Just for the curious....

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1691 Posts I give out bad advice.

http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20836

Is it really that big of a deal? I windsurf and kite, but I prefer to kite. I leash my dog, but I prefer to let him roam. I like the event site, but I prefer #$!@#$.

Is it true about the vibe at the event site? Is it weird?

It's gonna be, "carnage"?

JMatic · Since 12 Aug 2008 252 Posts Boise, In Dat Ho Obsessed

Only a Pole-Smoker, er I mean Pole-Boarder would embed a video of Depeche Mode to drive his point home that 'it's only a matter of time' in his iwindsurf post.

It'd be sweet if another big sand event occured, more room for butter and sliders!

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1865 Posts XTreme Poster

I think we should just split down the middle, that it will happen, and that it should happen. Room for everyone, regardless of wind toy. Let's not make a big deal out of something that does not need to be.

Sella · Tue Aug 10, 10 8:13 am

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1490 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

The Dude-Bro-Man has a weird sense of humor.
He's just stirring the pot. I have this image of him at his PC smoking a big fatty and laughing at the blog hysteria he creates.
I have friends on both sides of the "line" at the Event Site. The vibe I get is great and everyone is smiling.
I have no idea what everyone is talking about.
Also - the E.S. has taken a hit as being unsafe - stuff gets stolen.
Sorry, but you gotta use common sense. Leaving valuables lying on the lawn for hours while you're on the water is asking for trouble.
I agree it's disconcerting that a kite was stolen, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
I see 99% of people happy and smiling.

forrest · Tue Aug 10, 10 8:45 am

Who cares, half the people that used to try and stop kiting's expansion are kiters now... We're more similar than we are different.

luke · Since 06 Jul 2005 399 Posts Obsessed

We are lucky here, except for the occasional incident, that we kiters get along in harmony with the windsurfers. This becomes very evident when visiting other great locations like Maui or SPI where there are distinct lines drawn, literally in the sand and extending out into the water, which causes some friction.

Promoting and encouraging harmony amongst all windsport enthusiasts is the best policy. Let the Northwest be known for everyone gettin along and ripping side by side.

I am really enjoying all the space we kiters have to launch, kite, land, pump, and dry. This year we gained more space at the Event Site and we obtained space at the Marina.

Sharing waves doesn't come easy for anyone. But guess what, it just keeps getting more crowded. Yeah, kiting 14 years ago at the bridge we had the place to ourselves. Times change.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Aug 10, 10 9:34 am

I woulnt get your panties in a bind over that post. But while we are on the subject, the sand bar (west end) and event site does have a vibe all it's own. The bromance is over. Could be all the people, could be the kooks but whatever the case their is definitely an overall feeling of "I don't give a shit what your doing".

I'm guilty as well as when I want to get a lunch hour session I pretty much keep my head down. But there has been more than one occasion where I have my kite parked above the sand waiting to be landed and people wearing harnesses are just walking by like the kite is invisible. Add a dash of people stealing gear and it seems to
me that the age of innocence is over.

Just my two cents.

pollywog · Since 07 Aug 2009 291 Posts Obsessed

Yikes, so many haters! It's the "I was here first" attitude and "I don't want to share no matter how unreasonable it may be; it is my sandbox, and I don't like them in it!"
As long as he feels good about himself that's all that matters... he is so important... Yadda, yadda, yadda. Just another exclusionist. YAWN.... A waste of time he is..

hilton · Since 15 Aug 2008 803 Posts Opinionated

I think I've said this before, and it is a little late for this year, but I would encourage all of the kiters who enjoy the pump and dry access at the Event Site to step up and pay for a parking pass (and join the CGKA). It bugs me to see so many kiters parking on the street and walking in to the Event Site for free. What incentive is there for the Port to allocate more space on the grass to the free-loading kiters when the vast majority of windsurfers are paying for parking?

Gorgegezzer · Since 14 Jan 2007 67 Posts

Did this post start out about dogs? I would say leave your dog at home and take it for a walk somewhere. I don't mind them but I would be very upset if one peed on my kite. It seems like everyone gets along. I share a ride with a windsurf friend. We can sail the same site. Works for me.
PDX commented on the problem of getting someone's attention. I am on both sides of this. I often get involved in my gear, forgetting to look around and see if someone needs a catch. Previousl, I often needed a catch right away and had problems with people on the sandbar oblivious to my obvious problem.
I am enjoying getting upwind and sailing with the windsurfers. I hope to get farther upwind soon. Tomorrow looks good.

krazedkiter · Since 08 Jun 2009 183 Posts Florida Stoked

Where I come from we have hunderds of miles of beaches but only hundreds of feet we are allowed to kite from.

I rig up my kite in less room than a windsurfer needs to rig. My lines are always ready to attach without unwinding by using a little simple device to separate the lines at the end. Lines never tangle and I never need to walk them out except at home when I check them.

I always carry a strap attached to my harness with a caribiner so i can self land and self launch safely and in control anywhere in any environment. I dont rely on anyone to help me. I consider it a treat if someone does but I dont count on it (although 99% they do help)

I launch and clear my beach. I dont do kiteloops 10 feet from shore and I could give a rats ass if anyone sees me do the most wicked kiteloop or the most stupid faceplant. I ride for hours at a time and dont launch and land every 5 minutes for a smoke and a coke.

I will drive for 3 hours each way in one day to go for a nice ride if needed. I dont own the beach. Not even the hundred feet out of a hundred miles that I launch from. Everyone owns the beach.

I will make my own beach. I can pretty much launch from anywhere as long as I have 10 feet of a break in the trees or shrubs along the shore.

There is no reason in the world a windsurfer, a catarmaran and a kitesurfer cant launch from the same spot. Now if you all sail with the same 100 sq. feet of shoreline water then you got a problem.

That is all.

BTW all of the above is true and my point is the only reason we have issues is because we make them issues. And because of this other people profit off our issues. Regulated beaches, access fees, kite instructor turf, finger pointing,
not respecting personal space. The Gorge is a unique spot because I imagine alot of the economy is driven by windusrfing and kitesurfing tourists. Most other places in the world, if you bitch too much and it becomes too much of a hassle....its banned.

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

I know for a fact that "Dude-Bro-Man" who started the post on i-windsurf is a kiteboarder who just likes to stir the pot on i-Windsurf. The reality is that kiting has grown so much in over the last 5 years that kiters are competing amongst themselves for the "easy access" sites. There is no need to battle windsurfers for the Event Site. Mother Nature seems to have already decided it will be a kiteboarding launch, and is just taking her time in finishing it off. Eventually the sand will fill in just like it did at the marina, and the windsurfers will move on. Or, if you're between the age of 15 to 21, you may elect to wait until all the windsurfers die off... either way, unless there is a huge dredging effort, kiteboarding is the Event Site's future.

rich · Since 30 Nov 2005 306 Posts portland Obsessed

the guy that started that post sounds like the drive time dj on 101.1. do the right thing and it'll work out