Site Visitors - How About Speaking to the Locals First?

[foilonfoil]

1. The guy from London, UK who did not bother to read the signs or talk to locals about rules for Long beach, CA, USA. Wanted to pick a fight with a County Life Guard and subsequently got kicked off the beach. Yes unfortunately LA County Life Guards do have power given they are an extension of the Fire Department. Remember "Baywatch".... Same county lifeguards with lots of nice toys to play with but swimsuits not as revealing.

2. The "racer" who turned up at Hood River, OR, USA with his racing foil kite and board. Did not bother to check out how deep the water was West of the sandbar at the event site. A very gusty day, launched and lost his foil kite on the sandbar while also grounding his foil board on the rocks. A simple conversation with locals would have clarified the George is not nice to light weight foil kites and you should really drag out West past the white buoy close to shore.

Why can't visitors talk to locals? After all, it is our regular sites you are jeopardizing??

[alamos_kiter]

Nowhere in the manual of my kite and board it says "use your brain". So why should I?

[JBZ]

HA! that's funny. I always...always ask locals (if there are any) about their spots anytime I ride somewhere new.
I was in Corpus recently riding in a spot I had never been and asked one of the locals about the area. he was shocked. he said no one has ever done that there. all the Kooks from out of town come and do stupid shit while all these locals are around...never asking.
I don't understand. etiquette doesn't seem to exist these day. it really bugs me, at my local spot a lot of noobies cant even seem to figure out who has right of way (starboard or port) all the while damn near crashing.

[Jonpnw]

We can't get spectators to read the signs either in Hood River. There are nice beaches for families and yet they like to set up camp at kitebeach.

[Do-it]

Who does have the right of way???? Isn't crowded enough to give a shit around here.

[JBZ]

Who does have the right of way???? Isn't crowded enough to give a shit around here.

starboard, of course that is if your on the same tach path. another thing that bugs me is when your passing someone and they are up wind and they have they're kite low, or visa versa, if they're down wind and have their kite high. but maybe I just get irritated easy...I just try to be respectful that's all. I've seen kite lines cross and the outcome was not good. its kinda like when you skip a rock across the water. but that was back in the day when there were not quick releases on CL's so your on for the ride until...

[LiquidXtasy]

1. The guy from London, UK who did not bother to read the signs or talk to locals about rules for Long beach, CA, USA. Wanted to pick a fight with a County Life Guard and subsequently got kicked off the beach. Yes unfortunately LA County Life Guards do have power given they are an extension of the Fire Department. Remember "Baywatch".... Same county lifeguards with lots of nice toys to play with but swimsuits not as revealing.

2. The "racer" who turned up at Hood River, OR, USA with his racing foil kite and board. Did not bother to check out how deep the water was West of the sandbar at the event site. A very gusty day, launched and lost his foil kite on the sandbar while also grounding his foil board on the rocks. A simple conversation with locals would have clarified the George is not nice to light weight foil kites and you should really drag out West past the white buoy close to shore.

Why can't visitors talk to locals? After all, it is our regular sites you are jeopardizing??

Man this must be a serious conversation since you are posting a video of pamela anderson

[saildawg]

There seems to be an agressive "f#ck you" attitude with some kiters and it gives all kiters a bad name. Unfortunately it leads to discussions of kite bans in multi use areas.
What ever happened to politeness and common sense?

[Coloradokiter]

Politeness and common sense has seemed to be thrown out these days. At my site we have a local verbal truce with the surfers so that we launch/land and kite about 300 yds down wind of them. Not a problem since we both have a great parking area. Well people visit and instead of asking locals what to do they just launch and kite right in the middle of the surfers. that makes a lot of crap come up for us locals to deal with. Visitors seem to just believe the wind is free and the hell with local access issues. Another site is somewhat remote and is getting crowded and the visitors stay there all day and shit and piss right next to their cars and after weeks it really stinks out there. Locals just come and session and go so not an issue.

These days I just see a hell of a lot less politeness and common sense and a lot more "me"