SCOTT: I think you summed it up and I couldn't agree more with your most recent post. especially about the difference between the beach on a 50 degree day with 25knots wind vs. an 80 degree day during spring break. That was my point about east beach. Even on sunday which was a BEAUTIFUL day, i'm pretty sure i was the only one in the water other than the kiters. There was no risk to beachgoers even if people were riding close to shore. Each launch is different which makes it difficult to have a "general" rule of a certain number of yards, etc. In the fall when we were discussing rules for the signs, I think we agreed that not all the same rules should apply to the skyway vs. east beach vs. St. Pete Beach, etc.
WHITEY: I agree that there has been quite a bit of "rude" postings in lower case letters. However, it has been stressed to me in business that CAPITALIZING represents yelling in written communication. I felt like you jumped down my throat about suggesting that Al shed some light on rules of the road. Not necessarily having to do with boundaries. I know there are a lot of new people out there that don't know who has right of way when approaching, etc. I didn't mean to offend you and i was just letting you know that i was taken aback when i read the first line of your post. Ease down tiger.
LOL! Its all good.
EVERYONE: there are a lot of people that are VERY passionate about these issues. Tempers get fired up, people start whipping out the CAPITALIZATION (joke!) and fingers are pointed, people get defensive and we lose productivity. I don't agree that it is a popularity contest. I backed Bryan and Steve-o and Matt in my last post because i truly believe that all three of them have good intentions and truly care about what's going on in the world of kiting. Not every single one of us is going to lead by example every minute of every day. We need to remind people when they overlook things like swim buoys that its a hot issue right now and to steer clear, not accuse them of gross misconduct and absolute carelessness. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing... to be able to go out and enjoy a day of kiting at our local launches, right???