Possible Kite Ban/Serious Restrictions on Fuerteventura

[gmb13]

Hello everyone,

We have heard some very disturbing news here on Fuerteventura. The powers that be here are currently deciding what to do about Kitesurfing on the Island. They are even considering a full ban.

Why? There have been a number of complaints this year against kiters. Mainly at the lagoons in Cotillo. Kiting has never been allowed there, but the cops have been kindly turing a blind eye for the few local Freestyle kids. The problem is that visiting Kiters in the Summer have been pushing it too far with Kites landing on bathers, on the Road and cars. Hence all the very serious complaints.

We have also been having problems with visiting Kiters being careless at Flag Beach and Cotillo. Launching Kites where they are not supposed to, leaving lines and kites lying around unsecured on the beach, launching directly upwind of deckchairs and people on the waters edge.

I know that it is very easy to forget your common sense when you are on Holiday, but I would kindly ask you all to think about more when you are visiting a new Kite location, not just Fuerte, but anywhere really.

Hear are some things I would kindly like to remind everyone to keep in mind when visiting our great island:

1) In the North, Kiting is officially only accepted at Flag Beach and Cotillo main beach (Third section from the Harbour Wall side).

2) Totally off limits and will be policed strongly from now on by the Guardia Civil: Cotillo Lagoons (all of them), North Shore, Drop Beach and also Puerto Lajas and Playa Blanca down by the Airport.

3) Launch Safely and far away from deck chairs, beach users, catamarans, the roads and waters edge. At Flag there is so much space and there is absolutely no reason to endanger anyone.

4) Set up your kites in a manner and place that they do not cause problems for the lifeguards patrolling the beaches. You can see the tracks on the sand, so securing your kite or laying your lines over these tracks is not cool. They are supposed to use the same tracks that they have made as to not cause damage to the beach.

5) Do not set up your kite directly by the waterline or directly in front of the Center at Flag Beach.

6) Roll up your lines and place your bar next to your kite when you come in for a break. Lines crisscrossing the beach is a hazard for other beach users and also get in the way of the Lifeguard Car.

7) Avoid crashing your kite on the beach. This happened a lot with wannabe Freestylers from a certain country. This a a major complaint at Flag Beach from pedestrians walking along the beach.

8.) Go on the water right after you launch your kite and land your kite when you come back in. Standing with your kite in the air on the beach is asking for trouble, especially when its busy.

9) Try to respect each other on the water. Most of you are here on holiday, so there is no need to freak out about every little thing. And know the right of way rules. It’s amazing how many people don’t know them and end up in collisions. Here again for the uninformed:

Starboard has right of way over Port (Translation: Right hand forward has right of way)

Leeward before Windward (Translation: The person downwind has right of way)

Person launching from the beach has right of way over someone coming in.

10) PICK UP YOUR TRASH! It is so frustrating to watch so many of your leaving your trash on the beach. Do you do the same of your home beach? Probably not, so why do it on mine?

It would be wonderful if you can spread this around on your other local forums and/or Facebook so that as many kiters who are thinking of visiting our wonderful island are informed and can help us keep kiting legal here and elsewhere on the Canaries.

Thanks,

—
Gunnar Biniasch

[corbett]

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[naishdude]

@Gunnar Biniasch
thank you...this is not only for your beach, the same on many high frequented spots on the EU mainland.
Hope these read it too and apply it to our beaches!
thx for the good way to Advice/ tackle a general beach problem everywhere!
dude

[dimip]

I can assure you that kooks visitors won't do it. Same problem here so the best spot is closed. After some time we started to go again but only the six months that no visitors are here. Authorities don't bother us because no complains. Might consider this option if you don't have visitors all the year.
This summer what I have noticed is that most accidents happened during lunch and land the kite even if they know how to kite back and forth go upwind, they don't know how to properly lunch the kite.

[SLiiCK]

Hi Gunnar thanks for posting that , I have travelled to Fuerteventura for the past 15 years during the month of January flying at Sotavento and flag beach returning again in Jan 2016, the early years were fine but gradually as the years have passed I have noticed the attitude of some kiters changing becoming very arrogant and not caring about anyone's else wellbeing but themselves, a few years back my wife was sitting well out the way of the flying zone on flag beach with our then young baby son and kiter dropped his kite next to them with the lines going over the top of them just so he could get closer to his car. It's a real shame this is happening on the island but I have noticed this happening at different beaches throughout Europe these kiters should have consideration for other kiters and beach goers but the problem is they don't and the minority are going to spoil it for the majority who do have consideration.
I really hope the word gets out and it is sorted at Fuerteventura also at other locations or we will see bans coming into force in the future.
Once again thanks for posting this really hope this has some effect, as it would be a shame to lose that wonderful island as a kitesurfing destination.

[Bille]

It's a bummer, that your spot, is having problems !!


Bille

[Do-it]

Wasn't there already a thread about how the euros f*** things up for everyone?

[wedge]

Is it arrogance or alcohol? Maybe a combination? When I was in Brazil I noticed large groups of Euros power drinking mid-day at the kite spot, then launching for another session. Not sure if that's a common practice, but I'd never seen that before, or since.

Many Euros kiting in SoCal, but I never noticed any drink and kite. Of course we don't have bars at the kite beaches either, so that probably plays into it. Perhaps the original poster is correct. Holiday makers bring a sense of entitlement.

[alamos_kiter]

Wasn't there already a thread about how the euros f*** things up for everyone?

While I agree that common sense is scarce and people on holidays from all over the world tend to behave like idiots all over the place, I have a problem with this sort of generalization. "Us against them" does not resolve anything, it leads to name calling, and that is that.

I.e. Fuerteventura lies in Europe. In Spain, to be more specific. Gunnar is German, a Euro, and he's a guest on Fuerteventura. I don't see any local complaining on here, and, according to Gunnar, it was the locals who started breaking the law by kiting in the forbidden lagoons, and the holiday guests copied their behavior. So who's to blame? The local idiots breaking the law? The foreign idiots copying them? The Guardia Civil not enforcing the law?

Crowds are a problem, even if the individuals try to behave. There are accidents, and there are clashes because of the sheer number of people competing for limited space. At some point, the one group which has economically the highest positive impact will win. Who brings more money? Beach goers or kite tourists?

The legislation is quite tough in Spain, according to the law 27/1992, the fine for cruising in a swimming zone is up to 120.000€ (20.000.000 pesetas), with a normal fine being between 1.500€ and 1.800€. So be warned when kiting off limits

[Toby]

sorry to hear this Gunnar. I hope you guys on Fuerte are able to solve the situation.
Sometimes you need to step up to people and advice them how things work on that spot and what to take care of. If you don't do, no one does. We have to self police before it all gets banned.

Gunnar lives on Fuerte since many years, and yes, that is called local. And it is part of Spain, which is Europe, so he is a European in a European country, called local.

Calling out nationalities in the age of Euro is dangerous thinking.

At the end, we are all Earthlings and should care less about anything else. It does not help anyone.