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What's up with NW Kite??
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River-Lizard



Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Posts: 188

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:09 am    Post subject: What's up with NW Kite?? Reply with quote

Check out the vid of this kiter/windsurfer near miss at Rooster Rock... (first post in the linked thread)

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-10865-0.html

I was not only surprised at how close this was, but all the praise the guy seems to be getting for nearly KOing a windsurfer... I mean, he could have killed the guy. Reading through the thread, and the "lets take over the Event Site" thread, I have to wonder what's up with all the anti-windsurfing sentiment lately on NW Kite?
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westender



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 1288
Location: Portland / Gorge

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't like the comment about the pole boarders better stay out of their way. I hope pdxmonkeyboy was just kidding around.

Someone from the State Parks Dept. might see that video and decide to shut the place down for kiting.

One guy riding a blue North about landed on my head at Stevenson last Sunday.
For someone who works at one of the best shops in HR ( forgive me if I'm mistaken but I think you sold me a kite harness last month) you might want to set a better example.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With 15 foot radius of danger with our masts, we look scary to non-sailors. With 100 foot radius, an adzhole kiter certainly can earn the nick name alkita. wonder how many more alkita's it'll take to ruin water access for both sports?

That idiot alkita in Ft Lauderdale still has all my non-sailor friends confused as to what I do. The fugging media can't tell the difference either! Hey kiters, I used to be in the USCG. Do you know how much you'd be fined for fouling that tower? Do you how much you'd be fined for climbing it? Maybe a concerned citizen would submit that tower fouling pic to the USCG? no maliciousness to every kiter, fair warning. If you foul an ATON in the view of the USCG, or any other law enforcement, be prepared for possible slamage.

Why do there have to be so many idiots in the world?


Last edited by jingebritsen on Tue Oct 07, 2008 3:30 am; edited 1 time in total
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rowenaman



Joined: 18 Apr 2000
Posts: 63
Location: Da Gorge

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:

Why do there have to be so many idiots in the world?


Ultimately us wind junkies eating our own will serve no good. For turf wars will only lead to access denied! On balance, I really think most KB's respect WS's and most WS's respect KB's. There are a select minority of
pricks in both pursuits who will not give way on a port tack or don't turn around before popping big air. And ya know, they don't give a f@ck what we say here.

The GOOD news is we can work together to maintain access - hell, we have to! The river will only grow more crowded and we have no choice but to learn how best to share it. Most riders DO respect the rules of the road. CGWA and CGKA have far more goals in common then not.

And I am seeing more and more Hatch Rats down at The Spit rigging up kitelines --- myself included. Skiers and snowboarders worked their sh@t out, so can we.
Smile
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bobgatpdx1



Joined: 13 Oct 2002
Posts: 385

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was ME that almost got landed on!

It was super windy (3.2m) and I had stopped in shallow water to make some adjustments. Then, suddenly I felt a splash of strong spray on my back. I turned around to see the sheepish grin of the kiter who almost landed on me. Yipes - that was a bit close for comfort.

The good news is if he had landed on me, I would've never known what hit me. It's amazing how far downwind the kiters fly during those big boosts.

Plenty of room for all at Rooster. These days, kiters typically outnumber windsurfers there by a large margin. I generally have no issue sailing with kiters - we all just need to look before we leap.

bobg
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erinjeff



Joined: 01 Apr 2001
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 6:37 pm    Post subject: windsurfers and kiters Reply with quote

Why can't we all just get along? My sport is not better then yours, lets all have fun together and respect each other. I am both a kiter and windsurfer just do it all and be courteous to all. Cool
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did you all read that thread? There is joking, and then there's being stupid. Count how many idiots got on that thread and blathered. I don't want turf wars, I want people with that much visibility to behave in such a manner as is fitting. I'm also sick to death of the morbid, stupid fascination of everyone that does not sail who wants to ask me about kiting while I'm windsurfing. The general populace is too stupid to figure out the difference. If that's the case, time and again, we may all be thrown out of all venues if arrogant kiters don't clean up their act.

If I just try to get along, how will I feel if kiters wrongly effect my water access? What about you? Down in Miami, at Crandon, an idiot kiter thought he could defy the lifeguards down there. He was warned repeatedly to do what they requested. The authorities approached the kiting community about him being the cause for getting kicked out, again. He got a blanket party, and had to be hospitalized. Furthermore, kiting has been banned at Virginia Key. Too many children and families getting terrified by alkita.

Could this happen at your launch? Could the authorities get confused or tricked by special interests (the Hookipa access issue)? Yeah, I'd like to get along. I'd like to not be considered a prick. If I don't stand up for me and mine, and nobody else does either, we may all get banned from public water access, then where are we? I'd rather post on these forums than have to write congress, go to court, etc....
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
we may all be thrown out of all venues if arrogant kiters don't clean up their act.


Great weekend at our local haunt a couple of weeks ago, until a group of kiters went off about "We don't have to listen to your stupid park rules. We can launch anywhere we like over anybody's head we want because our gear costs more than theirs. Besides, we built this park."

The Corps of Engineers park host they were cursing at is an ex-Green Beret. They're lucky they didn't get physical.

They got shit-faced drunk and raised hell into the night until they woke up the host. Problem solved.

They built the park, my ass ... as though that matters. Sorry, but the park was "built" by 95% volunteer effort by WSers, for ALL to use, including a-holes. But at this rate they may someday evict themselves by their behavior, and the WSers aren't going down with the ship to save them.

Mike
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NwaMike



Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Folks, lighten up!

Yeah, this was not a good thing. Duh. You may not like the fact that it was handled with humor, but that's what it was, humor. Nobody thinks this was a good thing. It was posted to show that a mistake was made and everybody could learn from it. Nobody, including the poster, missed the fact that the kiter could have been skewered by the mast. The poster apologized to the guy he almost hit, and clearly felt bad about it. By posting his own mistake, he decreased the chance it might happen again.

There isn't any ill feelings towards windsurfers on nwKite. The "Lets take over the event site" thread was just a fun way of marking the day. (Kiteboarding is allowed at the event site after Oct 1.) During the kiteboarding For Cancer weekend, windsurfers who had down-winded to the ES, without realizing it was closed for an event, were welcomed to land there. On Sunday, even though the event site was owned by kiteboarders, windsurfers were welcome to launch and land there. The attitude at nwKite is more "if you're a wind junkie, you're one of us". Is it with you guys? Yeah, kiters poke fun at windsurfers. They do to each other too. Remember being young? (Hell, I don't! Very Happy )

Of course kiteboarders tend to be a little more "wild" than windsurfers. On the whole, they're a lot younger. But almost everybody pushes tolerance and courtesy. Pretty good for a bunch of kids. Do you? Obviously, some of you guys do. The guy who almost got hit seems to be a pretty good guy. Not just him either. Reality check: MOST kiteboarders and windsurfers both are pretty good people. There's a-holes in both sports, of course. I don't go whining what jerks windsurfers are when one nearly skewers me. I figure he's a newb, made a mistake, or is just one of the few pricks.

People make mistakes. That's life. If you can't deal with that, should you really be on the water? Most everywhere in the world, kiteboarders and windsurfers have a hard time understanding the us vs them attitude here. If you want to lessen the chance of something like this happening again, try posting your concerns without name calling. You know, like adults. Thanks bobgatpdx1 and others for being cool and sharing the stoke!
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River-Lizard



Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Posts: 188

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

NwaMike wrote:
That's life. If you can't deal with that, should you really be on the water?


If you're out of control, and nearly crashing into other people, then you shouldn't be on the water. As far as the "lighten up" & ill feelings go, maybe you should go back to NW Kite and talk with the guy who posted:

"That will teach the pole boarders, stay west of the tower or prepared to be POWNED!> This ain't the event site bitches"

In the meantime, please respect our right to enjoy our sport in safety, and check your agro attitude before you go out on the water.

BTW, the "name calling" comment is a complete joke. NW Kite has too many "polesmurfer" or whatever you want posts to count. Maybe clean up your own backyard before hopping into ours.
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