Downwinders & Losing Access

[ricki]

Kiters like downwinders, a lot. I largely gave up on them once four line kites came out and staying upwind and doing round winders became feasible. Still, many riders do them all the time.

The trick is to have fun, great sessions while not trashing access for yourself and everyone else at the same time. The good news is this is usually easy, if you try.

- If there are lifeguard stands on the beach, you need to stay at least 100 yards from shore.

- If there is a fishing pier present, you need to stay at least 100 yards away from that too.

- Be courteous, show respect for others and avoid complaints wherever you ride.





If most of us did this simple things there would likely be few threats to access. It is up to us, the kite community to effectively spread this among ourselves and riders at large. Ignore it and you may well lose some riding areas, it has happened too many times already.

If the wind is light, you are rigged too small, on too small a board, waves are large, etc., etc. getting out and staying out may be a problem. Even working 100 yards beyond a pier can be a problem. Still, we have to do just that OR don't ride there in the first place. You have to use your head to kite, understand conditions, what works and what doesn't. It isn't golf, you need to know what you are about, so please do it.

State law makes the distance 100 yards from fishing piers and jettys. Usually, it is written on the pier. Here's something else to think about, some fishermen have "kiter fishing rigs." That is a setup of weights and a gang of hooks to try to cast out to and snag kiters. I have heard of snagging incidents from Dania up to Ft. Pierce over the years. Use your head and stay clear, work to keep kiting going at Deerfield and everywhere else.





ALSO, lets say there is an out of bounds, lifeguarded area just to the north of your riding area and the wind is light, onshore, from the south, there are waves on, your kite and/or board are too small. You may not be able to avoid the out of bounds area. What to do? DON"T do it, ride somewhere else, get larger gear, whatever it takes just don't keep trashing our access. New kiters make this mistake a lot, take care of your access and work to educate them. Please talk to guys at your launch about this.

I have heard complaints from authorities at many beaches in SE Florida. We need to fix this situation.





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