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Dana Miller Essay - POV from a windsurfer.
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ldhr

Since 21 Jul 2009
1470 Posts
Hood River
XTreme Poster



PostThu Jun 13, 13 8:50 am    Dana Miller Essay - POV from a windsurfer. Reply with quote

I've known Dana for 25 years..... he's the definition of cool. Always much respect for Dana (friend, philosopher, wave sailor).

http://www.boardheadinternational.com/the_Megazine/up_front.html

I disagree with him on the philosophy of "If it were Easy it would be called Kiting".
If Dana doesn't like it to be easy - he should be riding teak booms, sailing with no battens, no carbon masts, etc.....

Also - I'd like to know if anyone knows of an accident where a kiter tangled his lines around a windsurfer?

Also - I'd like to know why one groups thinks they have special "rights" at a state park/public beach. I understand the wind-attitude "we were here first". I just don't agree.

Last edited by ldhr on Thu Jun 13, 13 10:46 am; edited 1 time in total

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BeerKite

Since 29 Mar 2011
471 Posts

Obsessed



PostThu Jun 13, 13 9:12 am     Reply with quote

I hear you on that. Glen Plake is still one of my biggest heros but I just don't agree with that line of logic either. I mean, if we're going to go that far, why not wear loin cloths and throw rocks at our food?
I use to windsurf and I was pretty good, not great, but pretty good. I have sailed Pistol, Waddell, the Hatch, Maui etc... Windsurfing isn't really that hard. Is it harder than kiting? Yes. But it's not Rocket surgery. The argument is just over in my opinion. There is nothing I can't do on a Kite that I could do on a windsurfer. However, there are all kinds of things I can do with a kite that I couldn't do on a windsurfer.

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Sasquatch

Since 09 Mar 2005
2053 Posts
PNW
Bigfoot



PostThu Jun 13, 13 9:35 am     Reply with quote

"STARBOARD...we were here first"
http://www.vimeo.com/2653992


Doesn't the sun at sunset have one last pop of light/flash of light before it disappears?

Aren't most of the pole board crowd blue and gray hairs anyways? Some of the pole boarders...yelling out one last time before they disappear.

Who is picking up this sport anyways? It would be interesting to see some #'s/stats. Is it more popular internationally?

That being said, if u have ever watched them sail at one of the stronger wind places on the mid to south coast of Oregon or Maui, the competent wave sailers are graceful and inspiring to watch.

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Windian

Since 28 Apr 2008
880 Posts
Newport, OR
NEWPORT OG



PostThu Jun 13, 13 10:12 am     Reply with quote

I would still windsurf if I lived in an area that was more condusive to windsurf rather than kite. Pistol River is absolutely sick in terms of super windy wind which is great for windsurfing. And one of the main spots is crazy gusty and swirly since it is tucked behind a major headland that it would not be my choice as a regular kiting venue. Windsurfers can have that spot.

I live on the central Oregon coast and kitesurfing reigns supreme in this area. I windsurfed all these spots thru the 90's till I transistioned over to kiting in year 2000. This area has huge sand beaches with minimal beach hazards which makes launching and landing kites relatively safe even by myself. The winds are mostly in the 20 knot range which is great for kiting and not for windsurfing. Going out thru the surf is way safer and easier with the power of the kite. Bottom line is there are way more days of good kitesurfing than windsurfing around here, thus it is what I do now.

Dana Miller has been a good friend of mine for a long time and I sailed with him a lot up and down the coast. I never fully understood his choice to only pursue the one watersport of windsurfing. However, I do admire and respect his commitment to the sport that he has reached guru level in terms of ability and general knowledge. I do disagree with the whole controversy of the mixed lineups in that I kite comfortably with windsurfers and kiters in close proximity at the local beaches around here. It does not bother me unless someone does not understand the rules of waveriding regardless of whether that person is a kiter or windsurfer. I have encountered some resentment from windsurfers that I am riding to close, but that is their issue, not mine. I know I am being safe, and I would never put another windrider in harms way.

Kitesurfing is here to stay on the Oregon coast and windsurfing is for sure grandfathered in (no pun intended). I suggest we all just get along and bury the prejudice. Best thing we can all do is watch and observe the lineup to understand the unwritten rules of the spot, then get out there and surf like there is no tomorrow!

Cool Cool Cool

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Sella

Since 21 Apr 2007
1794 Posts
Doin' The Dalles
FLY'IN HIGH PIE GUY



PostThu Jun 13, 13 12:20 pm     Reply with quote

Many of my kiter friends who used to windsurf are talented watermen/women who have embraced change and enjoy their time on the water no matter how they get it. That's the stoke and the pro's of kiting over windsurfing are so numerous if the only jab you have is that kiting is easier....okay....you win....but you'll still be sitting in your macrame'd lawn chair next to your jam packed 1982 camper van while I go ride. Dana casting stones is weak sauce considering the evolution of kiting over the past 15 years.

ldhr wrote:
Also - I'd like to know why one groups thinks they have special "rights" at a state park/public beach. I understand the wind-attitude "we were here first". I just don't agree.

Because they can't pack up their gear on a motorcycle, or airplane and ride the world with it. I cringe watching WS's unpack and rig their shit. Windsurfers got organized and used their group size to create some great Gorge spots so they are protective but their spots are really not conducive to decent kiting launch and landing areas so their space is safe.....except for the Event Site East/West parking lot because those numbers just don't lie.

The good news is the marketing plan for windsurfers seems to be right on pace with their demographics.

http://boardsurfr.blogspot.com/2011/12/windsurfing-as-anti-aging-medicine.html

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dangler

Since 26 Feb 2006
1742 Posts
WINDY SPOTS
XTreme Poster



PostThu Jun 13, 13 12:44 pm    Dana Miller is the Dalai Lama Reply with quote

My one and only D.M. story, I'm madly rigging at Cheap in that little space inside the guard rail, got my dog tied up next to me, busy day.

Guy next to me chillin on the guard rail, his gear neatly stacked next to him. Rastapup, wildly jumping around excited by the beach and activity, leaps on the guys rig and using it like a trampoline bounces a few times and bounds off.

Most, if not all, people would be totally pissed. I know I would. Hell, in those daze I woulda gone ballistic.

Guy looks at his sail, looks at my pup, looks at me and says calmly,"It was inevitable".

Then sails calmly into the rest of the perfect day.

Dana Miller, the Dalai Lama of Windsurfing.

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SalmonSlayer

Since 27 Nov 2005
648 Posts

Addicted

CGKA Member


PostThu Jun 13, 13 1:12 pm     Reply with quote

After reading these post I expected something more caustic. It is the perspective I would expect from a windsurfer that is not interesting in kiting. He is windsurfer and not a waterman. A waterman would not be as resistant to adopting another water activity.

It seems as if he knows he is in a losing battle and it is just a matter of time

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Inept_Fun

Since 14 Apr 2005
1417 Posts
Hood River
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PostThu Jun 13, 13 5:12 pm     Reply with quote

if nobody wanted to learn it, it would be called windsurfing

I have lots of friends who windsurf, and most of them also kite, or are cool with kiters. Some windsurfer writing about kiting who doesnt actually kite doesnt really have any knowledge on what he is talking about... Im guessing hes at least 60 years old or some ish. No offense to my senior citizens out there!!!!

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dangler

Since 26 Feb 2006
1742 Posts
WINDY SPOTS
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PostThu Jun 13, 13 5:38 pm    whaaaa? Reply with quote

. Im guessing hes at least 60 years old or some ish. No offense to my senior citizens out there!!!!


SIXTY IS THE NEW BLACK!!!!BIATCHHH!!!

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Last edited by dangler on Thu Jun 13, 13 6:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

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WindLogik

Since 09 Feb 2009
95 Posts
Hood River
 



PostThu Jun 13, 13 5:40 pm     Reply with quote

I windsurf and kite. I don't get the this versus that thing. It's all the same to me. You cruise around on a board and are powered by the wind. No one really gets paid for it. We're not members of gangs...

I like kiting... there's just something about about a light, snappy, six foot surfboard that is great. My smallest windsurf board is 75 liters. On the coast, typically I have used an 85 liter board with a 5.2 (i don't windsurf on the coast anymore). This is big gear by gorge standards. Anyone that can't see that a small, six foot, surfboard for kiting is awesome and fun to ride in mushy northwest waves has a mental dysfunction. You don't have to live like a hermit in a van to enjoy kiting and be proficient either. Seriously, tired of the kiting windsurfing thing. Lame. lame. lame.

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Nak

Since 19 May 2005
4199 Posts
Camas
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PostThu Jun 13, 13 6:28 pm     Reply with quote

WindLogik wrote:
Seriously, tired of the kiting windsurfing thing. Lame. lame. lame.

Thumb's Up We're all playing on the river/ocean with wind toys. Toys. Fun, yes. Important, no. I've got a lot of respect for anyone who is really good at either endeavor. But still, we're all just playing.

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SimPistol

Since 13 Jan 2011
52 Posts
Gold Beach/Pistol River
 



PostThu Jun 13, 13 9:58 pm     Reply with quote

Dana is a class act and deserves nothing but praise in any wind related forum. There are very few local kiters down here and he has been nothing but supportive, tolerant, and respectful towards all of us. His article is an honest attempt to placate both sides, not fuel a hopeless debate. He seems happy to see some of the local crew get stoked about wind. I know for a fact that not one of the local kiters have ever been hassled at anytime down here.

Typically the only drama that occurs down here each year takes place between kiters that don't live here and windsurfers that don't live here. They import that shit! This is a phenomenon that I find laughable. I'm lucky enough to find a few hours to cram in a kite session after work, meanwhile dudes are down at the beach bitching at one another while on VACATION.

I chose kiting due to its versatility. It allows me to combine elements of every board sport I've ever loved - skating, snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding. It is an amalgamation of awesomeness. Windsurfing vs Kiting is a false dichotomy. Kiting has broad appeal because it's a crossover sport that borrows from a wide range of influences, therefore it naturally attracts a larger audience. I've never windsurfed, but it seems highly specialized...it's its own thing (but wtf do I know?). I highly doubt many people have agonized over which sport to pick, and after hours of research and self-reflection decided to go with kiting because it's "easier". I drink beer with my right hand because it's "easier", I kite because it's fucking rad. Either way...I'm drunk.

I digress...the kite vs windsurf debate will rage on for years to come, but really it's not about picking an eventual winner. It's just another excuse to talk about the sport we love. And that's all Dana is doing with this article - loving his sport.

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Bargeslayer

Since 08 Jul 2012
100 Posts

Stoked



PostFri Jun 14, 13 6:26 am     Reply with quote

SimPistol wrote:
I highly doubt many people have agonized over which sport to pick, and after hours of research and self-reflection decided to go with kiting because it's "easier". I drink beer with my right hand because it's "easier", I kite because it's fucking rad. Either way...I'm drunk.



Nailed it. By far the most profound statement I've read on here in weeks.

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Windstoked

Since 21 May 2013
43 Posts
Norcal
 



PostFri Jun 14, 13 9:23 am     Reply with quote

Dana's article is well-written and interesting.
I've never had a negative encounter with a windsurfer here in Norcal, but was disappointed when my sons and I visited the Gorge last summer and encountered windsurfers swerving at us and spraying us after we rode down to Doug's from Rowena. We were being careful to always give them their line on waves and change direction or course to be courteous, as we kiters have such greater mobility. Later, my son had a kite deflate on the opposite side from Rowena, and not one windsurfer rode by to ask if he was OK. Before we could rig up to rescue him, he swam back and ended up a half mile down the river.

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tekko

Since 20 Feb 2006
376 Posts
White Salmon
Liquid Force



PostFri Jun 14, 13 9:56 am     Reply with quote

I don't know Dana personally, but have shredded the same waves with him many times in my Cape Hatteras days.

One thing I will always remember was an odd sunny 70 deg day of S wind on hatteras just after christmas one year. Most people were out of town. There were only 2 of us on the southside getting it. I had to set a downwind shuttle with a bicycle, as there was no one around to set cars. I remember to this day, while getting some amazing waves, looking down the line at Dana and thinking- that guy knows how to get it!! In that moment, we were the same... shredding the shit out of south swell mackers on the south side of hatteras.

Respect gets respect. Good wave riders, on surf, kite or windsurf know this and can co exist and all get good waves in the same lineup the same day. What's even better is when you can have mixed sessions and be as stoked to see a guy who you don't know on a windsurfer getting sick waves and turns as you are for getting your own. I have found it this way in San Carlos many times too... and as kiters, because we have it so easy to get more waves, it's nice to share the respect, give waves to windsurfers and holler a cheer when they crack the lip... we can easily tack out and grab the next one in the set.

That said... it only takes one douche kiter or windsurfer to blow the flow for an entire lineup of mixed wind users... so... respect gets respect... show some, get some, and don't be the douche who blows the stoked for everyone!!

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Gman

Since 11 Feb 2006
4907 Posts
Portland
Unstrapped



PostFri Jun 14, 13 10:48 am     Reply with quote

share the love Thumb's Up

my bro Mark!


   markoffthelip.jpg 

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OG

Since 07 Jun 2011
533 Posts

Addicted



PostFri Jun 14, 13 12:04 pm     Reply with quote

Nice picture G. you guys are both makin' it look easy on that one.

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