another hobie day

[ricki]

Astounding, the guy is dealing with gusts and lulls rides within five feet upwind of that woman on a shallow sand bar. Then he throws a kiteloop over people's heads on the beach, landing in inches of water. Amazing indifference to the safety of others, much less yourself. Could see this guy going to jail in some other countries or even in this one if someone gets hurt. A dozen local kiters should have been having a serious heart to heart with this guy. Most of us realize what can happen in something like this, right? The water is so shallow, strike bottom and off he goes at light speed into the people, timber posts and parked cars. Or, he just screws up, the wind gusts, something breaks, he hits someone, etc. etc.. Luck doesn't last forever, or even much more than a few weeks at this launch.

[robertovillate]

astounding.

and do you mean that NOBODY there is willing to intervene?

[kent]

wait a second... you called him a local. i think that we know who this is and he is not a Miami local. in hearing about all of the issues, i think Miami can thank Ft. Lauderdale for sending down some great kite ambassadors that are threatening our access.

i didn't see the accidents, but the video is pretty clear. what the video didn't show is the hundreds of people in the water and on the beach with their kids. the funny thing is that the conditions were far better out on the sand bar.

come on boys, we have all seen enough dangle kite loops. take it off shore until you learn a new trick and show it too us later.

[ricki]

I was thinking it would be good for a dozen local kiters to talk with the guy whoever he is. Maybe Neil knows the guy, looks like he was on a SS kite.

I know folks just want to kite and probably don't want to get involved. Still ... someone gets slashed by lines, someone's child, mother or as Patrick pointed out. Even more likely, who wants to volunteer their car get get some major front end work, smashed windshield, hood with an inbound kiter? It's happened before.

Is there enough interest at Hobie, really all our launches wherever they may be in the State for a bunch of guys to stop what they are doing long enough to talk some sense to someone like this? If a guy was riding a dirt bike like this through your neighborhood, you would just let him do it? It isn't someone else's job, it's our job, like it or not. If you see something like this, you should want to get involved, if for no other reason than preservation of your ability to ride.

So, how about it, would people get involved or just blow it off?

[Josh]

I was at Hobie yesterday. Man, what an awesome day for kiting. After 3:00 we had 20+, sunny, and "warm" weather for the first time in a long long mediocre season here.

To everyone who was out on the sandbar yesterday, props. It was a blast riding out there with everyone pushing themselves in the huge flatwater paradise. I saw some insane stuff being thrown down out there, wow.

I'm not sure why anyone stayed near the shore? The wind was flukier, it wasn't as flat, and there wasn't any room to push yourself because if you missed the bar on a pass it would be in the trees immediately. Am I missing something?

[greg meintjes]

One of the things , I find really disturbing is that the guy is not even a beginner , so he can not even claim ignorance regarding his behaviour,he just could not care ,all he wanted to do was show off, there were also a lot of other riders that should not have been riding where they were from what I could see on the video. I think it is great that this video was posted so we can at least put faces to the guys that are going to ruin access at certain spots for us,I do not ride there,but a bad accident there can definately affect other launch sites.

Greg

[neil xrated]

FYI, this is "a". He does not ride for Slingshot, he is not from Ft. Lauderdale. He has been a rider for x ago, then y then z now nobody, I wonder why???????????