MartinF2 said..
Hope you are feeling better George.

May I suggest you contact Ash Bygate from Newcastle (look him up on facebook). He was on the jet boat I believe and is a witness to the incident. He may also know of others on the craft that ran you down and someone could have footage. I also wouldn't post up anything more about the driver or company as this could be used against you. I'm assuming this is all going to end up in court so we as a windsurfing community need to put down our pitchforks and let George deal with it in an appropriate manner. I wish you luck as this business has the support of Gold Coast Council and Tom Tate behind it. Just scroll down on their page to the news feed where they are pictured as one of the Gold Coast's 6th main attractions with Tate.

Best of luck and keep us all informed on this thread. You have the support of the windsurfing community behind you and I'm sure some of the other Gold Coast windsurfers can help with previous aggressive behaviour by this company.

On another topic - If you are a member of a windsurfing club sanctioned by Windsurfing Australia I think you are covered 24-7 on the water. This might be helpful in this situation as the windsurfing insurance company can fight it out with the operator at fault????? Someone might be able to help with this info and if this is the case I suggest everyone join a club.

Cheers
Marty

Thanks a lot Marty for the advice, it's much appreciated.
Yes, I'm member of the Windsurfing Australia however their insurance is strictly 3rd party cover.

MartinF2 said..

May I suggest you contact Ash Bygate from Newcastle (look him up on facebook).

Ash Bygate is a seabreeze poster's anonymoose account for hassling antivaxers and Reclaim australia nazis, no help there...

sausage said..

kiteboy dave said..

MartinF2 said..

May I suggest you contact Ash Bygate from Newcastle (look him up on facebook).

Ash Bygate is a seabreeze poster's anonymoose account for hassling antivaxers and Reclaim australia nazis, no help there...

Ha Ashbygate - you sure peter slipper wasn't driving that boat Kiteboy!

Martin, some very wise words regarding the pitchforks.

Bugger - Thought it could be an avenue to help support George's case as I can only assume the Jet Boat company doesn't have great records of people that were on the craft that day for witness accounts.

It's one of the reasons I bought a GoPro and wear it every time on my head when out. It records stupid acts by other water users including jetskies and kites not looking when boosting and turning. I also used to windsurf Shearwater but stay away from down there these days because of the traffic. I love windsurfing as much as the next guy but it's not worth my life so chose places a little quieter. This may not give you the 2sec peak so many crave these days but at least you live to sail again. With the current development taking place in that area for more boat users I can only see things deteriorating further. Just remember maritime really don't care about windsurfers as there is far more revenue from tourists on Jet Boat rides and Boat/Jetski licence and registration fees. We will never have a voice against this.

I hope George has some success with this.

Cheers
Marty

The proper authorities have been alerted to this unfortunate incident with George, lets hope for a diplomatic outcome !

Phil just sent through this article relating to this post. Looks like we are not the only ones having trouble on the Broadwater.

www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/nocookies?a=A.flavipes

Regards, Scot Farley

jusavina said..
I see them regularly on the broadwater. I left a review too.
I suggest that everyone with Facebook left a review too. Best thing to stop their stupid business.

Looks like they may have taken their FB page down as link to it doesn't work today (it did yesterday).
Found this on their Website much to my amusement;
"All our jetboat drivers are hand-selected, fully trained and hold mandatory commercial marine licenses, issued by Maritime Marine Safety Authority. They are there to ensure a safe trip and to make your jet boat trip enjoyable & memorable." Well I'm sure it was memorable for George as he won't forget it in a long while.

You can leave a review on TripAdvisor, refer the following URL

www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g255072-d2049935-Reviews-Jetboat_Extreme-Surfers_Paradise_Gold_Coast_Queensland.html

I wonder if telling Paul Burt Channel 9 would help as he was swamped by a Jet Boat while fishing and gave them an on air spray.

All the best Geo Geo, perhaps the witnessed should be writing statements or stat decs in preparation just in case. You will have no shortage of guys willing to offer statements of support and relating personal incidents.
Perhaps a meeting with Waterways Authority MSQ as a group could be beneficial.

WindsurfingQLD said..
Phil just sent through this article relating to this post. Looks like we are not the only ones having trouble on the Broadwater.

www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/nocookies?a=A.flavipes

Regards, Scot Farley

Is there any way this can be taken further by windsurfingQLD Scot ? Such a dangerous operator. The person who got hit should be able to get compo from the operators insurance company at the very least !

would 6 knot limit apply to windsurfers?

Haircut said..
sadly, following the typical gold coast standard, the company responsible will probably fold and open under another name to avoid a payout

No, I am afraid you are wrong.
Typical authorities response and the easiest will be banning windsurfers and maybe kiters two from waterways.
Obviously for their own safety.
Hopefully I am wrong this time
(beside that is where money come from to city coffers - tourist operators not windsurfers)

apparently there has been a shifty tow-truck-company styled battle between the jetboat operators going on over the years - ala in-line versus the v8. given the chance, the other operators might be happy to help oust the opposition if they see an opportunity

Few shots of Windsurfers having an enjoyable sail in the Broadwater. For the Jetboat companies, GCWW and MSQ who I know are following this thread.

I have been watching these posts with great interest.

There Facebook page has been shut down but there website is up and running still.

Kiteboarding and Windsurfing will not be banned on the Broadwater.

I would suggest like all waterways a speed limit will be placed that will hurt the operator invloved. I cant believe they would be allowed to go in and out at speed from other water users, especially swimmers. If this was in Victoria (Nanny State) they would be shut down straight away.

I was hit by a jet ski once when windsurfing at Portarlington in Victoria. I was lucky as I saw they guy coming towards me and I dove under the water before he hit my gear. He did come back and saw I was not dead and then sped off with his mate after seeing my board was trashed.

Luckily I got in to the shore and yelled out to someone to stop them on the boat ramp. A very large crowd of people formed around them till the police arrived. The driver and his mate tried to leave the scene but the locals thought otherwise.

It was not until later I had realised he had hit the back of my leg when I saw a massive bruise.

I am more worried about Georges Injuries after the incident. I can not belive that in todays Internet savvy society these operators would not be proactive and made sure George was OK. I would think that would assume responsibility but its better than the online backlash from the community.

Also the driver involved - wouldn't he better off for his career to fess up. The internet is forever, future employers will search for his name. When I employ people I do a google search and a search on Facebook and trust me it does sway your thoughts on employing them.

Acurrent affair now about it now???