Hawaii Kite/Windsurfing Ban - Deferred, but for how long?

[RbGar]

you all see this?

Report Title:

Ocean Recreation; Sailboards



Description:

Prohibits operators of sailboards from approaching within 200 feet of a swimmer or surfer in the ocean.

THE SENATE
S.B. NO.
2091

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO SAILBOARDS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:


SECTION 1. The legislature finds that surfers and swimmers using Hawaii's oceans for recreation face a danger from operators of sailboards and kiteboards. Sailboarders and kiteboarders often operate their craft at high speeds in areas crowded with surfers and swimmers. Kiteboards and sailboards are much heavier and faster and could cause serious injury if they were to collide with a swimmer or surfer. The purpose of this Act is to ensure water safety by prohibiting the operator of a sailboard or kiteboard from approaching within two hundred feet of a swimmer or surfer in the water.

SECTION 2. Chapter 200, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§200- Operation of sailboards and kiteboards. No person shall operate a sailboard or kiteboard within two hundred feet of another person swimming or using a surfboard within the waters of the State.

For the purposes of this section, "sailboard or kiteboard" means any type of board that is propelled by a detachable sail or kite apparatus.

For the purposes of this section, "surfboard" means any type of board that is used for the sport of surf-riding and includes boards commonly known as "body boards"."

SECTION 3. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun, before its effective date.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.



INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________

[ricki]

This is a VERY bad move for us. If we had kept away from bystanders/surfers this wouldn't have been forced down our throats at the 11th hour out of nowhere.


We should have until 9 pm tonight Please send in your objection per the following:

SBC Kiteboard came up with the following. Sounds good to me.

Originally Posted by sbckiteboard

The STATE of HAWAII is proposing a bill will kill kiteboarding and could shut down riding from our beaches, private land or public!

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessio...ls/SB2091_.htm

Please write a simple e-mail stating you do not agree with this and send it to: Committee on Water & Land <testimony@capitol.hawaii.gov>
Please indicate to which committee the testimony is being submitted and the date and time of the hearing. Email sent to individual offices or any other Senate office will not be accepted.

COMMITTEE ON WATER AND LAND
DATE:
Friday, February 15, 2008
TIME:
2:45 p.m.

MUST BE SUBMITTED BEFORE 2.45 TODAY!

John Bryja
Editor
SBC Kiteboard magazine
http://www.sbckiteboard.com

[ricki]

Just sent my letter out to as testimony (real important) to:

testimony@capitol.hawaii.gov

and for good measure individually to all members of the senate
Water and Land Committee including:

Senator Clayton Hee
Chair - senhee@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Russell S. Kokubun
Vice-Chair - senkokubun@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Carol Fukunaga - senfukunaga@Capitol.hawaii.gov@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Jill N. Tokuda - sentokuda@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Paul Whalen - senwhalen@Capitol.hawaii.gov


I sent it with the subject line: OPPOSITION TO S.B. #2091 - Ocean Recreation; Sailboards




The letter, (so it's wordy, do a shorter one):

Senator Clayton Hee:

I am shocked that this bill has been proposed to heavily restrict and virtually ban both windsurfing and kiteboarding in Hawaii. Hawaii has been globally recognized as the prime destination for both windsurfing and kiteboarding for a very long time. Both sports were either started or in large measure developed and expanded through the marvelous ocean environment and culture of strong watermanship bound to your islands.

I have visited Hawaii on multiple occasions as have numerous friends. Our primary reason for these visits often several weeks to months in duration was to practice windsurfing and kiteboarding. Substantial revenues were earned by numerous Hawaiian businesses in these visits. If Hawaii legislates against these sports, ironically against global activities largely born and nurtured in these islands, many avid tourists some who vacation in Hawaii several times per year will have to travel elsewhere. This decision would not be voluntary but would be forced upon them by the Hawaiian Legislature in an ironic twist. Numerous Hawaiian businesses dependent upon windsurfing and kiteboarding will also suffer and may fail as a consequence of this measure if passed.

Kiteboarding can coexist with other water activities. Hawaii has a rich and long tradition of surfing, fishing, swimming, canoeing and more. These activities can be reconciled with windsurfing and kiteboarding through effective management. Such management has been successfully called upon to reconcile surfing, fishing, swimming and canoeing through responsible practices hundreds of times across the globe. Good management can improve the safety at which many things are practiced from automobile and aircraft operation to even the practice of windsurfing and kiteboarding. Does government exist to serve the people or to harm commerce, livelihoods and beneficial tourism?

I strongly request that you not support this bill which will not only cost Hawaii well deserved tourist and retail revenues but also potentially destroy a decades long global reputation as a primary birthplace of windsurfing and kiteboarding.

Sincerely,



PLEASE send those letters out, not so many hours left before the deadline. 9:45 pm EST, 3:45 pm PST, or 2:45 pm in Hawaii, TODAY!

[ricki]

It is very important that Hawaiian residents on here send in testimony emails. I think your thoughts will count even more than that of us visitors. I am concerned about not only what this may do to riding in Hawaii but the serious negative precident it may offer to other areas. Please make your feelings known to the legislature.

Requiring a 200 ft. offset if strictly enforced could end windsurfing and kiting in many areas in Hawaii. This is not a bogus threat, it is serious.

[500EPILOT]

Rick, you repeated Sen Kokubun's email, what is email for Sen Fukunaga? Guessing it's senfukunaga@, but what to make sure.

JP

[ricki]

Originally Posted by 500EPILOT

Rick, you repeated Sen Kokubun's email, what is email for Sen Fukunaga? Guessing it's senfukunaga@, but what to make sure.

JP

Thanks for catching that JP. It's fixed now.

[robertovillate]

letter sent earlier today.

So important to stay abreast of these things because it's harder to undo a bad law than to create one. The sooner and louder people respond (intelligently and respectfully) to this stuff the better.

Many laws get adopted from one town, city, state,
to another. Many of these well meaning politicians may not understand the sport from our perspective and that's a huge problem. We pay for them to make the laws..and then pay someone else to unmake them.


slightly off topic but if they (our govt) are so interested in saving lives why is smoking legal (kills millions every year), and how do they justify spending millions of $ on hassling Roger Clemens over HGH usage? It's a crazy world.

[ricki]

This just in from Alex on Oahu:

Originally Posted by tautologies

This just in...

GOOD NEWS>>>BIILL DEFERRED.


We need to get organized for the second round of this.

Lets meet at Kiteoahu.com and get some more info....

Alex

http://kiteoahu.com/

[stauter]

Letter sent.

Are the major players in both sports aware of this? I would assume they use Hawaiian Waters to do their R&D. Could be a big blow to them if this passes.

[ricki]

There may well be a round two in this thing. Unlike this time where it was hurried into place without much public notice, next time should come in clear view, I hope. The interests in windsurfing and kiteboarding should be prepared and ready to deal with this thing prior to the next vote.