Kite wrapped with homicidal maniac

nickdward · Since 11 Aug 2008 130 Posts Seattle Stoked

Anytime you do a downwind/reaching start it'll be a $hit show. There's no way to avoid it. Upwind rabbit starts are common practice in dinghies when you're just practicing with buddies...replace the motorboat with a sailboat. You can actually get really fair starts this way, because it's obvious if someone starts early (they didnt duck the boat) and it evenly spaces people out.

But when it's a downwind start everyone wants to get as close to the buoy as possible...carnage ensues.

They want to have everyone flying into the beach together to make it exciting, but an upwind start could be just as exciting. You could make it a rabbit start with the boat heading straight towards washington (after ducking a buoy semi-near the beach). This would space people out across the whole river and have everyone starting on starboard tack (i.e. right of way). Then people will spread out based on how fast they are upwind...like a real race!

nickdward · Since 11 Aug 2008 130 Posts Seattle Stoked

But, alas, I've come to accept the crazy S starts of KB4C. The only major problem I had with the course this year was that you could apparently round the weather mark any direction you want (even though the course whiteboard showed a specific direction).

This caused way more trouble throughout the day than the one start. It's plain and simple, in a race everyone goes around the same course the same direction.

I'd suggest making the weather mark a port rounding (i.e. round it on starboard tack, coming from washington). This way the guys rounding the mark have right of way over people trying to barge in at the last second...and if you're trying to round the other way GTFO and round correctly!

People have been racing around buoys on the water for centuries, kiters dont need to reinvent the wheel

Nak · Thu Jul 14, 11 12:50 pm

I was on the second Jetski, the one on the other side of the river. I was in front of the event site expecting problems as everyone reached the buoy there... Two guys had a tangle and sorted it out nicely; I was able to get them their boards so they could get on their way. Nobody threatened to cut anybody's lines.

I hope I was able to clear everything up! Very Happy

Seriously though:

Gman's commentary was meant to be humorous, and he was referring to himself as the homicidal maniac.

People have to remember this is a charity event. There were a few riders who were WAY to serious about this race. No names, but they haven't posted on this thread and did not place in the top 3. Several times during the day I got screamed at to get out of the way--right in the middle of a rescue. First time that's happened to me at KB4C, and I've been doing rescue since the second year. This one guy--you know who you are--damned near collided with both me and a guy who was just getting his kite back up, screaming at us both as he passed. OK, right of way for rescue operations wasn't mentioned in the briefing, but you'd of thought it was obvious; It was for everybody but a couple of guys. I guess next year we'll have to brief it.

If you're in this race to win please remember that most of the competitors are not experienced racers. This is a charity event and if you go down or have to give way to a rescue--or even a beginner kiter--that's the nature of the game. Take a chill pill and remember it's a six hour race. The few moments you think you'll save by blasting through a rescue or taking shortcuts to relaunch after a crash will not help you. Take a lesson from the winners. I have never seen one of the top three male or female riders fail to give way or engage in unsportsmanlike behavior. On the contrary, the winners are invariably some of the nicest folks on the water. If you go down with another rider, work with them to get untangled and you both can get on your way. If you see a rescue, pass with enough clearance that you don't interfere. Be determined, but if 50 feet or two minutes lost piss you off, you won't do well in a six hour race.

97031 · Thu Jul 14, 11 1:58 pm **pass the popcorn**

Adding to the entertainment, photo evidence of said incident.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Photos, now we have photos?!!

Popcorn

tautologies · Since 24 Aug 2006 602 Posts Oahu Addicted

moar:

barfly · Since 31 Mar 2005 1214 Posts Portland BRACKISH

Gman is either smiling or laughing in both of those pics. Being margarinely evil is fun!

broadbandito · Since 26 Apr 2005 342 Posts CSO headwaters WheatHead

More please. Popcorn

tonia · Since 15 Jun 2005 209 Posts The Gorge Stoked

I too was going to refrain from posting, but the show and the popcorn is just too good.

First of all, I have to say I'm stoked that controversial start of the KB4C race has received so much attention. This is not the Olympics, nor is it even meant as a serious race event, yet I am always impressed by how serious the start is for a 6-hour endurance race. It gets better every year!

Secondly, let me remind everyone that the KB4C Kite Derby Endurance Race is about SURVIVAL. Survival through the start, the tangles, the swell, up-and-down conditions, crazy pilots whether cuban, portlandian or californian, and of course survival of 6-hours of kiteboarding. The race is not designed to be easy for anyone. This race is not for whiners (hmm, t-shirt idea for next year!) or cheaters. You can't cheat cancer, only SURVIVE it.

And lastly, I DO have the high res 6000 pixel images of the start from the chopper that show everything, but I'm going to hold out and keep them in my back pocket. That would just double the length of this thread already!

Thanks for the fun banter!

Tonia

tonyb · Fri Jul 15, 11 11:47 am

Tonia hit it on the head. It is a survival race. The hole shot at the start is not required in order to win.

Tonia's statement about how the race is a little like fighting cancer really hits home. Before the start you're a little anxious, wondering how its going to go, what it will be like, how will you last, but pretty confident you will make it through.

The first hour is exciting and not too bad and you get a feel for what your body will be going through. Second hour you're still holding up but you start to slow a little. Third hour is where it the body starts to wear a little and you feel hungry and tired and a little sore, but not too bad.

The fourth hour is where the mental part comes in to play and you start thinking about how much more can you do and was this really a good idea to sign up. Maybe next year I should leave this to someone else to do. You have some ups when people cheer you on and some downs when someone with fresh legs come in to the game and whizzes by you.

During the fifth and sixth hours the mental part is harder than the physical. Yeah the body is beat, your legs are tired, the back aches and blisters are growing on hands and feet. But the mental part is where you wonder why me, wont this ever end, maybe a miracle will happen and they will call it early, maybe the leaders will tangle and I'll come from behind, etc... This is the part where you get just a teeny tiny itsy bitsy taste of what it might be like to fight through cancer, how much physical and mental energy has to go in to your life to keep on fighting and moving forward.

And when it's over and you crawl up on the beach and high five and grab a beer and cheer for your friends and hug your family you get to breathe a sigh of relief that its over. But we have to remember that for so many of our friends and family it isn't over and they have to keep fighting. Then you stand up and start thinking about going through another year to help keep the fight going.

So get over the whining and the bitching. G-man was trying to relieve some tension and have fun with a difficult situation. This isn't a win at all costs kind of race. It's about Survival. And Tenacity.

Hang tough everyone.

Tony

tekko · Since 20 Feb 2006 376 Posts White Salmon Liquid Force

Tony!

What a wonderful post! One of the best I've read on this or any other forum for a long time!!

Way to really undertand the cause behind the event and what it means to do the kite derby in honor of those struggling with cancer!!

I will say that yes... there will be a different course and start for KB4C next year... but YES, we will conceptualize it to be difficult and a struggle to keep the survival aspect.

It's hard setting endurance courses on the Columbia, because we want to utilize the whole river... but cannot put buoy's in the barge channel. In fact, friday afternoon, when we initially set the buoy's, the washington buoy was a bit further out from shore... when we arrived saturday morning... NO BUOY!! After searching.. We found it just before the hatchery. Given how difficult it was to break the anchor and 150' of line free to move it back, I know 100% that the buoy didn't drift the anchor.. but was likely dragged by a barge overnight. As we went to reset the buoy... there was a barge coming...so we pulled into the eddy on the edge to watch it pass by, and to choose a safe buoy location... the reality is the barges come pretty close to the WA side... meaning a buoy has to be pretty close to shore.

Thanks again everyone for coming out and supporting this great event!! We look forward to more challenges and fun in the name of a good cause next year!!

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1860 Posts XTreme Poster

Besides the great feeling of raising money, I find a lot of the fun is dealing with that 4th dimension of kites above you--getting around the mark at the surface (board) and the air ( kite). It's what keeps it all interesting hour after hour. Folks, it was even announced 45, 30 and 15 minutes prior to the start that you might be better off letting the rabbits take off first. My son and I did just that, still managed a tangle--with each other-- got it sorted out on the water in short order and I was able to complete all 6 hours, which for me is the "Win." Charlie, my son, did 5:30, which at 12 is really impressive. It's the CAUSE that motivated him, as well as all of the action of the kites.

Great Event. Nothing else like it.

Loved it,
Eric and Charlie Cohn

Yardsale · Since 29 Mar 2005 387 Posts Portlanastan Obsessed

It was Gman's fault, I'm sure of it, that guys crazy.