. If they can't see or hear you there will be nothing to complain about.

So I've never rode Lassing, but I've seen it on google maps and read you all goin there for NP for a while. It would be a convenient place for me to go in the evenings after work. From the looks on google maps, it looks to be rideable on the same winds as the Skyway. Also, with it being pushed back inland as compared to the landmass of downtown, are there any concerns with the northern landmass downtown affecting the quality of a north wind at Lassing? I may be way off, but just want a horse's mouth wind recommendation for when I do finally get out there.
Also, you guys doing NPs, how much light do you have out there? I can see on a full moon, but what about lesser moon phases? I think I'm still to noobish to try a night ride, but figured this would be the right thread to throw my questions that I've had for a while out there

Lassing only really works on NE to SE, imo. Basically what you reasoned from Google.

It's best to have a glo stick on your board and somewhere on yourself so that others can see you. There are other places to ride at night as well on Easts. I am not going to post them for obvious reasons.

Really NE to ESE... once it goes SE it gets really gusty, NNE or SSE forget it.

Is parking on the street the issue at LP or is it being in the park after hours?

in the park after dark is the issue....

Exactly.
A ban on kiting there would not be night-time only either, that was my point.
The people complaining over there probably hate the day time kiters too, but can't bitch about it too much during regular park hours. Why give them any ammo?
I happen to like night riding too, BTW.
Advertising how cool it is is what I don't like.

Simple solution to the Lassing issue= ride somewhere else at night. Somewhere you can hoot and holler all night. (Skyway, 10 penny, etc.)
Just watch out for the sharks, and the trolls who are fly fishing for trouser trout...:confused:

Night riding is lame and Kiteboarding is for kooks.

How did this even remotely turn into a BAN ON KITING 24/7 (in bold) topic?

We were asked to leave the park due to a law that applies to all people, regardless of what they are doing, after dark. It was most likely one neighbor that asked a cop to enforce this law. From what I heard, the cop thought it was pretty lame that she was there enforcing it. If she had said - "You guys need to get the hell out of here and stay out!" This post would have advised against riding Lassing at night. That's not what happened. Until we are asked to leave again for riding at night, I will continue to ride there.
I don't think it will happen if we stay north, away from that one resident.
It's the entire reason I posted was to warn people to stay away from that one house and lessen our odds of being asked to leave at night, again.
In my mind, the fact I have never seen a cop out there but once means most residents don't care and don't view us as a problem (seems rational to draw that conclusion).
My other conclusion is that a resident that takes the time to install a light powerful enough to light up the whole park is the type that doesn't want people there at night. I parked in front of the house with those lights for the first time ever the other night and a problem occurred.
Seems to me... 50 times park one spot with no problems.. then switch parking spots to house with HUGE light mounted, light comes on, cop shows up ten minutes later, is a VERY large coincidence. So large that it makes sense to assume the guy with the light called us in.
If we avoid parking in front of that house, maybe it won't happen again. If it does, I guess we are shi.t outta' luck and I will ride at some place others than those you recommended, Steve. I won't post their location.

Some facts (to avoid hysteria, here):
I haven't ever seen a cop out there at Lassing prior to the other night in 7 years of riding there at night.
I have talked to dozens (maybe up to 100) interested passers-by and residents who love watching us over the years.
No cop or neighbor has ever expressed concern about kiting in the park during the day.

If I go to Lassing tonight at 11pm to play frisbee with my buds and get kicked out, the cops will write down my tag and see if I show again. Then if I do show again, they may give me a ticket or penalize me accordingly. They won't show up the next day and kick some other guy out of the park for playing frisbee. :confused:
I am pretty confident the same logic applies to kiters. So no worries, if I get a $100 fine for being in the park after sunset, I somehow don't think you will be asked to stop giving lessons in the park in the future.

Before we jump to full blown kiting ban conversations about Lassing, I recommend we avoid parking in front of that one house and see what happens.

Yo!

before anyone gets their panites in a wad...let me do some looking into this..

my girlfriend is very good friends w/ 2 families that live there at Lassing Park and I will give them a call to get the REAL scoop and see whats going on.

I know that they have both told me previously that they love to watch us kite out there..

I assume that this is just a one-house issue and nothing to worry about.

Tho if there is a specific rule that park is closed after dark I think they would win that argument.

I'll get ahold of our friends and see what I can find out.

Word of warning
 

Just a heads up, I rode into Lassing during the race, obviously I wasn't really racing, and nearly ran over an 8 foot bull shark. The cops would be the least of my worries at night. By the way is the sailboat still stuck on the sandbar?

oh that sounds pleasant...

was shark inside or outside of the sandbar?


funny note on that sailboat.

for the last couple years it has been moored next to the boat that Dan and I own in the marina just south of the Pier. apparently the story is that someone bought it and was going to sail it to the bahamas ...

and he made it as far as Lassing.

oops.

Bull sharks often come way inshore during the spring to pup lill ones.

I saw my first 9 footer almost exactly this time a year ago in the shallows on the other side of the bay. I had also accidently run/ jumped over him/her B4 I finally saw it.......

The shark was right near the sailboat. I was going to check the boat out and I guess he was guarding it. Funny thing is we both went to check each other out (from a distance I thought it was probably a ray) and both scared each other away.

I jumped way high over the one in east tampa bay, all bull , zero ray

Maybe next time he should bring a mast!

Great job guys!

here is the response i got.. hopefully he can ask around and get some more specific info..

for now, for after hours, I would definitely go further north and rig.. and be very mindful of noise level.

I have heard some complaints about noise from the boarders at night. I assume that means well after dark but I've not heard anything about it lately.
There are lots of people using the park in the early evening walking dogs or playing with family. I don't imagine they would have any complaints.
No one sets up their equipment down at our end of the park in the evening so we don't have any noise at all.
As you mention there is a ten o'clock out of the park curfew that I think originally was established because of drug dealing but it usually isn't enforced now days.
I know some folks who live in the area where the boarders congregate I will ask if they know anything about neighbors complaints.
I will let you know what I find out.

Bryan,

Thanks for asking around a little. I know a few people that live there too. They pretty much love watching us ride. A few even set up lawn chairs.
Is it a 10 pm curfew to get out of the park or a 10 pm no parking law?

Until the other night I thought it was a 10 pm curfew on being in the park, because it doesn't make sense to me to be able to park at the park, but not be able to use it. (?).
But, I may have been wrong. I need to look around to see if there is a sign saying get out by sun set. If there is, I never saw it.

If there is a 10 pm curfew as opposed to sunset curfew I am really confused, because I don't think we were making any noise whatsoever and can't figure out what we were doing at all to warrant a cop showing up. I am pretty sure she showed at 9pm, it may have been 9:15.

I guess we will figure this out for sure the next night ride. I still plan on going out as usual, until I get kicked out again.
Not to be an as.s about it or invite getting kicked out, but because I think that was a rare event that one night.
I do think, like we have said, it'd be best to avoid the house on 20th, just to be safe.

If we actually do get kicked out the next night ride, it will be too bad that we do and can't continue to ride there at night. We don't make much noise out there and in some ways I think we serve as semi-watch dogs for anything unlawful in the park when we are out there.
I know if I lived across the street, I would feel better knowing there were 4 to 6 guys in the park (law abiding citizens).
We rarely make noise once the sun goes down, especially when we get close to the people's houses to de-rig. At least not nights I have seen.

Oh well, we will see what happens.
Thanks for asking around a little.

All city parks close at dusk! But good news is we can ride during the day!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Share the stoke!

Funny stuff.

huh?

This guy just got released from Sing Sing this past week.

They were gonna' keep him for a few more years, but he was let go early for good conduct. Night kiting is a serious crime, and as such, participation in the activity should be given serious consideration prior to possibly being caught in the act and being forced to pay your debt to society.