Hey Guys,
Don't you think windsurfing is dangerous to beach users, always playing near the swimming areas doing speed runs in from backline, they can't readily stop or change direction quickly and they usually use a whopping big fin?
Back to the original question (as hot as those chix are)
Yes of course windsurfing is dangerous to beach users. But only those beach users who are in the water, and there is not many once it hits 20kn.
Ones who remain in the water are naturally given a wide berth as safety is paramount, and you can always show off quite effectively from 50m away.
Of course if I could make my inside turn only 50cm from the water's edge, whilst waving my sail 20m away and over the heads of those walking on the beach, that would be dangerous.
Alternatively, if I fell off my windsurfer and the sail dragged me along the beach for 100m though sunbathers and kids making sandcastles, that would also be dangerous.
Luckily I windsurf huh!
I agree with Mark, the answer is yes. I came close to a couple of swimmers last month, they were doing laps of the lagoon, didn't see them thru my sail, it was only half way thru my gybe, they came into full view, scared the crap out of all of us. You just can't be too carefull, people go swimming in the strangest places and conditions, and aren't very visible, especially if the suns in your eyes.
Yes, over the years we've seen many councils close beaches to windsurfing because of danger to the locals.
Only if their Kiters [}:)] [}:)], or foreign blow ins
and if their both, well .....
I'll introduce them to the king of the point
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Der, I just worked out what the Xena reference was about
Classic work poor relo you've got it covered
I was at the meeting at Mullaloo and they were complains
from all corners dogs horses boats fishing jetskies kites they have ropes and yes shock horror windsurfers they go fast so we are all in the same boat so let’s just get on with it and have fun
but its ok for small kids not to swim between the flags were it is save
Makes you wonder what they think it IS ok to do on a beach, perhaps walk slowly (if you run you might knock someone over) ?
Back to the topic, I have just started kiting and we had a problem of peolpe complaining at my beach that it was dangerous. Me and a few mates fixed the problem. What we did is started boosting over the little kids near the shore. We would go straight at them then boost at the last second, it was awesome fun watching there frightened faces. But more importantly the parents took the kids away from the beach never to return again. Problem solved. I reccommend just boosting at people or swooping kids on the beach to try and get rid of the complainers.