another hobie day

ricki · #1 03-15-2010, 09:24 AM

I was thinking it would be good for a dozen local kiters to talk with the guy whoever he is. Maybe Neil knows the guy, looks like he was on a SS kite.

I know folks just want to kite and probably don't want to get involved. Still ... someone gets slashed by lines, someone's child, mother or as Patrick pointed out. Even more likely, who wants to volunteer their car get get some major front end work, smashed windshield, hood with an inbound kiter? It's happened before.

Is there enough interest at Hobie, really all our launches wherever they may be in the State for a bunch of guys to stop what they are doing long enough to talk some sense to someone like this? If a guy was riding a dirt bike like this through your neighborhood, you would just let him do it? It isn't someone else's job, it's our job, like it or not. If you see something like this, you should want to get involved, if for no other reason than preservation of your ability to ride.

So, how about it, would people get involved or just blow it off?

Josh · #2 03-15-2010, 10:21 AM

I was at Hobie yesterday. Man, what an awesome day for kiting. After 3:00 we had 20+, sunny, and "warm" weather for the first time in a long long mediocre season here.

To everyone who was out on the sandbar yesterday, props. It was a blast riding out there with everyone pushing themselves in the huge flatwater paradise. I saw some insane stuff being thrown down out there, wow.

I'm not sure why anyone stayed near the shore? The wind was flukier, it wasn't as flat, and there wasn't any room to push yourself because if you missed the bar on a pass it would be in the trees immediately. Am I missing something?

greg meintjes · #3 03-15-2010, 10:54 AM

One of the things , I find really disturbing is that the guy is not even a beginner , so he can not even claim ignorance regarding his behaviour,he just could not care ,all he wanted to do was show off, there were also a lot of other riders that should not have been riding where they were from what I could see on the video. I think it is great that this video was posted so we can at least put faces to the guys that are going to ruin access at certain spots for us,I do not ride there,but a bad accident there can definately affect other launch sites.

Greg

neil xrated · #4 03-15-2010, 12:22 PM

FYI, this is "a". He does not ride for Slingshot, he is not from Ft. Lauderdale. He has been a rider for x ago, then y then z now nobody, I wonder why???????????

kent · #5 03-15-2010, 01:55 PM

Sorry Neil for calling out Ft. Lauderdale. I guess that the other guy was from around there. Not sure, but I'd bet that he got the heck scared out of him when he ditched his foil after nearly killing himself and at least 5 others. I hear that he's a pretty nice guy and is probably at home feeling stupid. As for "b", he's a good guy, but should know better. I hope he'll respect our riding area a bit more in the future. I know that you more than most have had to deal with riders like this when trying to preserve access. It's not easy.

Good seeing you in Tampa. As it stands, it looks like we would have been better off staying on this coast for the weekend!

cabdriver · #6 03-15-2010, 03:26 PM

I vote that we implement an IQ test for existing and new riders. The problems with "a" and "b" yesterday would have never happened because they would have never passed the test. Seriously, how many frickin' times do we have to write about this?

NO KITING INSIDE THE SWIM BUOYS AT HOBIE BEACH!!

This isn't even a locals issue, you shouldn't ride like that at any location. Props to Patrick for catching it on video. I watched both of those two cracking up 10 feet from the "beach" inside of an exposed sandbar no less... DUH. I drove down to see who died after "b"'s incident, but he had already packed up. Apparently he released his kite before "final" impact and miraculously, nobody was injured.

There were at least three lessons inside the swim buoys as well. That's brilliant too. The sad fact is that the other concessionaires at this location (windsurfing, catamarins, and SUP) have stuck their necks out for the kiters because they don't want regulation coming down on their sports if heavy regulation is imposed on the kiting. I somehow doubt that they will continue to support us after we continue to disregard any standard of safety at this spot, as well as to endanger their patrons.

greg meintjes · #7 03-15-2010, 04:38 PM

We have been fighting this sort of behaviour for years and nothing seems to stop it. It would be great if there was some way to get individuals who are reckless and a danger to the sport and the general public banned and not have the whole beach banned from kiting. Maybe if the locals at the trouble spots form a group / association and approach their respective town committees and get some sort of authority to call the law enforcement agencies who would then evict the rider from the location.

One problem with this would be to ensure that if there is a kite company that operates at a location, they do not abuse this system to shut out competitive brands and riders or that riders do not make personal attacks and try get someone band because they do not like them etc , one way to help avoid this would be the formation of an association or club for example "Hobie Kite Club"

As we get more kiters on the water we are going to get more new hotshots that want to be the big man on the water, and as much as we would love to just go kite and not worry about these problems, they are here and we need to put more effort in to preserve access.

Greg