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#1
11-27-2007, 01:22 PM
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Ride Stiltsville Miami Free
I know nothing is for free, but alot of people have friends who want to learn to kiteboard, but its a hassel. If you send your friend out to learn, you can come out and ride for free. I will let the video show you a bit more. I shot this flying in one day and ya know you just get spoiled when you have a good thing, so i didnt realize how nice of a thing we have going in Miami, until i watched it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFeBOul23c4 Aloha Paul Menta www.thekitehouse.com 
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#2
11-27-2007, 02:19 PM
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Great idea Paul! You wouldn’t believe how many "instructors" were flying kites in the parking lot at Matheson and "handing off" kites on our lengthy beach this weekend.
Teaching from a boat is greatly appreciated by those of us that enjoy kiting at locations like Matheson which is usually over run by lessons. As you know, I have been in the industry for longer than most. It surprises me every time I see someone that makes a living from this industry actually taking chances with our access. All of these guys are good people and fun to hang with, but most need to take a bit more care with the kiting environment so that we can all enjoy it for a long time. I hope that your lead will help other instructors in Miami to legitimize their operations. The days of undercover beach teaching are fast coming to an end. In the long run, I suspect that if these guys invested in their businesses as you have, that they would be able to provide excellent value to their students while at the same time charging a higher price. It takes tons of work to teach lessons; all of you instructors deserve to be properly compensated for your work. Good job Paul! Kent
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#3
11-28-2007, 10:49 AM
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Funny that i shouldnt get credit for doing something legal. Its always a quite subject, but there are so many illegal schools operating in Miami its insane. Its cost me quite a bit of money for all the things to keep it legal, what makes everyone else an exception? I am not allowed to teach at crandon[ on shore on the beach no thank you] and mathison. All these guys advertise but are not licenced by the city, permits, insurance , taxes. I have not mentioned who they are, but this is becoming a big problem. I understand all this will come to a head soon, would you start grilling hamburgers next to McDonalds and selling them off a portable grill..???? You would be shut down in 2 seconds.... So i will be called a jerk for bringing this up now, but who cares. I know Niel has his stuff legit, but who else, up and down is all llegal. Whats the deal?
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#4
11-28-2007, 11:40 AM
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Good job Paul, I am with you mate, everyone needs to be on the same page to keep it safe and fair. Cheers Neil
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#5
11-28-2007, 05:02 PM
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I know you probley feel the same about this Niel, but fair is not the word....i know your expenses are huge and for us to be legal and have boats and lic, pay tax and insurance and more costs so much. The others do buss illegal and take away from what could be earned. Its not competion, cant teach everyone, but when you follow the rules and pay for it and the ohters dont have too, i think there is something to be said about this and it is getting old. Fair competion is probley the word. Safe for sure, but how do you compete with people who teach for 1/2 of what you do cause they dont have to pay, report or have an expense?
Just wondering, as we added more boats this year and it costs, so ya gotta wonder why there are more illegal than legal businesses.
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#6
11-28-2007, 06:44 PM
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Take our spots back
It is time that the local riders take their spots back over. There is limited space already, and more kite bans looming. We can't let our only riding spots go the way of Virginia Key, just so some people can make a buck off our sport.
As a community we need to secure our spots so we can continue to enjoy kiting in Miami. If there is one incident at either Mathesson or Crandon we can lose both spots at once. If you watch the way the lessons are being given that incident may not be far off. Teaching in onshore winds, flying kites in the parking lot and using a suicide leash (or not even teaching them how to use the safety system) with our students is a recipe for disaster. When is the last time you saw anybody teaching the self rescue? As a school we do make money off of teaching, but this is not about closing down other schools. As Paul said, we can't possibly do all the lessons out there. What we need is greater responsibility from our schools. We do our best not to crowd local spots, and we don't bring our students into crowded obstacle-laced areas until they have the skills neccessary to handle these conditions. If others did the same, then as riders we would have more room to kite, and our spots would be safer. Believe me there is plenty of room for teaching, but it does take more effort (and money) to access it. I would be happy to help other instructors utilize these areas in an effort to keep our spots open. In memory of kiting the waves off of Virginia, we are offering local riders the option of coming on the boat to the sandbars off Virginia so we can kite the waves. Please contact us if you are interested. Let's be proactive before it is too late, Mike Minichiello kitehousemiami.com
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#8
11-29-2007, 02:32 PM
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i for one am very happy to have Miami Kiteboarding taking charge at Crandon. i think that it is nice to have some entity responsible for maintaining our access. this is a good example of someone doing it correctly. good on ya! vive le France! we love you man.
i think that the situation at matheson was acceptable when it was just Big Kite Miami. he always took his guys well off shore and seemed very responsible. as riders we all owe it to ourselves and others to let anyone know when they are f'ing up. they may be bummed at the time, but you never know... maybe your warning will help someone to avoid an injury at a later point in time. Kent Last edited by kent; 11-29-2007 at 03:52 PM.
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#9
11-30-2007, 07:35 AM
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Yes, good luck to Christophe for providing oversight at Crandon and thanks! The management has been angling for firm oversight of kiting activities by others for years. Voluntary compliance hasn't been that great of a success unfortunately, three bans or was it four?
It isn't a pleasant job keeping kiting numbers and behaviors in line per Park requirements but with hands on involvement and persistence you'll get it done. Thanks again for stepping up to keep things going there.
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#10
11-30-2007, 07:41 AM
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Not to pry, but in exchange for providing a learning experience well away from land, rideable in all wind directions, boat escorted downwinders, what are your costs like beyond what land based schools incur? It is a unique experience and as a rule there is no other way to get it without providing your own boat. This is a natural approach in the Keys, Biscayne Bay, wide waterways inside the barrier islands on both coasts. Where there are no sheltered waters it can be more difficult to run things offshore. Then again, Neil uses a waverunner to commonly do lessons in the open ocean off a narrow launch in Ft. Lauderdale with success.
Some things that come to mind: boat fuel insurance (a bunch of different types with separate premiums I would imagine) captain crew dockage maintenance registration occupational license captains license Must cost a packet. What am I leaving out? What other advantages do offshore training and sea taxi service provide? FKA, Inc. transcribed by: Rick Iossi
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