Nearly had someone else join our lost brother Mark at Cottesloe yesterday.

The guy falls over on the beach and gets dragged forward on his belly - kite hits the bank and stops in hot launch position against the hill, the kiter takes a few seconds lying on his stomach, does not pull the safety, stands up and the walks towards the kite - it rolls but lucky for his dumb ass, it doesnt power up...

Im that guy downwind about 40m with my kite in the air - yelling at him to pull the safety and doing the 'release action' in case he cant hear me, he looks at me like Duh - why...

Guys - whatever your skill or no skills, if things go wrong on the beach - Pull your safety first, and then sought your kite out after !!!



Hmmm used to be a time also when landing a kite, that everyone was helpful - now most just stand there like WTF is this guy doing, unbelievable...

A common (nearly daily) sight a my local kite beach as well unfortunately...

Most newbies who actually paid for lessons tell me they have NEVER released their safety systems during their multiple hours of lessons while the kite was flying. This is totally unacceptable

As I tell all my students during lessons, if you don't learn to use your safety system multiple times while the kite is flying, chances are you simply won't use it when in real trouble after lessons are done. Not only this, but a quick reaction time is essential as well, which can only be achieved by repetition until this becomes a safety reflex.

Another example of poor instruction I'm afraid... You initially want to blame the kiter when this happens but really if they paid for lessons most of the blame is on the instructor/school instead.

Christian

Saw someone yesterday at North scarbs teaching his mate to kite on an ocean rodeo. Pretty sure the new guy started with a self launch, ****ed it up, kite went to hot launch position after a few seconds then took off with him holding on barely controlling it even when it was up at the edge of the wind window. Meanwhile there's some girl sunbathing 50m directly downwind..

... geeze this sort of stuff boils the bloody hey,,,,, what is it with these f'ing kooks ????

I had a new guy turn up at our local. A newbie and he was setting up, upwind of me, a good 100m. Turns out, he decided to self launch while I had my back to him. I was pumping up my kite talking to my daughter and missus who were standing next to me chatting about the days plans. Out of the blue the kooks kite slams over the top of us,,,, bammmm,,,,, right on top of my kite, we still had our backs to him, looping.

My daughter doesn't kite so didn't know what to do, but the missus and I dropped and got out of the lines instantly. Not my daughter. Kite powered up with kook still hooked in powered, kite starts to loop again. Lines were across the back of my daughters legs so as the kite powered up it swept her off her feet but not quick enough as she had a split second to grab the lines with her hands. I yell out let go. Lines ran through her fingers, rope burns style. Her legs looked like she'd been beaten by a cat'o'nine tails and man, her hands, like some one melted 3 lines in her.

I was yelling out "punch out punch out" but this guy had no idea,,,, I ended up running after him, eventually catching up with him and punching it out for him. I ran back and grabbed my daughter as we took off to the hospital. I never saw the guy again. Good riddance! I'm sure he didn't mean any of this to happen but I still wonder, why the f didn't he punch out??????

So yes,,,, I agree with Christian, this guy got poor instruction.

Robbie

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Puetz said..

I was yelling out "punch out punch out" but this guy had no idea,,,, I ended up running after him, eventually catching up with him and punching it out for him. I ran back and grabbed my daughter as we took off to the hospital. I never saw the guy again. Good riddance! I'm sure he didn't mean any of this to happen but I still wonder, why the f didn't he punch out??????

So yes,,,, I agree with Christian, this guy got poor instruction.

Robbie

Hey Robbie, you sure it wasnt catching up with him and punching him out for it?

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Puetz said..
... geeze this sort of stuff boils the bloody hey,,,,, what is it with these f'ing kooks ????

I had a new guy turn up at our local. A newbie and he was setting up, upwind of me, a good 100m. Turns out, he decided to self launch while I had my back to him. I was pumping up my kite talking to my daughter and missus who were standing next to me chatting about the days plans. Out of the blue the kooks kite slams over the top of us,,,, bammmm,,,,, right on top of my kite, we still had our backs to him, looping.

My daughter doesn't kite so didn't know what to do, but the missus and I dropped and got out of the lines instantly. Not my daughter. Kite powered up with kook still hooked in powered, kite starts to loop again. Lines were across the back of my daughters legs so as the kite powered up it swept her off her feet but not quick enough as she had a split second to grab the lines with her hands. I yell out let go. Lines ran through her fingers, rope burns style. Her legs looked like she'd been beaten by a cat'o'nine tails and man, her hands, like some one melted 3 lines in her.

I was yelling out "punch out punch out" but this guy had no idea,,,, I ended up running after him, eventually catching up with him and punching it out for him. I ran back and grabbed my daughter as we took off to the hospital. I never saw the guy again. Good riddance! I'm sure he didn't mean any of this to happen but I still wonder, why the f didn't he punch out??????

So yes,,,, I agree with Christian, this guy got poor instruction.

Robbie

Fark me....that is a horror story.

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Puetz said..
... geeze this sort of stuff boils the bloody hey,,,,, what is it with these f'ing kooks ????

I had a new guy turn up at our local. A newbie and he was setting up, upwind of me, a good 100m. Turns out, he decided to self launch while I had my back to him. I was pumping up my kite talking to my daughter and missus who were standing next to me chatting about the days plans. Out of the blue the kooks kite slams over the top of us,,,, bammmm,,,,, right on top of my kite, we still had our backs to him, looping.

My daughter doesn't kite so didn't know what to do, but the missus and I dropped and got out of the lines instantly. Not my daughter. Kite powered up with kook still hooked in powered, kite starts to loop again. Lines were across the back of my daughters legs so as the kite powered up it swept her off her feet but not quick enough as she had a split second to grab the lines with her hands. I yell out let go. Lines ran through her fingers, rope burns style. Her legs looked like she'd been beaten by a cat'o'nine tails and man, her hands, like some one melted 3 lines in her.

I was yelling out "punch out punch out" but this guy had no idea,,,, I ended up running after him, eventually catching up with him and punching it out for him. I ran back and grabbed my daughter as we took off to the hospital. I never saw the guy again. Good riddance! I'm sure he didn't mean any of this to happen but I still wonder, why the f didn't he punch out??????

So yes,,,, I agree with Christian, this guy got poor instruction.

Robbie

Wow that really is a nightmare, this is exactly the sort of stuff that is going to get our beloved sport banned from popular beaches all around the world.

This is not a rare or minor issue this is something that is happening a lot during the season up and down the WA coast ( and elsewhere)and it is not something we should turn our backs to. Complaining on internet forums and (please no) government regulation are not going to help, the onus is on us as the users to do something about it.

Now i would truly hate to see the macho BS style of localism that goes on in the surfing world infect kiting but the fact is that in surfing there is a system and its there for a reason- to make the lineups safer and to preserve some small amount of order in the overcrowded lineups. Now I know it rarely pans out that way and it certainly isn't a great system but I think we can tie a couple notes from the surfing world.

When you see some kook messing around on the beach endangering himself and others it isn't just the kook and the people directly downwind from him that are in danger. This person is directly endangering your ability to enjoy your favourite sport at your favourite beach. Now Im not saying go over and cut his lines and tell him to F*** off but take it on yourself to lend a hand and show a better way, get together with the other local kiters and take it upon yourself to police (in the nicest way possible) your local beach and protect your right to enjoy it.

I got red thumbs in another thread where I suggested pulling the safety early and on your own terms, rather than hanging on and pulling it too late.

Some people are promoting pulling the QR is the absolute last thing to do. I guess on that logic it means getting skull dragged up the beach with an out of control kite smashing into bystanders must occur before pulling the QR?

The mentality of not pulling the QR needs to change, it's more likely that a QR activated too late poses a far greater threat to the rider and general public than one pulled early. Every dumped kite I've seen on the water tends to lay flat, gets caught by a gust and rolls over, tumbles a bit, lays flat, gets caught by a gust and rolls over, etc if they make it to a break they get bow-tied and held down by the water. Hardly a run-away freight train full of impending doom.

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Puetz said..
... geeze this sort of stuff boils the bloody hey,,,,, what is it with these f'ing kooks ????

I had a new guy turn up at our local. A newbie and he was setting up, upwind of me, a good 100m. Turns out, he decided to self launch while I had my back to him. I was pumping up my kite talking to my daughter and missus who were standing next to me chatting about the days plans. Out of the blue the kooks kite slams over the top of us,,,, bammmm,,,,, right on top of my kite, we still had our backs to him, looping.

My daughter doesn't kite so didn't know what to do, but the missus and I dropped and got out of the lines instantly. Not my daughter. Kite powered up with kook still hooked in powered, kite starts to loop again. Lines were across the back of my daughters legs so as the kite powered up it swept her off her feet but not quick enough as she had a split second to grab the lines with her hands. I yell out let go. Lines ran through her fingers, rope burns style. Her legs looked like she'd been beaten by a cat'o'nine tails and man, her hands, like some one melted 3 lines in her.

I was yelling out "punch out punch out" but this guy had no idea,,,, I ended up running after him, eventually catching up with him and punching it out for him. I ran back and grabbed my daughter as we took off to the hospital. I never saw the guy again. Good riddance! I'm sure he didn't mean any of this to happen but I still wonder, why the f didn't he punch out??????

So yes,,,, I agree with Christian, this guy got poor instruction.

Robbie

... forgot to mention, this was in 20 to 25 knots too so the looping kite had a lot of energy!

Robbie

ps Oh and daughter now knows enough to keep an eye out, what to do etc

How did you resist the urge to knock him out, especially after your daughter got caught up in it?

ahem



ps. not directed at STW

My brother had to ask this dipsh1t three times to go downwind while he was teaching his daughter at my local. She would have ended up running through 3 or so lines of the normal cow grass eaters at our local. I was then turning my kite over and he landed he stupid reo (this was a flat water spot mind you so you may get the idea of what skill this moron possessed) nearly knocking me over and throwing his lines all
Over my kite. I was about to walk over and rip this guy a new assehole but out the corner of my eye saw the wife and daughter so just put my head down and got on with it.

Nothing like big puetz story but alas another example of fck wads on our waters. Robbie you are a better man than me I would have gone to town on that retards face. Impressive dude.

Makes me wonder that given kiting has been around for the last 15 years, maybe it's the lowest common denominators that are left to take it up..

Not saying all newbs fall into this basket but there seems to be an increasing trend.

maybe stick to cycling to the coffee shop in ur Lycra instead

While we are at it...we had a guy wandering (struggling) along the footpath only metres from the busy road and power lines after going doing wind and being unable to get back up wind. Rather than walk upwind through the clear shallow water, it obviously seemed more appropriate to navigate the kite past trees having to put the kite up to 12 o'clock just to get past them! When we paced it down there to explain the error of his ways, he seemed a little surprised at our use of common sense and didn't really want our assistance instead preferred the "exercise"....we insisted. Darwin's theory huh??

It's called common sense

A commodity hard to find in abundance or at all

Safer 2 kite by yourself

When **** happens. It happens quickly. There's a possibility that pulling the safety isn't an option. In fact i'm going to call pulling the safety is only an option if you have clear time to see the impending doom. There's no chance of pulling a safety when you are being dragged face first down the beach on your safety.

Also many people freeze up like a dear in the headlights. So don't be suprised if someone just allows themselves to be dragged while they have a glazed stunned look on their face. They in shock and not able to react.

Definitely agree with you there Plummet, I've been spanked a couple of times and couldn't pull the QR quick enough but I have also seen many times where people are fighting the kite trying to get it back in control and stubbornly refuse to dump it. Each time it does another loop or whatever it's that much closer to the lines binding up and the QR being ineffective or dragging them closer to the beach and hard objects.

We all know that spot, opposite Deane St ... and so does Cottesloe Council. So here's an update, which may be good for kiting, but some may get some upset about losing 'Telephone Box'.

On Monday night, the council decided get public comment during the next 42 days about formally changing the local law to make the area south of Telephone Box, rom Rosendo St to the Dutch Inn Groyne a dedicated kiting and windsurfing area. The dunes along that stretch, opposite Salvado Street, would act as a buffer between kiters and the public.
There will be no kiting or windsurfing at Telephone Box because of Marc's death, repeated public and kiters' reports of near-disasters, the beach being too narrow, and others wanting to use that corner pool for swimming/kiddies snorkeling, ect.
This would make formal the unofficial area, previously arranged by WAKSA, centred on Salvado St, where kiters would get an extra shower, and the poleys at Dutch Inn will get the playground moved so they are not clashing with the parents.
Hit the council website if you want to comment - but WAKSA is also trying to get a dedicated spot for kiters just south of the Swanbourne-Nedlands SLSC, so if you'd like to mention that for your more northern brothers/sisters, I'm sure it would be appreciated.

Personally, I'm all in favour of what the council is proposing. Live, and don't let die.

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Chris6791 said..
How did you resist the urge to knock him out, especially after your daughter got caught up in it?

... if I wasn't racing to the hospital I definitely would of had a chat to the guy!

Must be a WA thing,

Haven't seen many kooks at all lately in Vic, unless I'm looking in the mirror.