VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

kitesurferdale wrote: If I see someone down I always sail by asking if they are ok, giving them the opportunity to say yes or no. Should they say no I feel it is my responsibility as a "good" samaritan to do something

You've hit on it Dale. This has always been a feature of the sport. We all look out for one another. I do the same thing, so does most everyone I windsurf with. I recall last year (or the year before) KUS, and FOLO towing people in who needed rescuing. I don't recall them charging $5 but I'm sure the rescuee would have been glad to pay that and a six-pack for the help. I picked up W'fish at the boat launch when he was learning a few years back. We've always "rescued" one another so it's not like suddenly Baywatch has arrived to make everything safe for all of us. It's nice to have the security of a Seadoo at the lake. Kudos to AC for helping people in need. I'm sure he deserves the $5 and beer. I still think that it is stinky though.

AC thanks for fixing my sail(airrush)! I was in hood river last weekend, crashed my rig on the other side of the river, as the wind picked up maybe 25-30. i relaunched after but by the time i did that a jet sea was there to make sure i didnt flow to far! wow, good people make for a good time. that guy named mike(who i met after) had free range to my cooler for sure. what im sayin ac is your karma must be pretty awesome! , see you at the the lake, dont fck with my RC unless you want to dog fight em! CJ

GWind, is that an official complaint? if so could you put in writing please.

Thanks

One of the great things about being on the water is that there is an unwritten code that sailors/ boaters / windsurfers / kiters help each other out - because bad things happen quickly, and you can't breathe underwater. Even in the around the world single-handed yacht races, boats will change course to rescue another competitor when they are in distress - even at the expense of winning the race.

Beer and $ aside - an expression of gratitude at least should be a given, and not taken for granted. I have rescued "lost" boards at the lake - as much for the benefit of the person who lost the board as for the rest of us at risk of hitting the hazard, and have been surprised by how little gratitude is expressed in those circumstances.

Hopefully this thread will raise the awareness of how much of a community we are on the water, and remind people to not take rescuers for granted.

Relax gentleman. Nitnat is what it is. lets not get into a situation where we have to start enforcing too many rules. After all, the campsite does get overcrowded, and nobody would like that rule enforced. Nitnat has always relied on some give and take.

The less bureaucracy involved, the better it is for everyone.

I've towed several kiters and w-surfers in over the years and check regularly on people who appear troubled in the water. I don't expect coin for it or kudos, karma takes care of things
Jetskie rescue is different, direct cost involved (as once I broke a strap when the kiter guy I was towing in ripped it off....) better get out /offer whatever it is you got, maybe not much but at least thanks and food/beer/$$/future credits etc.

common sense & courtesy

mortontoemike wrote:BTW. At Nitinat. Frankly, Seadoo's stink the place up. On a busy day you can smell the odour of freshly burned hydrocarbons all day if you stay downwind. I learned windsurfing 15 years ago and the idea that a Seadoo would follow me wherever I went to save me the walk of shame is pretty funny. Times change I guess.

Maybe this is (just one more) good reason why the kiteboarders should be downwind of the windsurfers? I know the windsurfers "were there first" but seriously, seems like a lot of hassles could be solved if the kiters were downwind. (IMO only! )

GWIND wrote:Those rescue boats from the schools are there to help them make money period -if they weren't makin money they would not be there. that's what stinks to me. commercial ventures are not allowed on park property. nor are they allowed to stay for more than 14 days in the park. maybe we should enforce this hey Dale.

You know, I agree that Parks should be commercial free and would oppose - for example - a store opening up right on the side of the lake (as would Dale I would guess ! ) but a kite school, or windsurf school should not be looked at in this way - again, IMO only. People are banging down doors to learn how to kite and they need to learn how to do so safely. I think that the schools that offer to do this for them have a responsibility to 1) do it in the best environment they can, and 2) try to make sure that they do it in an area with a reasonable expectation of wind so that they can book their time properly. Nitinaht offers both of these.

I know that Marie and Dwayne are making some money teaching but I would guess if you ask them they would tell you they aren't making a ton of it! I know thet Marie says she is teaching partially out of a desire to see more women in the sport and to make their involvement easier than her introduction was.

Lots of opinions floating around...those are just mine.

John

I did not think this would get into such a heated discusion.



I have not made a dime in teaching kiteboarding.
niether will Marry.
And probably wont for quite a few years.
i teach people how to kiteboard so they do not get injured
smashing into other windsurfers and killing them selfs
on 1 foot blades all over the beach.
I teach because i enjoy watching people learning how to
kiteboard.
I do not recieve money on the premisis.
and the water where we teach is not even park land.
The funny thing is that most people on this site will probably
never get rescued. You are all quite self sufficiant.
Sorry to even bring it up.

The past weekend I hear from someone that i picked up in the middle
of the lake afetr the wind stopped that was just learning there is no worries. That he would get rescued from one of the few boats on the beach.
And i did right so .
Should I not bring this discussion up.

Thanks, a beer and at least covering some of the cost of a rescue(especially if it is motorized) is the right thing to do.

I have rescued and been rescued and nearly all of us will be in either situation at some point.

It is great that people are prepared to wreck their session in order to help someone else. This is one of the great aspects of this sport(either kiting or windsurfing).

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to ask someone if they need help and/ or helped rescue someone.

AC.

Part of the "heated discussion" is related to the difference in windsurfing and kiteboarding mechanics and part to the difference in cultures in my view.

My original response to your post had to do with the fact that I learned to windsurf in the traditional way. Trial and error. During those first few years, I would need the hands and feet of the last 6 generations of Mortontoe's to count the number of times I was too exhausted to uphaul any more and had to swim in, or the wind died when I was half a km from shore and had to swim in, or I was overpowered and didn't know what to do so I swam in, or I got pinned against "the wharf" and had to cut lines, and so on. I got stranded in the middle of the Columbia in Hood River once and I was convinced I was about to die. Seriously! So much pain and agony to learn the sport. It was a kind of trial by fire. Things are a little easier now with the new boards and rangy sails I suppose - I don't know.

That's why I asked about the "rescues". Having someone follow you around with a jet-ski seems like cheating to me and waving your arms around because you don't want to walk up from the village also seems like cheating. But I don't know anything about kiting and how easy it is to swim in. I suppose if you pay to learn you don't want to spend all your time swimming around. You could do that in the local pool.

I think it is great that people have an opportunity to learn from a professional like yourself and Mary. I just wish it didn't involve the gas smell and the noise. It takes a little something away from the Zen aspect of the whole windsurfing experience. A necessary evil I suppose. We all share the water and we are all going to have to get along and understand each other in the process so this debate has been useful and informative to me. I don't think it matters who is upwind and who is downwind. Eventually we will meet on the water and it should be with a smile and a wave.

See you at the lake when the sun comes out again.



P.S. Sometime in the future, if you see me screaming and waving my arms around looking like I need to be rescued I'll really need it so thanks in advance for coming to help.

P.P.S. Also, if your jet ski breaks down sometime I'll try to tow it back to shore for you if I'm on the water.

wow- My friend AC sent me a private message. Here it is.-------
Is it that you are lonely.- Are you drunk.--Or maybe not wind for you.--Or maybe your wife left you.-- Or maybe your tired of your right hand.--Why don't you keep your destructive comments to yourself.--Who do you think you are Punk--Whats your name............ Wow AC, You shouldn't send me such lovely notes on private message. If you don't have the courage to send it on open forum, don't bother me. The answers are no. Thank you for your concern. Oh ya that is a complaint Dale. Thank you for your time. Please use question marks.

unbelievable!

Ok that's bad, sorry about that Gene. I know you can push people's buttons sometimes but that's no reason for you to get that kind of message. I sent a PM to AC. Obviously this website and the PM system is not for this type of thing. Hopefully we can get back to having a civilized discussion.
thanks
dave

I'm not feeling the love @ this point ...

hell yeah! this is fun.

I sure feel at one with the universe as I drive 2 hours in my suv to get to the lake to ride on my plastic / nylon / foam / dacron environmental disaster equipment....

Lack of wind makes us all smug.

Bring back the wind.