I can relate to Eli's paranoia. We have one of the greatest location in the East for kiting and buggy, and we have kite-friendly local government that so far promotes and encourages us rather than restricts us. I kind of take ownership of managing it too, in a way, and don't want anything to screw it up.
I just secured insurance for JIBE 2010, so have been thinking a lot about risk management.
From reading this list we can tell that vast majority of people here are good ambassadors to the sport.

Nah, being a minority doesn't mean anything - we've as much right to use a public space as any other member of the public ... with due care, consideration and manners, of course - same as if I was kicking a football around or playing cricket ... if there's too many people, I'd take it elsewhere - usually. The fact that we're not an 'established' sport means people think we need to tippy-toe around about exercising our rights in case we offend someone and they stomp on us ... which they do simply cos they can and we let them. Bet if it was #@%$#!ing baseball or rugby they'd be bending over backwards to make us happy

The big problem is that people are BLOODY RETARDED and in this day and age the Great Unwashed expect everyone else to be looking out for them as they blunder around with their heads up their own self-centered asses ...

Kiteboarding is actually against the law all year round in English Bay . We choose to obey the law while the Lifeguards are on duty out of respect for them and what they do. The Bay is too crowded and the winter winds are better. Just us and the Coast Guard off season and they understand it is a safe choice.

We met Ms. Brainiac about a Month ago..

Her Son took His remote control car and ran it through our lines in our staging area. K3 tried to tell them about the lines. This lady starts on about how there is no place else for her son to run his remote control car and he HAS to use it right there. K3 works in a motor cycle shop. He never swears and is always polite but Ms. Brainiac was intimidated by his handsome :dunno: tattoos and shaved head.


Later that day the Police arrived Seems someone called in a complaint. Somehow they figured out it was K3 that looked intimidating and walked straight to him. :ticking: All they would say was that they had to follow through on a complaint. They took K3's stats but did not suggest we had done any wrong.
What makes this a real Braniac moment is that we TRULY don't have another decent location to kite and of course an RC car can run in a lot of places

Untill the status quo changes we will be the Red Headed Step Child of the sporting world.

... like the guy who turned up Sunday night at my spot to kick his soccer ball against the goal post thing - couldn't do it anywhere else in the huge park, had to do it right next to me.
Or the family who turned up on Friday night to play baseball - couldn't walk another 50m to the baseball ground had to do it right beside me.
Or the guy who has to practice his chipping right where I'm launching.
Or the old #@%$#!s who take up the entire park with their stupid croquet flag but only use about 10% of the land at one time ...

The list is endless.

Like I said - self-centered. And brain dead. Bad combination.

... and don't even start me about 'Intimidating Biker' syndrome - just another excuse to pick on someone by calling the cops on, cos they're too chicken-#@%$#! to speak up themselves

Ok I'm ... no more rants

Best solution for lines on the groung i find, Is to set up a fast as possible and dont woddle around with your lines out.Imagine if beach patrol installed kite "parkinglots"

You know like a huge lightpole with a T at the top where you can park yer' kite. Copyright © 2009:bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing::bouncing:

When the wind is off we unfortunately do have a kite parking lot. We do a LOT of sitting at the ready and waiting for enough wind to ride. I wish I could find an old pic of mine with about 10 sets of handles all hooked to one peg.

We are very guilty of leaving our kites out but I doubt that will change in any hurry.

Well,

I have to chuckle a little bit because I have been there. Especially when I was still learning. Although getting so mad that I leave has never happened. (that I can remember) and I have NEVER purposely crashed my kite into a car. Guess you're lucky he just didn't drive off with your kite still laying over the car. Jeff, I can just see you running after the guy yellin' "HEY, THAT'S MY KITE!!!"

Many of the Sunset Regulars™ have seen it all. If you want rude, come down right after they have reopened clamming on that beach after a couple of years of red tide. YOU JUST haven't seen rude. Had a guy blow past me doing 40, his mirror missed my head by inches. This is nothing new to us.

Once you get past the learning stage and can ride without using the majority of your concentration on the kite. You will find that your situational awareness has increased considerably and most of those problems just go away. BUT there is only one way to get there and that is time in the buggy seat and flying in all conditions. WATCHING what those that make it look so easy are doing and try to emulate them. Swallow your pride and, ASK for some help once in a while.

If you're going to visit, that's great but BE RESPECTFUL!!!

havent had any real bad xperiences w non -kiters--most people are curious and they like to chat w me and i think thats just great.......one time i went to the bathroom for a sec and these teens were trying to fly my blade 10.5--i yelled at them and told them not to fly it and they left--thats about the closest i ever came to a confrontation---most people that watch me have some sense that kites are very powerful and they tend to keep their distance,there are some dunderheads that like to walk under my kite,get to close to the buggy etc. .....i usually try to get far from them while making sure they get the dirty look i'm sending their way.......

Why oh why do people think they can play with other people's possessions? I could tell some great stories from my biker chums ...

kitejumper, thats cuz you make flying n jumping look too easy, and in their uninformed minds, 'if that guy can do it, we can' attitude takes over, and unfortunately their most developed muscles are in their thumbs from texting, n playing xbox, it would probably be tragically funny to see the ol blade power up in the hands of one of these hooligans, but then the lawsuit for leaving an 'attractive nuisance' out while in the loo, would come up, and most of your uninformed jurors might think, why,any teen would want to fly a kite,or some such nonsense. I guess I have been very lucky, most times when I'm out flying, I can stake out 2 or 3 kites at once and take turns between them, and not be bothered. Of course, if someone were to come along to have a soccer match, I'd be packing. The run to the toilet while kites are out has always posed me a worry, but I often put out some small orange cones to mark my lines, and will also park the buggy across the lines, and try to hurry!!!lol

yea,bobalooie--that day the teens accosted my kite, they saw me hit the restroom and as soon as the coast was clear,they snuck up on it--thats what really pissed me off---what i would of liked to have done is to let them take a whack at it,and laugh while they broke their friggin necks--but, alas,you cant do stuff like that and still be known as a friendly,responsible kiter, so i usually get away from the morons........

i sympathise dude, we rareley get that in england. :D

I allways like to kite in a filed thats not surounded by people becuse you can get people like this .

Quote:

Originally posted by lad Actually, the little kid can't be blamed for thinking the downed Scorp was a beached Moonbounce! Otherwise, it sounds like the real life application of the opening minutes of "Idiocracy!" :wink2:

i was thinking the same thing... great movie btw...

This is my backyard too, and I 100% agree with Eli! CAPS OR NOT!!! For the love of GOD, PLEASE DO NOT COME HERE AND RUIN THE OVERWHELMING PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE WE HAVE, FOR YEARS, WORKED TO ACHIEVE HERE AT SUNSET BEACH!!!!

For you people in other areas that aren't familiar with the way things are around here... Imagine this... The police....actually like us around here! A vast majority of the public that drives along Sunset, sees us as a kind of, friendly, colorful, "roadside attraction" of sorts. We seem to lack almost all of the troubles that so many other places are burdened with. Why? Because the local kiters around here have worked their a$$e$ off to try to foster good relations with the public and local officials. I would sure as hell, be yelling at any kiter (in ALL CAPS even) if I had witnessed any kiter doing that kind of retalitory crap around here!

Now I realize that occasionally we will come across some "uninformed" individuals that will occasionally do something "stupid", or "bone headed". When that happens, what do we do? Suck it up. Talk nicely to the people if you can. And you apologize every time. YES YOU READ RIGHT... APOLOGIZE EVERY TIME!!! If THEY run over your lines... YOU apologize that you placed your lines across their path. If THEIR kid starts jumping on your kite... YOU apologize that you landed your kite too near to their kid. You don't think that's fair? SO WHAT!! THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO HERE!! And what you should be doing everywhere else as well! Public perception is EVERYTHING!!

And contrary to what many people think, most people that do those "dumb" things are not mean spirited redneck morons that like to destroy other people's property. They tend to be just normal people out enjoying themselves, that just didn't realize they were doing anything bad. Hell even rednecks 4x4ing on the beach aren't "trying" to destroy other people's stuff. They're just trying to have fun, just like you. Except that YOU are the newcomer there. Try to remember that, next time someone pisses you off.