IMPT. - LBTS Access

[ricki]

Many thanks to the seventeen folks that came out to the Lauderdale By-The-Sea (LBTS) commission meeting last night in support of kiting. We could sure use more people with your commitment and drive! I heard about it late that afternoon (thanks to Lia of Best!) and came in at around 8 pm as it was far down the agenda. We were first told the subject would be tabled for discussion until the next meeting after sitting there for several hours. Fortunately, it was brought up for discussion anyway at around 11 pm.

Concerns were expressed by the commissioners about several things including:

1. Kiteboarders launching, landing and riding too close to bystanders.
2. Unlicensed kiteboarding instruction (at Daman's?) without permits and in an unsafe manner.

The days of riding along the shore in and out of bathers, running kites over peoples heads should have stopped years ago. It definitely needs to stop now.

If the beach is too crowded to safely set up and ride, IT IS TOO CROWDED, go someplace else.

Students and new kiters usually lack proper kite control. They need to be well away from bystanders along with their instructors.

Instruction is a business, businesses need occupational permits, insurance, lesson plans are good too, etc.. Bottom line, without these things, there should be NO kiteboarding instruction in LBTS.

There was still more discussed but those are some of the high points. We have a month before the next Commission Meeting to come up with some viable solutions to the problem. We are planning a meeting of concerned kiteboarders to discuss issues and how to preserve access on the evening of Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Location to be announced here soon.

Input?

[Chefmini]

Rick, I am a new kiteboarder to the scene and did my second lesson there this past January. My first was up at Jupiter Kiteboarding. Decided to take a lesson that was close to home.
It was my first time at Damons Beach and was kind of suprised they could even give lessons there. The day I went the beach was packed with people. It was fairly light winds and about 6 other kiters. My biggest fear was losing control of the kite and crashing it on someone. worked on body dragging for an hour and called it a day. Those kind of learning conditions really made me lose my mojo to learn. Continued on to the flats of key west and Crandon where the learning curve helped me big time and the set up was much more in control. Also required to get IKO certification. There were no suprises and no crowds.
No disrespect to the crew at that beach but I agree they need to get some permits, and work on specific times for lessons and not just do it to make coin regardless of how crowded the beach is.
Would love to go to the next town meeting. Can you please post earlier when you know of the next one.
It would be a shame to lose access to that spot.

[ricki]

Any suggestions for a meeting place in the area for this coming Tuesday?

[Lia]

Perhaps we should do the meeting next Tuesday at Damon's on the beach so we can look at the location and make some plans as to sketch out a plan of the layout of the beach and rules for the proposal? Anyone against this as a meeting location? How about 7PM?

[ricki]

Originally Posted by Lia

Perhaps we should do the meeting next Tuesday at Damon's on the beach so we can look at the location and make some plans as to sketch out a plan of the layout of the beach and rules for the proposal? Anyone against this as a meeting location? How about 7PM?

Well Daman's certainly seems to be at the center of some of the issues. However kiting throughout the entire township is at risk. Is the management there willing to set aside a beach and ocean corridor for kiting? I recall they have a lot of beach traffic there although perhaps less than in some years past. How often is crowding at Damans not an issue when moderate winds are on? There are still issues around the pier, off the streets with parking to the south of the pier, parking lot to the north, etc.. The only place where there doesn't seem to be immediate issues is where some of the actual residents of LBTS live and ride, to the north and away from easy parking and beach access. It would be good to try to address riding practices with a few basic rules throughout the town if possible. Or, do you want to try to make Daman's a designated launch? Would a meeting with management of the resort be in line once we have our first general meeting about keeping kiting going throughout LBTS?

[Lia]

KIteboarders Unite!
Wednesday, May 6, 7 PM
Meeting at 13th Street, Pompano Tiki Bar Ocean Point

We are facing several issues about kiting and regulations at the city meetings along the coast of FL. Let's all get together and come up with a plan to keep kiteboarding safe and accessable in South Florida! See ya there!

[Gregg Brown]

Damon's is good for me; Tuesday I have a standing obligation at 7 PM; Wed. would be better but I'll make it Tues. if that's best for everyone else.

GreggB

[ricki]

Hello Gregg,

I originally suggested Tuesday, a week after the Commission Meeting. Lia clued me that is Cinco de Mayo. So we decided to move it to Wednesday, May 6, 2009. Sorry for the schedule conflict but there should be other opportunities. Also, the meeting location is close by, just a bit further north. It is the same place Surf Rider meets, the Tiki Bar at in Pompano.

So the meeting, really need a good turnout of concerned riders too is:


Meeting for Area Kiteboarders

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
7 pm at the Tiki Bar
Oceanpoint Resort
1208 N Ocean Blvd
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
(954) 782-5300

Map and Directions at:
http://tinyurl.com/d8xbnw


As access is under threat in several cities along in Southeast Florida, "Area Kiteboarders" could be a fairly large group. The focus of this meeting will be LBTS but we will also talk a little about trying to preserve access in other areas. If you love to ride and feel like working to maintain your privilege to continue to do so, this is a good time to weigh in and help out.

[Gregg Brown]

I've been kiting now for about a year, after windsurfing since 1980. I've lived in the area just west of LBTS and its one of my favorite sailing spots.

As a reference, the area immediately seaward of the beach bar at Damons is devoted to volley ball courts (2), so I doubt that south of the access path and Damons is feasible. On the other hand, in the past, the LBTS beach-patrol/rescue has requested that kiters stay to the north of the access path.

The beach area immediately north of the access path is dominated by a single condominium complex (Sea Ranch Club) with primarily seasonal visitors. In general, it seems (at least to me) that this beach area north of the access path is less crowded compared with the south. This is where most of the kiting in LBTS has taken place in recent times.

Perhaps if the Town would designate this area (either formally or informally) as a designated launch area then it would be easier to "self-regulate".

[ricki]

Click photo for full sized image of the area around Damon's Beach

Thanks for your input Gregg. I assumed the area north of that easement on to the beach and seaward of mean high water was a part of the Town of Sea Ranch Lakes. Just checked, it isn't but a part of LBTS. The area upland of mean high water is private property.

This can be a crowded, congested area. We can approach LBTS to see if this could be setup as a designated launch. We can ask, not sure how it will be received. It would be great if it could be a well managed concession to minimize problems. That would need to come from someone with an interest in setting up, bidding on and running a concession. They would enforce rules, no small task to avoid complaints and problems. He would need to look into the feasibility and legality of operating a waverunner to get students offshore for instruction. Shoreside instruction here even with permits doesn't seem to be feasible with crowding in that area.

I think some of the problems have been irresponsible people kiting among bathers, passing kites over peoples heads while too near shore, walking kites upwind through bystanders, instructing newbies illegally without permits and in crowds. Another problem is leaving kites and lines lying around instead of winding lines up and "parallel parking" kites in a smaller area away from the waterline. In congested areas, you need to get the gear out of the way of bystanders, emergency traffic, etc.. Obvious, stupid practices geared to cause us problems in short. Looks like they have succeeded.

The easiest solution, would be to craft some simple rules and allow the honor system to enforce them. i.e. don't launch if too crowded, get offshore beyond a 100 yards and stay there until time to come in. If you want to ride near shore, go someplace else less populated where this isn't perceived as a problem. In my experience, this doesn't work all that well in SE Florida as all too often people simply don't know the rules or don't give a damn. The goal is to stay off the radar and avoid complaints. Some of us ride this way routinely, there are others that do the opposite. If we pulled together more as a community and actively promoted this simple approach, we probably wouldn't have serious problems in most places.

Registration of kiters was proposed by the BSO four years ago. Offending kiters out of the lot would be logged in a database with two strikes and you're out being enforced. Made sense to me then and even now. Enforcement could be tricky but if it is the only way we can be allowed to kite in the town, so be it.

Some locals have proposed limiting registration to 25 individuals for the entire year. Riders would carry an issued kiting ID with residents being allowed early access. Again, doesn't sound bad but capping at 25 could easily result in very few riding off LBTS on a regular basis. I would think increasing the cap but maintaining reasonable enforcement of basic rules targeting at avoiding complaints might work. There is no real provision for tourists or out of town riders in this either necessarily.

It has been suggested by resident kiters to not allow kiting between 11 and 4 pm on weekends and holidays, peak user times, though out LBTS. Again, if the launch area is well run and/or if riders abide basic rules, the time limitations may not be necessary, IF the site isn't too crowded.

Another approach would be to designate a set of rules for the more densely populated and more readily publicly accessible area south of Sea Ranch Lakes alone. The less accessible areas further north don't seem to have a lot of complaints at this time.

A lot of this comes down to us, what we are willing and able to effectively enforce with other riders. Going hands off hasn't worked, we are being forced to make some changes, here and elsewhere.

Important rider meeting to discuss maintaining access

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
7 pm at the Tiki Bar
Oceanpoint Resort
1208 N Ocean Blvd
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
(954) 782-5300

Map and Directions at:
http://tinyurl.com/d8xbnw