The Skyway, aka the Highway to Hell

Interesting take, Stomatzio. I am curious, have you read the Moral Animal by Robert Wright? If so, we should go grab a drink. If not, you should (read it)

I personally think the main problem isn't infringement of rights of one group v. another within our small "tribe" but a realization by many of us that the entire "tribe" may well lose it's privilege to kite the SW when we kill a member of the larger society (kite in highway related traffic death). Many have posted how "dangerous" the SW is.
I honestly view the SW as pretty harmless to me. But, it's a very dangerous spot for a kite to get out of control or to get away. It goes straight toward the road. That's my primary concern. I've been dealing with newbies and showboats for years.(I use those terms just as a mean to break it down, not trying to be derogatory).
It's easy.. ride upwind of them. My concern is even greater than tensions between newbies and showboats . It's us losing the spot forever.

Anyway, interestingly enough, I draw the exact same conclusions that you have drawn and I did think about our group dynamic to reach them in terms of the tag. I just want to stress that we are a small group within a much larger one.

Even with my conclusion, I have zero problem wearing a tag, but I think that's a lot of effort for minimal outcome.
The sign is a good idea. It can't hurt as a tool for peer pressure, but in the end, it still comes down to riders wanting to do the right thing for our "tribe" and the whole community (many driving home with kids in the mini-van).
In my mind, with this larger frame of reference, I think new riders (green as in not self sufficient) should avoid the SW because they want to avoid it for the good of all. Not because they get under my skin, but b/c they present one of the highest risks of going downwind toward the Interstate. If they can't maneuver well, around a lot of people, they are probably going to get in trouble. It didn't use to be as crowded and you could find small area to practice. Those days seem to be gone for the SW.

I think veterans should try to be more careful too, because they could tangle up and also have kites headed for the road. They should do it because they want to though, after taking the larger picture into consideration. That's just my take.
Thanks for your insights Stormatzio.

[inferno]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

Interesting take, Stomatzio. I am curious, have you read the Moral Animal by Robert Wright? If so, we should go grab a drink. If not, you should.

he should ...what....
grab a drink by himself or read the book.....

Storm makes a good point, and we've already had some disputes about the tags... nobody wants to wear a newb tag, and nobody wants to have to pay to get "recertified" to wear the intermediate tag. Also, few people want to rely on person or org X to get those tags, etc.

I say we focus on getting the sign in place and see what happens. Let's call it Plan A Bryan, could you send the latest version of the sign to Wolfie? I think he was going to have one made.

[zenlikeme]

The Silent Majority ops:

Guilty. This is in fact my first post. I suppose I’ve been reluctant due to my status as a “newbie” and until recently (very recently) it seems like the problems have focused on beginners. I’ve actually been flying kites for only a year now and have been up and riding on a board for the last half of last season. I’ve used this forum and others as a resource for learning and certainly don’t feel that I have the experience to offer much useful input. So I’ve kept my mouth shut. But I’ve read and read and read and feel I should point out what should be so obvious to everyone.
I’ve reached a few conclusions. First, I’m not sure I will EVER ride at Skyway. Which is truly unfortunate bc I’m so close I could walk to the launch from my front door, literally. I had for sometime been anxiously awaiting the day that I had reached a comfort level that I could ride their (due to its proximity), but after reading posts about it and watching the mayhem with my own eyes… I think I’ll give it up. There are other options and much better ones at that. Let me explain myself.
Why have I avoided SW? There are many reasons I have never ridden at SW. The first being the density of kiters. I’ve felt that while learning and until I could go in any direction I wanted including upwind that my greatest asset to safety was distance. Distance from obstruction (rocks, roads, bridges), distance from bystanders, distance from other kiters. Distance from new kiters with similar lack of control to myself. Distance from the experienced out of respect… though it appears this turned out to be the safer option as the majority of the reckless seem to be those with the most experience. Statistically, and I’m certain Ricki could back this up, the more experienced are exponentially more likely to get hurt. Secondly and most importantly, it appears that SW (E shore) is a chosen spot for east winds. That means onshore. Isn’t one of the fundamental rules for safety to NEVER ride in onshore or offshore winds? At least not for beginners. Are all these lessons I hear of at SW occurring with onshore winds??? Do you expect someone starting out to maintain ground upwind? Totally Irresponsible!!! And I’m really surprised that this has never been addressed… unless I’ve simply missed it and then my apologies.
I’ve actually avoided the roundabout at East Beach too. Only bc of congestion. It really is the ideal place for e winds though. I do go to EB but I park in the parking lot and walk down the beach. Yup, that’s me I can understand why I’m literally the only one out there. It’s not nearly as convenient as parking your car where you’re going to launch and filling your kite up with a compressor. But I feel much safer with the seemingly infinite amount of space I’m offered with a 5 minute walk. And while learning to stay upwind I had plenty of beach to ride down and walk back up. And if I ended up too far downwind the beach bends and kills the wind… no threat of drifting too far downwind.
My main point here, in case it’s been lost, is for beginners. In east winds (or north winds for that matter) please avoid Skyway… you’re asking for trouble. East Beach at Fort Desoto is literally the perfect spot. If you are giving lessons please note this with equal importance. And too all of those dedicated to improving riding safety and conditions, Kudos to You!! I think the best ideas yet have been brought up most recently… sliders far offshore as possible and buoys to identify a launch/landing buffer zone (which by the way offer little hazard with weights only just heavy enough to keep them in place.. crab traps have a lot of concrete to keep them from being lost during the stormiest of weather).

Most Importantly Be Safe and Have Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best first post of all time.
Most useful thread too (maybe).

zenlikeme, first, welcome to hell! (I'm kidding.. that's the name of the thread)

Second, great first post, thanks for speaking up. You must have either had a great instructor, or spent a LOT of time reading about kiteboarding because you seem to have a pretty good understanding of how to play it safe when you are starting out.

Next time I am out at East Beach I'll look you up and say hey.

-tom

[bryanleighty]

zen..

truly.. by this season ..assuming you are riding upwind with ease... the SW is an amazing place to ride.. there is SO MUCH ROOM if you make it that way.. you will see that the riders that want to be clear of the clutter can do so in matter of a couple tacks.. i almost exclusively ride inbetween the sandbar and the north bridge.. its light congestion usually.. if not.. i move away.

the skyway is one of the most amazing kiting places florida has to offer. i am certain of that.. EB is another destination MUST for any kiter in a 300 mile radius... and i applaud you for checking the scene out before kiting there and for doing the right thing at your kiting level.

I am proud to say that I went an entire season before I kited at the skyway because I listened to my instructor and to others on the local forum. I was riding upwind and doing small jumps before I kited at the skyway for the first time..

now the skyway backside (west) can be one of those "kite at your own risk" areas but only in the sense of the hazards.. if the wind is good, you can launch and tack out across the channel and will find yourself with so much room in every direction you will go nuts. of course coming back in to land is a pain.. but if you are SAFE you will be ok.

smart thing to do is to learn the area, find out about the hazards, understand the level of skill it takes to safely kite there and then have fun.

[zenlikeme]

Thanks Guys and thanks to you Bryan for not letting me completely rule out SW... it'd truly be a shame if I never ended up feeling comfortable riding there... I could probably launch from my backyard and be there in less than a minute!

[BigR]

you could launch at the SW and be at a much better spot in a few tacks upwind a mile or two north from SW on an east or ENE wind

thats alright , cause everyone else is toooooo lazy to go upwind so I have the place to myself.

thats also why I love to kite @ Crandon cause everybody is toooo lazy to go to the actual good spot ( virginia key )

I really think there R alot of other better places to kite but people just don't realize it

yeah you should definitely experience it at some point .. but not until you are comfortable with it. Usually if you get there early (8am) all of the college kids are still sleeping so you will the place to yourself and few other early birds.

Stay way upwind of everyone and you are golden.