ACCESS Meeting - "Keeping US Flying!" - May 6, 2009

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Great turn out last night, about 40 riders showed up to discuss problems and brainstorm solutions for the threats to kiting access in LBTS, Pompano, Ft. Lauderdale and beyond.

We have some serious work to get done, most important part of which is on the beaches. Building a sense of community and applying effective peer pressure to remove riding behaviors that are threatening to shut us down.

Main points are to stay beyond a 100 yards from shore (beyond the buoys), not fly kites close to bystanders and keep new kiters from trashing our prospects through ignorance of good practices (constructive guidance is needed). Some well experienced kiters are key offenders in this unfortunately, but peer pressure can do wonders when it is applied.

We also need to convince the authorities, starting first with the LBTS Commission, that kiting can be conducted in a safe, sustainable fashion without causing untoward complaints or threats (perceived or otherwise) to bystanders. Lots more on this soon.

We started with a handout of some things to discuss, reproduced below. After discussing these and other considerations at length, there was a call for a show of hands in support of these prospective solutions. All of "A" and "C" under the solutions, seemed to receive majority support. There was less immediate support for the other prospective solutions which have already been presented to the Commission in the past by other kiteboarders. Registration was the subject of extended discussion and will be examined further in subsequent meetings.


Kiteboarding Meeting – “Working To Preserve Local Access” – May 6, 2009

I. Problems in Lauderdale By-The-Sea

A. Congestion, kiters launching, riding, landing and walking among bystanders/bathers, kites & lines over walkways, emergency vehicle routes

B. Unlicensed instruction, poorly performed

C. Newbies trying to figure out how to kite in crowded area with insufficient buffer

D. Mainly around Damons, lesser extent around Pier, access roads to south and north of Galt Ocean Mile

E. Fewer problems to north of Sea Ranch Lakes with little easy parker or public access

F. Too many complaints and perception of hazards, need to get off the radar scope

G. Town is close to passing sweeping restrictions


II. Potential Solutions

A. Prepare written, posted and acknowledged kiteboarding rules through peer pressure and perhaps by BSO

1. If it is too crowded to launch, go someplace else
2. Go out beyond buoys and stay there until time to come in
3. No extended flying on land
4. Listen to authorities, don’t flip them off

B. Kiteboarder registration, fee and database management by BSO

C. Licensed, insured and permitted instruction only and not even that in crowded beach areas, offshore teaching via waverunner where permitted

D. Local resident kiters have suggested ban on riding weekends and holidays between 11 am and 4 pm. If we manage things better as a community, this should be unnecessary!

E. Local resident kites have proposed limiting total number of registered kiters to 25 per year. Again, if we manage things better as a community, this should be unnecessary!

F. Other ideas and concerns???


III. Pompano Issues and Solutions


IV. Ft. Lauderdale Issues and Solutions



Who's that behind Stewie?