Lorgra...let's go hold hands down at empty Leighton Beach, smoke some mind altering cigerettes contemplate all the beautiful snow flakes man!!!! wwhhhhoooo.......Maybe some people commenting might be more suited to kiting at Swanny nude beach from now on with rests in the dunes.
Just stay close to shore and all will be OK
Woah, so much anger directed at Kiter80 here.
I can see that he probably is a person who has little respect for others or authority, however he and the PHATMAN do seem to have a good point.
The exclusion zone is too big for what is required.
I didn't kite yesterday because of injury, but I was at Leighton having a swim and I could see that there was no interference between the kitesurfers and the sailors. If I could have I would have kited.
If kiters are sensible then I think it is fine to keep kiting during the event. Please stay away from the sailors.
As for the abuse that is being thrown around,
"dickheads", "numnuts", "muppets", "beautiful snowflake" (Lorgra what planet are you from?) it all seems a little bit unnecessary.
I was reading about the event on a flight the other day and the format of the racing is now different such that the races are held close into shore, along short courses. The idea being, a lot more happens on mark roundings (most hectic part of sailing) and the marks are close into shore so spectators can see what is going on from the shore. So at Woodies they are likely to have a nice reach leg set up along the beach for people to watch, with a couple of marks set close to the shore.
This event is a big deal - multiple classes, multiple courses all running at the same time. These guys have enough on their plate without having some jerk kiter attempting failed handle passes through them.
At Woodies, you still have the two upwind beaches to use. Sure, it's not perfect flat water but get out there and get over it. Only in WA, home of infinite space for watersports would kiters take objection to this.
Take the opportunity to do some journeying and see some other spots you may not have had the chance to ride at.
Like most things in our over regulated state this exclusion zone is a major overkill.
As for the guys dishing out the abuse how old are you????
Should have your mouths washed out with soap!
Lorgra, sorry that I don't edit each posting so that it is grammatically perfect.
As for "beautiful snowflake" and "not the kite you fly" I think that you may have spent too much time sniffing the whiteboard markers in highschool. you are fried in the head my friend.
Tightlinetim - thanks for your support sort of.
Phatman - you are an angry man.
lostinlondon - stay in london smashing pints and kiting the tube bro.
As for the sailing, dont get me wrong, I think it is excellent for Perth/Fremantle and the sailing community at large. I wish all the competitors well and hope the wind comes up for our ocean "brothers" (like that hippy vibe lorgra?). BUT it isn't going to stop me kiting at Leighton (well out of the way of the sailors).
Kiters and windsurfers hug the coast/surfzone. Not much effort to exclude that, otherwise do the sailors have a right to plough through swimmers, surfers, sup ers too? When I used to race you just had to deal with who was out there as it was for everyone, but in the knowledge that most other water vessels were respectful that you were racing - it was part of racing.
The way I see it, the more you black and white regulate/ police state, the more stupid a nation becomes and when you have international bodies from other countries telling you how to do things you are doomed.
I understand an exclusion zone as I know when u are out to win a pack of 100 boats can suddenly change direction stopping at nothing to win, but to include the coastal zone within 200m is too much, especially as that gesture will show some respect towards kiters and windsurfers.
I am utterly amazed at the stupidity and ignorance of some people around here.
Only staying close to shore, exclusion zone too big?? There are around 1400 competitors in something like 700 boats. That requires alot of room. For those of you who haven't done any yacht races, a course for a class like 49'ers needs to be upto 1nm by 1nm and then have quite a bit off room to the neighbouring course.
Put 10 fleets on the water and that's alot of room.
It would only take one stray kite to wrap itself around the mast of a competing yacht and kiting would take a MASSIVE hit world wide.
And if you're think sailing is a wank, where do you think the technology in your kite lines and kite came from??
How about we get a heap of the sailing offshore fleet (50+ footers) and sail straight through the L2L fleet?? Open ocean according to some.
A little respect for fellow ocean and wind users goes along way.
It's amazing.... if there was a great break at Leighton, I would understand the desire to keep kiting there over the next couple of weeks, but it's just mushy chop, similar to what you get all the way up the Perth City coast. City Beach isn't even that far away as an alternative...
When they have the Formula 1 in Singapore, or the Tour de France, are there locals who decide, "F*** 'em! This is our space." Or are they smart enough to realise that they have a major international event going on, of which they are proud and they are happy to be slightly inconvenienced for the betterment of the society in which they live.
Formula 1 - Pay towards weird bondage sessions for someone that has too much money $$
Tour de France - Support a sport more deeply entrenched in pressuring pro athletes into using performance enhancing drugs (cheating) than any other for $$
Olympics and their supporting bodies- Corruption rife, $$$ distorts the sport, Olympic committee members with HUGE conflicts of interest
Before you know it we will be wearing fluro insurance and qualification vests, paying a corrupt "body" for the pleasure of kiting and attending a lot of meetings to protect our freedom, the idiots will end up running the show cos we not got the time to deal with them and attend meetings lol
What makes me laugh is how now that ISAF has decided it is the world governing body of kitesurfing via the german based IKA. They call kiting - sailing and think somehow they have a right to something which they had no part in pioneering whatsoever.
IOC are considering dropping windsurfing for kiting, PLEASE keep windsurfing, no way I want kitesurfing anything to do with the olympics.
jeez sidetracked..
