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kiteboarding has been cancelled

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Bawitdaba
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Re: kiteboarding has been cancelled

Postby Bawitdaba » Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:00 am

B-rad Lange wrote: No longer can you roll up in your humpty, take up a free parking spot, crack a beer from the cooler in your car, lay your lines out all over the place and cuss someone for getting in your way.
B-Rad

Regulate, save your spot from the kooks and the fakers my b-rother from another m-other.
What about people showing up with signs on their cars advertising kook lessons on your beach?
Are you showing them love or what?
Some people got no respect anymore.

Keep it real chill.

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Tom183
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Re: kiteboarding has been cancelled

Postby Tom183 » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:58 pm

B-rad Lange wrote:ok kiters...in an attempt to save one of the last great Florida Keys riding spots from absolute extinction, Seven Kiteboarding is turning its premier location at Whale Harbor Marina in Islamorada from a public to a PRIVATE LAUNCH EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

No longer can you roll up in your humpty, take up a free parking spot, crack a beer from the cooler in your car, lay your lines out all over the place and cuss someone for getting in your way.

From now on, you must apply for membership to ride from this private property. This is the world's first country club for kiteboarding...complete with a clubhouse at the new "Wahoos", jet ski support, discounted rental rates on gear and lessons (leave your gear at home) free use of kickers and sliders, and free parking and launching.

The Keys have incredible conditions with limited launches that have been seriously compromised in the last few years by knuckleheads that have that "I-own-the-place" attitude. Well...if you do own the place then you know how valuable it is to keep...Bahia Honda...no kiting, Long Key...no kiting... Anne's Beach (soon to be) no kiting...this reminds me of skateboarding!!! But there aint going to be a revolution down here...it has already happened...

In order to keep kiting on Windley Key and Upper Matecumbe's oceanside flats, it must be regulated much more than it has been. This is why we formed the club and went private.

IF YOU WANT TO KEEP KITING ANYWHERE...(exept freezing places) DON'T BE A DICK. CHILL OUT AND BE COOL. Because, as it is now kiteboarding is on its way to being cancelled and stuck up on the shelf with some other sports...

Information on how to join Seven's exclusive Kiteboarding Country Club will be posted soon. In the meantime, email info@sevenkiteboarding.com for more information...

For those of you who are bitching about this: it's a totally legitimate way to protect access for the people who don't abuse the privilege, and to BAN THE KOOKS/ASSHOLES!

Might have fewer bans if local beaches instituted a permit system or something like this before the numbers hit critical mass. Break the rules, lose your access (and the fee you paid for the permit). Refuse to take lessons first, no access.

It's great to have some spots where anyone can just show up and everyone shows respect for the beach and for other beachgoers and knows their limits. Unfortunately a lot of spots have been lost - possibly forever - because somebody abused the privilege.

It's a LOT harder to get access back (and usually the restrictions are extreme) than to avoid losing it in the first place.
Last edited by Tom183 on Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

pablitotff
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Postby pablitotff » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:08 pm

In the SF Bay area, there's a group organizing Beach Stewards, volunteer kiters who will try to discourage the type of actions that are getting kiting banned other places.

The people who think kiting is an "individual's sport" are the ones who need to buy a boat. Most people need/want help with launching and landing, and at most beaches if there's anyone else (non-kiters) around, it's unsafe not to have someone who knows what they are doing catch your kite.

Privatization is not the only way to keep kiting from getting banned. However, it is the method that people with money will use to accomplish this goal. The rest of us will have to (eventually) get together and get organized, stand up for our rights to use public resources just like everyone else. One of these days the kite manufacturers will realize this and start helping out ($). They need to add a line item to their marketing budgets.

Does anyone think snowmobiling would still be legal ANYWHERE on public land if the sled companies weren't funding pro-access groups?

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B-rad Lange
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Postby B-rad Lange » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:18 pm

many thanks to you all who understand that we just want to kite and this is how to keep it going...

ian c...the actions of one kiter already DO get placed on the group...so we have to be able to give the knuckle head the boot...(I take back the dumbass thing too)

bawitdaba...I try to show everyone love...it can be hard at times...I feel ya

and to Fo...Fo Fo Fo...dear Fo...I have to think you want to get a rise out of me...only my wife can do that...king? maybe...throne? if it floats...
kings ARE met with favor when they lead their people to victory!!! such a goal is always met with opposition...without an enimy there would be no war...

Tom and STF...thanks...

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B-rad Lange
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Postby B-rad Lange » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:24 pm

pablitotff wrote: Does anyone think snowmobiling would still be legal ANYWHERE on public land if the sled companies weren't funding pro-access groups?
Exactly!!! Jet Skis are starting to reclaim some access but I can promise you...it's not from your average jet skier...it's from Yamaha and SeaDoo. Any kite manufacturers have lawyers on payroll with instructions to open access yet???

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Tom183
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Postby Tom183 » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:29 pm

pablitotff wrote:Privatization is not the only way to keep kiting from getting banned. However, it is the method that people with money will use to accomplish this goal.
I think locals can privatize access by working with local authorities - the local beach here requires permits for horses on the beach, the concept for kitesurfers would be roughly the same: Sign something that says you agree to abide by all the rules and/or be a good citizen of the beach, pay an administrative fee, and you're good to go. Possibly also require a PASA card or something which demonstrates you at least have the basic skills (verified by a certified instructor) before you can qualify for a permit. Break the rules and your permit is cancelled, ride under suspension and you'll be fined.


If you think in terms of a "layered defense", the first line of defense is self-regulation - keep an eye out for newbs and help them out, give visitors information about local rules, etc. This works as long as the experienced riders outnumber the newbs/visitors, and the newbs/visitors actually listen to good advice and follow it.

The next layer is a permit system or something where riders A) accept liability, and B) agree (in writing) to follow rules and/or be good citizens of the beach. Local authorities should go for this because A) they're off the hook as far as liability goes, and B) they can withdraw access and/or fine riders for abusing the privilege. Even if some guys don't get the permits, they're likely to be on good behavior so that they don't get caught riding without one.

The last line of defense is laws and/or outright bans, neither of which is good for us.

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Postby fokiten » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:18 pm

well,

If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will see a wan-a-be despot volunteer to be your master.

Any enterprizing despot, therefore, will maintain among his peers a popular sense that they are quite helpless and ineffectual.

It's rather a quagmire, where the sticky business, creates the very flies to populate its newly found, (used to be yours, now its going to be all mine; Suprise!) sticky-paper,,,

The question is, are you really helpless and inefectual?

And who is stoked about fucking what, exactly??

Hmm,,,smile

fokiten

PS. I don't blame you for making this play Brad,,why not? we in general, be some dumb-ass mofos, that's for sure.

Props on the fully assisted water lessons though,,,a good start makes for a wiser newb...

robertovillate
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Postby robertovillate » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:57 pm

You really need to put this situation into perspective.

I have spent a lot of time in the keys, both sailing and kiting. Ironically, access to the water is very limited, even though you are virtually surrounded by water anywhere in the keys. I’ve launched from beaches in Key West, Bahia Honda, Anne’s Beach, Whale Harbor (7’s), and from boats on the flats all along the keys. I know the challenges of kiting here and appreciate the access issues as much as anyone.

Brad Lange has been a major pioneer of kiting in the keys and has been providing lessons, a shop, and good will down there for a long while. He has also spent a lot of his own money and energy creating a decent launch site for people and never charged them for it. So don’t come down on Brad, please.

The fact is that the property owners are the ones who want some money to cover the cost of maintaining it. I do not like paying a fee any more than anyone else…but it is actually reasonable to do so considering that this is private property (worth over$20 million) after all.

It is a shame that the “publicâ€

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Pike
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Postby Pike » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:43 pm

By the way, here in the UK we have had to start up clubs all over the coast as more and more sites are starting to close down and we are only a small island. ItIS the way forward to work with local authorities and keep regulated. Brad you claim to be the worlds first country club may be challenged by the guys at west wittering (south coast) who have had a club/school/showers/hang out area/ facilities & bar for some years now.

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B-rad Lange
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Postby B-rad Lange » Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:32 pm

helpless and inefectual indeed...

thanks Roberto for the kind words...

Pike...I retract the "world's first"...that's probably not true...thanks for calling me out on that...my bad...first around these parts anyway...


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