Access threatened at Crandon Park

[ricki]

Work to preserve kiting access at Crandon, screwing around against the rules may be about to end, one way or the other. Why not keep things flying there, your help is needed in this.




More info about the clinic at
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/F...id=50mm1IlcHe8


Rules circulated by email from MKB recently:


"URGENT = Crandon Kitesurfing Rules Updates !

Dear kiteboarding members,

As you could see, this season we stepped up to the next level of rules reinforcement and accident prevention along with the park authorities :
more beach marshals, jet ski rescue, ATV patrolling.

We have been clearly reminded that Crandon Members/Riders will have to abide by the Zero tolerance rule or face expulsion from the Park .

Mark Richard, the manager, has been pretty straight forward in the last few days in applying the "Zero Tolerance "policy, and many had to "pack up and leave".

Therefore we want to make sure you are well aware of the most important rules emphasized by the park authorities, so there are no bad surprises next windy day and everyone can enjoy kitesurfing at this great venue while cooperating with the park rangers.

Main Rules :

1- Members can only kitesurf DURING the Lifeguards Hours of Operation : 9.15 am to 4.45pm and when lifeguards are present in tower #1.
Note : the parking lot must be EMPTY at sunset for gate closure : MKB beach safety will display a black flag on the beach tower #2 and 5 hornblasts to inform riders 30 in before Sunset.
Be aware that Park Security will issue tickets to cars after hours !

2- IN / OUT Box ( corridor) is for water entry and exit only - No Riding, Jumping, tacking by the shoreline, in the box. This is a very important safety measure to protect from lines crossing and mishap near shore.
Note: we added 2 more buoys to better delimitate the corridor boundaries.
Give our beach marshals a break: launch and go ride offshore !.. Things have changed , showing off near shore is not cool anymore, and it has proven to be costly to our sport ( ie: Hobie beach ban )

3- When out of the box, stay away from red buoys and 300ft minimum from shore AT ALL TIMES. The Motto is : Go Ride ,Come back when you are done !

4- Any kiteboarder drifting or kiting within the 300 ft NO-KITE zone, will be ejected for the day. Period.
Note: do not let the kite drag you into the No-kite swim zones and even worst : drift to the beach, or stand on the beach with your kite up ! it's a hazard for beach goers and swimmers.Plus you really draw the attention and get spotted immediately. This is the most upsetting scenario for the park rangers and it's a guaranteed expulsion !

Instead, use your Safety system to kill the kite, and wrap up the lines until you grab your kite in hand , as per the rules you signed and the Self Rescue procedures that any level 3 kiteboarder should know .

5- Do not even approach the Sandbars in front of lifeguard tower #1. This is strictly a NO-KITE Zone. Stay 300m away from MKB lessons and any children seagrass field trips !

6- Any kite equipment or personal belonging placed in the dunes, or in the north preserve area will be confiscated by park Rangers.

If we can all keep up with these MAIN rules, then we ensure Crandon stays open to kiteboarders for many years to come. Failure to do so and we may face temporarily closure from time to time.

We are doing our best, but can't make it 100% Rules-proof without your participation. We are all sharing this privileged spot together. Act Responsibly and use peer pressure to make it better .

Thank you for your consideration,

Miamikiteboarding team "