Water Front Recreation Committee outcome

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1805 Posts XTreme Poster

Snowmelter, sage words indeed. Thanks for the perspective as folks let their emotions, myself included, get involved.

Having said that i firmly believe that setting aside some lawn for kites provides a mixing place--a community of sorts--for both species of wind lovers to talk each other's language. It's a way to bring foks together. To me, if feels a bit too "Jim Crow" for my tastes at present. And yes, I also windsurf.

Regardless, you bring up good points and I appreciate your perspective to help lighten things up a bit.

Regards,
Eric

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

I went out solo at Mosier last night had a very nice windsurfer launch me and when I came in talked to him and his buddy for 20 min. I think the port is helping fuel a battle that does not need to be their kites and windsurfers can mix on land and water and they do not need to be seperated.

trevorsmith · Since 25 Apr 2005 501 Posts PDX Addicted

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

SNR - good points... I am really not that ruffled up about it, but I think the frustration that's there is that the message we have gotten from the port is to get organized body together if we want to see positive action on the parts of kiters. We do it, and it seems like nothing has changed.

Last Sunday's CGKA meeting was great, I think if all the Port members could have seen the group talk through the issues they would have seen that in general kiteboarders understand the issues at hand and are not trying to make unreasonable requests.

So we get the group together, have a great meeting, then the leaders take the issue to the committe meeting, and then it goes basically nowhere. Well-- maybe I shouldn't say that, maybe the idea of re-visiting the issue mid summer leaves the door open to getting the rules changed. I thank the CGKA BOD for stepping up and taking this issue forward and trying to get'er done.

Or - we could all take the stance of get what you are given and be happy. Works I guess, but it never hurts to try to get more for you and your sport.

I look forward to the cleanup party on the 19th, and the Kiteboarding For Cancer Event late summer, and the new Slider. Good times when kiters come together to help out.

Mark · Wed May 09, 07 9:41 am

I too am looking forward to helping clean the sandbar. My concern is that we are LOSING 600' of sandbar. We have gained nothing and are losing....
Fair is fair. Lets be treated as equals.
Rant over.
Mark

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

glad to see much more open discussion now. lets keep it coming.

im with eric in thinking the event site should live up to its name. a place for events.....sailing and kiting.....also a place where kiters and windsurfers can intermingle. good for both sports. also for the kiters with small kids the event site is a much beter place to hang than the sandspit. yet i have no problem with my kids walking around the kites. i do have problems with them around sails though.

ps: im a windsurfer

Kitebitch · Since 11 May 2007 2 Posts New Member

OK, I know this is a bit over the top and will piss some off, but this is a kite forum after all, and I see some people I have known and respected for a long time getting shit on for sticking up for the kiteboarders and as if we got something to loose? As far as I see it, that meeting was a total flop for the kiteboarders and fact is, they decide what they were going to do days before this so called public meeting. The sad part is, every year it get worse as the sport keeps growing. NO ONE GAVE A SHIT ABOUT THE SAND SPIT UNTILL KITEBOARDING AND THE FACT $$$ COULD BE MADE BY THE PORT. The sand spit was much better before the port did any improvements. We had shade and grass. Now we have sharp rocks, no shade or grass and lots of dust!

I wish everyone was aware of how one-sided this whole thing is. If you are not, then look into it a bit closer and learn the facts. Simply said, the kiteboarders are getting screwed!

Talked to a couple who just arrived to Hood River on vacation from Australia to kite and they are not only pissed about the lack of affordable camping, "close to town", but most of all the lack of kiteboarding locations. I told them to seek refuge on the Washington side since they are much more open minded and many good launches are not only available but free. Hood River used to be and easy going town but now is controlled by self-righteous, windsurfing, "not in my town", folks who originally came to HR car camping but for some reason feel beyond that now.

Could someone please arrange the opportunity for Bruce and or Steve to have the chance to hit me over the head 100 times with my inflated kite if I can just hit them one time with their windsurfing mast? I can kind of understand Bruce's hatred toward kiteboarding, since he only sells sails, but Steve who sells 2 major brands of kite gear at his shop? I think someone should bring his anti-kiteboarding mentality to the attention of North and Cabrinha. But then again he is a manipulative lire who will just steer them wrong and money talks and shit walks especially in HR.

As a long-time HR resident lady who never windsurfed or kiteboarded said it best, "Since when did we start drawing lines in the sand and decide who gets to play where in this town?"

I have been windsurfing 4 times longer than I have been kiteboarding and must say that I am embarrassed to be a windsurfer in HR. I think I am going to make my board into a slider. Oh, I hear that is illegal now as well. Hum, must be for your safety? or another way for them to make $$$$?

People are going to get hurt and or die from windsurfing and kiteboarding but does that mean we should ban it? Get real and grow up.

I give Stevenson all my best wishes and wish HR would take all the photos of kiteboarding out of their reality and town advertising since they are only giving a false impression of their so called acceptance and appreciation for kiteboarding.

shastadogs2 · Since 28 Mar 2005 336 Posts Obsessed

money talks
bullshit walks

jimmi

Sella · Fri May 11, 07 10:06 pm

Very true Shastadogg....and I hope Kitebitch is a chica but you have to admit she's sporting a pair, is hilarious, and brings up some interesting points as well as every other hardcore kiter on this site. The CGKA got back-doored but give them props for charging hard and trying to go big in last week's meeting. Did 600 feet really turn into 1000 feet?? Who gives a shit. Let the event site go because we got new real estate to play on and the Port is being cool and accomodating to allow 4-wheel drives, chainsaws and anything else to get it cleaned up. It will be interesting to see how many windsurfers help the "cause" on the 19th but you know kiters will come from all over to push the stoke. Kitebitch is right....the Spit is a dust barrel and the last few weeks I've been enjoying the Event site parking lot very much. Let the CGKA rally to get the spit paved, possibly bring in a few truckloads of topsoil and toss some grass seeds down to see what pops up and our efforts might just create our own nirvana away from those heavy-ass head banging masts. I like windsurfing but I don't like how they judge me when I'm carrying a bag with a pump attached to it and don't even smile or say "hi" back. It's like I'm from the Evil Empire when I think we actually have very similar DNA so it's all good in the hood alright....and the swell of kiting is here to stay. Every kiter I've met in HR or Stevenson...funnier than shit and always willing to help launch / land whatever. I travel a lot for my job and I'm amazed at the global hype with kiting. Three years ago...nobody knew what I was doing...now everybody I meet knows somebody that kites thanks to great technology and safety. It's definitely the calm before the storm on how big it will be and you have to love tossing your "gear" in the trunk of your car to hit the beach, snow or water anytime I want and don't need a Greyhound bus to carry it around waiting for some serious big wind before I roll it out. Don't forget about the early days of snowboarding and how those damn boarder punks were screwing up the ski lines. Who won that fight??? Let the windsurfers have their say and their $5 parking and let's keep supporting the CGKA and their BOD because they will get the power in numbers and $$$ because if you look into the sky....the money is talking....so let the bullshit walk on the event site...for now. Patience my pretty.....patience.

Sorry for the rant everyone...I'm just still stoked about how good the Wind Gods were to us this past week and hope they will continue to bless us for the next 48 large.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1805 Posts XTreme Poster

I wonder if our words will all begin to have a greater impact if we all start posting with our real names? In the end it will be about bringing wind enthusiasts on the same page. I think it can be done, but it may happen a few people at a time, and be slower than we want it to be.

Here goes:

Eric Cohn
Hood River: aka "Eric" on NWkite

bruce|peterson · Since 12 May 2007 2 Posts New Member

Kitebitch · Since 11 May 2007 2 Posts New Member

Hi Bruce,

Thank you for steping up to the plate and setting things straight.

I appreciate you suppport and efforts. Sorry for the misunderstanding but hope you can understand our frustration with the situation.

I guess you can just hit me over the head with my inflated kite and just keep your mast with your sail.

As you know, we just all need to get along and stay away from the Dangler or hopefully get rid of him.

Looking forward to watching you riping on the water and look out for those silly slow zones. I hope all the windsurfers are not forced to do the 600 ft Hulla in and out of the event site. A windsurfer off plane has less control. As far as I see it, small kids / dogs and windsurfing equipment on a event site beach do not mix. Same for kiteboaring gear and kids / dogs. So should swiming and unatended kids even be at the event site? Hundreds of much better places to do that but only one event site.

kitetele · Since 20 Mar 2005 121 Posts Portland, Oregon Stoked

I grew up thinking the Event Site was for windsurfers and the Sandbar was where I could go kiting. I was thinking that windsurfers were/are more established and kind of made their place what it is. The fact that the sandbar is huge now is pretty killer....enjoy it. We don't need to look for a peice of ass somewhere else. I would encourage making our sand castle kick ass with a grass bank of it's own, free parking, a wind break of natural material, seating, water rinse, compressor ....whatever we can dream up.

I am done....I must be high to even be posting on this subject...

forrest · Mon May 14, 07 1:23 am

I'm with Kitetele on this one, I think our Sand rocks and we could make it pretty sweet.

Mark · Mon May 14, 07 6:57 am

We have lost some of our "sand" 600' worth.. Mad

forrest · Mon May 14, 07 7:00 am

I hear ya, but that sand wasn't there before and I don't really remember kiting in front of the Event Site much last year, so long as they only get 600x600 we are in good shape. They're giving up the 600x600 foot square too, 5mph on a windsurfer is pretty painful.

I'm more upset about the big pool that used to be there last year being gone. Sad

Bettyboarder · Mon May 14, 07 7:28 am

kitetele I like your idea, we have plenty of logs and rocks to build some cool stuff. Maybe we can add some grass on the edges of the parking or somewere to allow kites to dry.