THE WAR IS OVER

dangler · Since 26 Feb 2006 1781 Posts WINDY SPOTS XTreme Poster

I remember times in my early days in the gorge when windsurfers would get pissy with kiters just for being on the same water. Hell, I remember getting pissed at a certain local kiting the Hatch and being a dick, and this was before the end of the last century.

Then Lou and Elliot came to the gorge, I'm eyeing a swell and thinking, heres another asshole kiter f@cking with my mojo, the guy looks over at me, smiles, pops twenty feet downwind, and continues on with his awesome session. ( That was Elliot by the way)

Changed my attitude about kiters just like that. Or to put it another way, it made me aware that not all kiters are dicks, not all dicks are kiters.

And that maybe someday, I could be a kiter! Hell, those guys made it look fun.

So I got into kiting, liked it so much that first season that I went to Baja cause I coudn't stop. This is the winter of "99, and there aren't many kiters at La Ventana, but there are PLENTY of cranky windsurfers who sure don't want to share their little piece of heaven with some upstarts on strings. Kinda the way I felt at first, but these aholes ramped it up to violent confontation, intimidation, usual bullsh@t... to the point where The Wall Street Journal (of all freaking publications) had an article about it on the front page! I kid you not!

Anyway, I remember some of these people, the pissed off windsurfers, and I usually see them kiting now. Guess they had the same epiphany that I did.

Remember, this was over a decade ago. That war is long over, and everyone won. Now windsurfers kite, kiters windsurf, and people seem to just enjoy themselves on the water more, and in more ways.

So in summation, I quote the late great Rodney King.

"Muthafucka, quit beating the shit ouuta me, I was only speeding...." Wait, that not the right quote, oh yeah,

it's ....... Live Long and Dangle!!!!

knotwindy · Since 25 Sep 2011 615 Posts Addicted

problem is it's not a war, it's a feud
and they go on and on and on and
even when no one can remember why people still get wacko

to quote bob dylan:
people are crazy and times are strange
i'm locked in tight, i'm out of range
i used to care, but things have changed

D-Krep It Kiter · Since 18 Jul 2011 417 Posts Obsessed

I was windsurfing at the Hatch last year. According to the i-Windsurf pager the wind was ranging from 10 to 35... while sitting on the beach bitching to my wife about how horrible it was out there, we watched a kiter just come cruising down the swell, turn... turn.. turn...Something just clicked for me and I thought "man, those kiters are onto something..." Signed up for a lesson that week. That was over a year ago. I've windsurfed twice since then, and both times my post-windsurf kite session was far better. I keep saying I'll go windsurfing again, but kiting just keeps calling me back...

Link

WINDUDE · Since 10 Jun 2010 558 Posts GORGE! Addicted

P E N I S !

boardrider · Since 05 Apr 2006 1034 Posts Ventura, CA XTreme Poster

So true that the attitude & actions of one person can change how a whole group is perceived.

Unfortuately, I had the opposite experience back @ summer '00 or '01 at Stevie.

My brother was 18, and learning to windsurf. Took him to 'Bob's' beach in Stevenson, and he ended up downwind at the point. I walked down from Bob's to help him retrieve gear and watched a kiter buzz him, and jump over him in a very aggressive manner. Way too close, with no regard for his safety.

Confronted the older, starting to go gray skinny dude on the beach when he came in. He said something to the effect of " I was teaching him a lesson " . My girlfriend & brother had to hold me back while they talked me down. I was ready to kill the dude when my girl said ' you have so much to loose and so little to gain', and got me thinking straight. That guy was lucky she was there.

I'm not sure who that older graying dude was at the point, but I'll never forget how the actions of one asshole can affect how the whole group is perceived.

There are people in life who spread hate, and those that spread the stoke. Long live those that spead the stoke.

wylieflyote · Fri Jul 13, 12 5:34 am

And, I am so happy this year for the first time we never got that month long "LEAVE YOUR DAMN DOG AT HOME" thread.
The War really IS over.

kochease · Since 03 Jul 2008 760 Posts In Ft. Stevens, OR Opinionated

Great post Dangler!! It's posts like this that keep me coming back reading everyday to nwkite . It's great hearing about how things were when kiting started. Reminds me of when I went from skis to directional snowboard back when it was new and the crap I got from other skiers. Time changes all.

Cheers to more posts like this and dern's Kalama post and not the dog at home month long feud.

Jonpnw · Fri Jul 13, 12 8:01 am **Respect**

Much respect to the pioneers of kiting in our area.

It is so cool talking to these guys. One day at the Marina "Keith" just starts talking about old c kites, getting launched and jerked around, ending up at bozo beach..... on and on. He had so many cool stories.

MarkWorth · Since 02 May 2011 149 Posts Hood River Stoked

Life is much simpler if you don’t need to keep track of the friends and enemies. If you treat all water users as friends you can focus on having fun on the water and on the beach.

The “have more fun” on the signature block is not a joke. I want everybody to have more fun.

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

Funny, at the beach the poledancers generally seemed pretty cool about it. I guess there was a recognition that anyone venturing out into the cold and churning couldn't be all bad.

Just don't mistake one for a kiter and ask him/her to catch your kite Confused

But it's the beach, do you really need someone to catch your kite?

The surfers --- that was a different story. I recall one day blowhard and some surfer (also of an age where your hair is no longer the original color) yelling and yelling in the water about some right of way issue. Blowhard comes in drops his kite, stalks back towards the shoreline. I'm thinking "well, I've never seen what blood looks like on grey hair, this might be interesting". The surfer comes walking up out of the surf to meet BH ..... dude's only 5 1/2 feet! Comes up to john's chest maybe. Somehow face to face (or face to chest) their disagreement was resolved quickly and amicably.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

[quote="pjc"]Funny, at the beach the poledancers generally seemed pretty cool about it. I guess there was a recognition that anyone venturing out into the cold and churning couldn't be all bad.

Just don't mistake one for a kiter and ask him/her to catch your kite Confused

But it's the beach, do you really need someone to catch your kite?

The surfers --- that was a different story. I recall one day blowhard and some surfer (also of an age where your hair is no longer the original color) yelling and yelling in the water about some right of way issue. Blowhard comes in drops his kite, stalks back towards the shoreline. I'm thinking "well, I've never seen what blood looks like on grey hair, this might be interesting". The surfer comes walking up out of the surf to meet BH ..... dude's only 5 1/2 feet! Comes up to john's chest maybe. Somehow face to face (or face to chest) their disagreement was resolved quickly and amicably.[/quote

all looking out for one another ,
a that crazy dudes,

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

at flo any surfer that is interacting with kiters needs an alarm clock.

at that spot, kiters ride the witching hour, surfers dawn patrol, really we should never meet unless you're camping out there.

BeerKite · Since 29 Mar 2011 471 Posts Obsessed

dancingwind · Since 18 Jul 2007 321 Posts Obsessed