Is the Hatchery turning into an angry bee hive?

dancingwind · Since 18 Jul 2007 321 Posts Obsessed

Here is what a buddy of mine thinks about this whole situation. His an experienced windsurfer who's lived and windsurfed in Hawaii for 20 years and had to deal with similar crap. Here is his take,

"I thought only the Hawaiian local type believed they owned every wave at every break. The river is huge, plenty of room for every one. This crap is going to lead to rules or injuries which will stifle the freedoms we now enjoy. This is "We were here first, it's ours." it's the same old shit I see ever where I go. Testosterone micro brained idiots

I dealt with this crap for twenty years windsurfing in Hawaii. How predictable that small percentage of the males of our species are. How disgusting and limited the minds of such individuals has to be. If their testosterone levels are simply too high they should ride bulls or go wench their pick ups out of mud hole instead of windsurfing.

None of us can lay claim to the moving water we windsurf or kite board on. Water rights have never and will never be given over to the individuals who enjoy recreational sports upon them. If we don't police our own and we become a thorn in the sides of those who do have authority you can bet their solutions will be similar to pest control.

Best thing is to simply put the word out in the windsurfing community to knock off the aggressive crap. If I see it my fellow windsurfer running down a kite boarder in an aggressive manner I will definitely deal with it. WE ARE THERE TO UNWIND FROM OUR LIVES NOT TO CREATE THE VERY STRESS WE ARE THERE TO ESCAPE."

Nak · Sat Jul 14, 12 7:16 am

Very well said! Thumb's Up

Something these morons don't realize is that local law enforcement is not going to behave the way the cops do in Hawaii. These idiots think they can make the Columbia like the North Shore of Oahu. Perhaps somebody needs to carefully spell out the diference to them, very very slowly so that they can comprehend. In Hawaii, the local cops turn a blind eye to ass kickings the locals hand out for surfing infractions. They will not do that here. Here you go Petey and your fellow criminal conspirator. The. Cops. Here. Will. Arrest. Your. Ass. Do you understand? Do I need to go a little slower for you guys? I know it's rough going through life with a pea sized brain, but try and deal, OK? Keep this up and you WILL go to jail. And when you get out on parole, do you think avoiding the river might be part of your probation? Think real hard about that little boys.

For the rest of the windsurfers who are great guys and gals and whom I respect very much. If this gets out of hand you are risking access. Don't think for a second the authorities won't shut access at the hatch down if violence starts insinuating itself into the culture there. Go ahead. Flame away. Then start making some calls and see what the authorities think. Petey and the flat topped moron are risking your access.

If violence doesn't work, will yelling like a little girl work? No. Read this thread. You're just going to encourage testosterone filled kiters to come up to the Hatch to screw with you.

What then? Try talking. Gee, it's worked all over the world, including here. Don't give idiots like Petey positive reinforcement. Call them out on their idiocy. Jackasses like these two thrive on their sense of self-importance. A little peer pressure would fix the problem. Better than having to call the cops. Don't let a very few assholes ruin the vibe and the stoke.

Yes, there will always be someone that comes through and screws things up. That's called life. It's not like we're doing something valuable for humanity here folks. We're playing on a big playground with toys. We're having fun. Nothing more. Life will go on after the occasional clueless rider moves on.

WINDUDE · Since 10 Jun 2010 558 Posts GORGE! Addicted

H O L Y V A G I N A!!!

let's go sailing!

Slaker · Since 29 Jul 2008 41 Posts

So basically what I have read is that no windsurfers got hit by kiters but kiters almost got hit by windsurfers and windsurfers even tried to hit kiters. You don't have right of way when jumping.

Apparently said pro kiters knew exactly what they where doing as they didnt hit anyone even though it was super crowded. Sounds like pony tail is just an out of control kook that doesn't want to have to look before he leaps.

Bottom line, if you try to run down me or my friends you are in trouble because I can out maneuver you, use your head as a bonk, and ride away dragging your whole rig so u have to swim in. So be careful who you mess with.

wakeup · Since 11 Sep 2005 328 Posts always Obsessed

man, those kiters are my friends but I don't think what they did was very cool. In two days and two instances they managed to piss off a lot of people including the port. People that we have to live here with, see and deal with everyday. these guys are leaving in a week or two...
there is nothing wrong with kiters kiting at the hatch. I have several friends that are some of the best windsurfers that have told me that it is cool. BUT, when you doing big hucks strapless in the middle of the hatch on the biggest day of the year so far, losing your board and having to drag for it....
Let's put it this way, if someone did the same thing down in the kite park, a lot of guys would be on here bitching that they couldn't have any fun cause someone kept screwing up the rotation.
sound familiar?

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Some people are just tools and aren't considerate of others... windsurfers or kiters. If your purposely on the water to piss of a windsurfer then your kiting for the wrong reason and same goes the other way around. Just get out there and kill it. This thread is fucking dead.

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 664 Posts Addicted

Okay, so I thought I would post my experience today with friendly windsurfers at the Wall.

I was having an epic session at Rufus today when I popped my center strut (7m rpm). Luckily I always take the extra effort to pinch the caps on my struts, so it only affected the one strut. I think I rode it for about a 1/2 hour like this because the kite was acting funky (wingtips would pop together and touched each other occasionally), however it was extremely windy and gusty, so it's hard to tell for sure.

Anyway, eventually the kite just started having a mind of it's own and did about 7 kite loops before it found a nice resting place in the water. I didn't know it at the time but the kite actually bowtied (found out when I got to the kite later on).

After dinking around with the kite for a while in the water without any success I determined I would need to self rescue. I pulled my safety, and bam... nothing..... The kite had rolled so many times that my lines were not sliding. I played around with the lines for a bit more and was finally able to self rescue by pulling a line (not sure if it was my safety line or not) by hand and eventually getting to the kite. I was unable to get to my board however.

After I had finally self rescued to the first island I could see my board on a mission of it's own... heading down the river without it's master...

I made it back to the kite zone and talked to a couple of guys with boats and jet skis, but nobody was very interested in helping me retrieve my long lost friend (my slingshot dialer... I love that board). I'm sure these guys get hit up all the time to retrieve boards. They're probably sick being bothered on a regular basis. If I owned a boat or a jet ski, and made the effort to drive it all the way to rufus, I'm not sure I would help every joe that asked me either.

So, on to plan B. I tried to kayak out to my board (I carry kayaks with me).... After a quick stint in the river with 45+ mph gusts, I determined that my life was more important than my long lost board and turned around with my tail between my legs.

Okay, Plan C. I drove down to the Wall and talked to all the windsurfers there. Man these guys were nice. Everyone I talked to was sincerely concerned about my board. I made the pass stopping at every windsurf spot along the road, talking to everybody. Nobody had seen my board, but everyone was making efforts to help. I finally got to a point where somebody had seen my board, but had not been able to retrieve it. At this point I knew I was further east than my board so I turned around and repeated the process of talking to every windsurfer along the route. Eventually My cell phone showed that I had a VM, however coverage was so bad that I could not retrieve my VM. I tried to call the number, but we could not understand each other due to the poor coverage. I'm driving along and I see a gal along the roadside talking on her phone. I pull over to talk to the windsurfers in this zone and look back on the other side of her car. Low and behold I see my board. At the same time a number of the people whom I had talked to earlier come up to me and say... Hey did you find your board??? It's right up here.

A windsurfer named Debbie had brought in my board. Now, I know how tough this is on a windsurfer (I used to live at Dougs Beach as a kid windsurfing). Carrying a board is much easier on a kiteboard because you can control the kite with one hand. Controlling a windsurfer with one hand in 45+ mph gusts and huge swell as you are holding a large surfboard in your other hand is a major feat.

I tried to offer Debbie money, but she wouldn't take it. I offered to go back and buy her fruit, booze, whatever she wanted... But no. She was a true good samaratin.

Point of the Story. Every windsurfer I talked to was helpful. Many of them stated that they also kited sometimes. Everybody provided positive input and promised to keep their eyes in lookout mode.

Thank you to all the windsurfers at The Wall today. And most importantly thank you Debbie, for taking time out of your epic session to retrieve my board... A board that I absolutly love.

Sincerely,
-John

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

Great post

Windian · Since 28 Apr 2008 901 Posts Newport, OR NEWPORT OG

This post is messed up!!

It has somehow turned into an us against them "gang" thing. It is not anything of the sort, it is the actions of a couple of individuals regardless of their sporting pursuit that have behaved in an aggressive manner. That's it!!

There are asshole windsurfers, just like there are asshole kiters, always has been and always will be. Don't go blaming the whole windsurfing community for the rude actions of a couple of individuals with a chip on their shoulders. Lots of way cool people out there with our wind sports, way more good vibes than bad ones. Rejoice!!

Cool

K4L · Since 19 Jan 2009 483 Posts Obsessed

Very good post.
Seems negativity gets the most attention in general but I think your experience is more representative of our brothers in windstoke than otherwise.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1857 Posts XTreme Poster

Yep. Big pay it forward day at 3 mile. My van broke down on the way out. A buddy saw me and loaded up his van with our stuff. Swell at 3 mile was huge. Windsurfer flagged me down as he found a new SS directional floating mid river and asked me to help him get it in (dropped it at the point at 3 mile so hopefully somebody got it back). An hour later a windsurfer broke his mast and needed a tow in. We actually had a great chat. Rode lots of swell tandem with a ripping sailor on a Northwave. All smiles and good joo joo out there on both sets of wind gear

Interstate Battery Jeff busted the biggest strapless jump I've had the pleasure of seeing. It was Redbull big.

Get back to Hood River at 5--driving my friend's van--and my younger son ( whose gear is in the broken van) is getting a session because Brave loaned him a board and kite, while Tony (Best Kites) loaned him a harness

We live in an amazing place full of amazing people.

Eric

JimmyH · Since 06 Mar 2012 122 Posts United States Stoked

Windsurfing is so much more difficult to become good at than kiting. For all you kiters that have not gone through the learning curve from 12' big boards to riding 75 ltr boards, jibing on waves, and getting out through surf in light winds, just check it a bit.

I do witness frustration and tempers flaring on the water, mostly because of right of way etiquette and riders ability to session a wave together. By respecting the down the line path, just like in surfing where the surfer who is deepest in the wave at takeoff has right of way, many of these issues can be avoided and escalations minimized. So study the rotation of a the section of water you are riding and go with the flow, like a circle or figure 8 pattern. Be patient, there is always another set wave coming your way.

JonMalmberg · Since 15 Aug 2011 340 Posts Obsessed

Good points Jimmy, but what so many forget is that most of us that kite up at the Hatch are from the windsurfing world and have put our dues in as point rats back in the day.

It pisses me off when some windsurfer gives me the stink eye or starts yelling at me. I just yell back that they need to learn how to really windsurf and that I would be more than happy to trade gear right then and there, and show them what their rig is actually capable of...

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

I have always thought that one of the problems between kiters and windsurfers is kiters who are beter windsurfers then the windsurfers so they have no respect for the windsurfers. I have never had a problem with a pro level windsurfer wether I am on a kite a sail or sup, it is always some intermediate windsurfer causing me grief. I remember being out with a friend who was jumping a kite down wind of a lady trying to learn to waterstart when she starts screaming at him. So he went in barrowed a sailboard and thru a front in the same spot downwind of her.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1857 Posts XTreme Poster

^^
Yep and Yep last two posts

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

Wha? People are still windsurfing?

I thought that had been cancelled

... in exchange for shuffleboard on the lido deck.

shred_da_gorge · Sat Jul 21, 12 10:01 pm

Don't be so quick to write windsurfing off. Kiting and windsurfing is like snowboarding and skiing (respectively). There was a time when snowboards weren't allowed at many resorts due to the 'punk kids' riding them, then when the middle-aged folks started equaling numbers there was a revival of freestyle skiing. I remember watching TGR movies with some steep, sick shit... then the next year it's the same steep drops with the new school throwing tricks on the way down. The kiters my age (or thereabouts) who came from windsurfing (and even grew kiting - Naish, Logosz, Winner, etc.), we were impressed by front and back loops in our day. There's a new school of windsurfers throwing some pretty wild stuff on poleboards - hate to say it but stuff that 95% of kiters will never come close to. And the Hatch is one of the few places in the world you can see it.

This is not to condone the action of the few, by the way, just saying... if you're a kiter who's never windsurfed you might not understand. (Kinda reminds me of drivers who criticize cyclists without ever having ridden in traffic themselves).

TJ and Bam-Bam know!