Windsurfing & Stand-Up Paddleboarding in Michigan
Windsurfing Cancelled?
Saw this on the iwindsurf forum and thought I'd pass it along:
http://windnotes.phanfare.com/4743675_5263046#imageID=107559201
It says "slideshow", but go ahead and click on it - it's a video.
http://windnotes.phanfare.com/4743675_5263046#imageID=107559201
It says "slideshow", but go ahead and click on it - it's a video.
Views: 33
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by bob pratt on
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Awesome!!
As a surfer, sailor, SUPer and a wanna-be kiter I love to see a more accepting attitude. We have a lot common with our kiting brothers (and sisters).
Thanks for posting this!!!
bob
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Permalink Reply by Don Ferguson on
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Hey Brian, great video!!! Yes we have had a great week of Southwest winds at Rondeau over the past two weeks with about six or seven good days at least four of which were less than 6.0 conditions When I was last there on Monday I was sailing 7.5 for as couple of hours and as I was packing up, I sat in my van to remove my contact lenses and suddenly the van shuddered and shook I looked outside and saw a kite fly past me in the parking lot and lodging in a nearby tree another was at a standstill bumped up against the dock with the sailer struggling to get some kind of control. I looked back and saw the wind had increased in a few seconds from 16 or 17 knots to around 25 or more the warter had turned black and all I could see was white caps stretching clear across the bay. I jumped out to help the one whos kite had landed in the tree, once safe he went to the aid of the kiter whos kite had jammed against the dock.
As an avid winter snow kiter and a somewhat chickensh**t water kiter who took his first lesson in Cape Hatteras is 2000 and has witnessed too many close calls including some himself and having witnessed one death in Avon NC last spring. It is sadly these occurances, however rare, which I feel give kiting it's bad rap. It is basically the huge saftey zone of line length of 100 feet, or more if the kite is released. Had we been windsurfing downwind of either of these fellows we may have indeed been in the line of jeoprody, wheras with windsurfing if you are sailing and over powered. one has only to drop the rig and although it will fall within a twenty foot distance the danger zone is much smaller than that of a kite. Even in Ann's instance in Hatteras this spring when the boom arm let go and the whole rig pulled out of her hands and nearly hit a not to happy fellow down wind of her. the danger zone was small.
I find although I enjoy kiting somewhat (especially on the snow with a foil because when I drop the bar the kite collapses and stops dead) I still feel the saftey margin should be increased between kites and other craft. In the video we must remeber that a long telaphoto lens does compress distance and so they may in fact not have been sailing in as close a proximity as it seems.
I do agree we should have better relations but at the same time the few kiters (sometime nubies that are struggling to get upwind) that want to show off close to shore or docks in our case with no regard for personal saftey or the saftey of observers will continue to marr the relations between windsurfers and kiters.
Again as you reach upwind on your windsurfer and a kiter is coming in on starboard tack at you, are you required to give right of way, and if so how much?? Must I veer downwind over one hundred feet in order to maintain my saftey zone just in case he looses it or (heaven forbid I mess up his show) he jumps and misses the landing skids dragging downwind and takes out a few windsurfers in the process. C'mon guys fair is fair, launch your kite and go somewhere safe, after all I was here first. Most of all I have found that most of the guys who have kited for about ten years agree with this and usually they are away from the pack.
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Permalink Reply by Brian on
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Don,
I guess I agree with everything you're saying - about the relative safety of windsurfing vs. kiting and about the huge safety zone required around a kiter. The guys that kite and windsurf I think understand how to play safe and get along - at least the guys I know. I think you're right - it's nubie kiters that seem to pose the most danger to themselves and those around them.
I gotta admit that I don't really know what to do when approaching a kiter. If possible, I try to go upwind of them regardless of right of way. If it looks like that's not going to work, I try to make eye contact with the kiter and bear off a bit, while looking up.
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As well as the overconfident ones! I think another thing that is occuring is that as kiting is getting older (10 years or so,,) A heirarchy is developing whereby a more experienced kiter throughs down a few cool moves and the newer less experienced guys respect this (I hope). At the beginning everyone was pretty much learning and so at the same level so often the thinking was, you can't tell me what to do you are the same as me. Now with a few level heads around and some experience, things are beginning to come under control somewhat. Problem is the fella that died in front of our house last year in Avon was very experienced, I was there and I know what conditions were like I was in the water when it happened. I have had several people try to tell me it didn't quite happen as it appeared. All I know is at 4pm the wind started blowing as the front came through and by 4:30 I was in the water with a 5.0 well overpowered and headed back to shore. A short sailing session by me consisting of about 8 or 10 runs before the wind was so strong I could no longer hang on to my rig. My friend Jeff was ahead of me on a 6.0 and only did about 5 runs before he had to come in. Previously the wind was at most 10 or 12 knots
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Yeah, that was a sad story. I heard that guy was a really good windsurfer as well.
Despite the dangers, I don't think kiting is going away. Around here, the young guys kite and the geezers windsurf. That balance is different in HI, Bonaire, and lots of places around the world.
For me, I've got a ton of windsurfing gear, and an SUP for the no-wind days, and well, a man can only have so many mistresses!
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Also I find there are some things with windsurfing I still want to accomplish. It would be an unfullfilled thing for me to leave it now. Always kills me when I hear the kiters saying " Well I just wasn't having any fun unless I was out windsurfing in 4.5 conditions" ?? What so now your happier holding onto a 15 meter kite????? Doesn't make sense to me. and most of these guys weren't completing planning jibes anyway!
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