Birds should be banned from the airport :) Just to make a 4th page...

dusta said...

why would you want to go to scabs as it's a ****hole anyway

probably because its walking distance...but hell yeah, it is a hole...couldnt imagine why anyone would bother driving here ;)

go to Leighton instead, sooo much nicer and the average salary is much higher!

lol

Hang on, although i learnt at scabs all those years ago, it has some great banks, and a consistent clean wind. Also walking south of the discharge pipe away from the public to launch the kites, like I did at the end of last season to demo kites (ta aks), the other fringe benefits I don't get at my local was just, well on one hand amazing, on the other frightingly frustrating. Damn they look good - actually fell down a steep part, into the water with my neck at right angles... embarassing but worth it...

eppo said...

Mark _australia said...

eppo said...

I think that all that needs to be said has been said without deviating into petty opinionated discriminations like newbies on tts in the surf. Not taking the piss it is serious matter I should know probably been in the sport longer than you and have seen this situation evolving over time. Stay focussed and positive that's my call. Ultimately your own behavior is all you can control.

Very true so I take it back.

Hey mark Im no angel when some boys went banging on about a local spot down here I spat it like a spoilt dushbag and had to recCall far dumber things you said. It's an emotional issue and it angers me to my core when I see pricks doing the wrong thing. But forum threads can get out if hand as I found out first hand. The position is clear the zone had been set so let's see it pan out. Any ding bat does the wrong thing get on to em like a rash. Most people are reasonable when confronted with the facts. If not, then I will let you use your imagination.

The voice of reason right there..




Yeh - i went off a bit in my intial post also..

As long as the situation is monitored and the exclusion zones don't start rapidly expanding (as will the Scarbs re-development shortly) then it is probably a reasonably sensible development and jhopelfully actually earns us all browny points with CofS to avoid harsher penalties down the track.



Hey Rello - no, I am a homebody so have not experienced stick from poleys in Gnaraloo etc, but we aint talkin about those spots
In the metro area - and Scarbs in particular I have had nothing but courtesy, good vibes and even landing/launching assitance from poleys.
I know Weiner in Lanno is an issue, and am very thankful that idiot attitude doesn't appear around here.



Hey Eppo and default..
LOl - at brighton these days there are more thongs disappearing than at a 20-20 cricket mexican wave!

Lots of whiplash kneck injuries being reported also..

Lager said...

As for Mark_Australia. Pull your head in and stop blaming the kiters for this. This has been an issue for as long as I have sailed Scabs. I understand that we all get a bit heated and passionate about our past times but we need to be positive and strive together to get a better outcome for ALL.

The council has received a sh!tload more complaints about kiters but the windsurfers have to move.
You agree with that course of action?
I have been in emails back n forth with the council and they can't tell me why they did it. Did you miss that in my other post?

I blame the council not the kiters as many kiters have tried very hard to educate the irresponsible minority.

Considering some kiters agree with me and are open about it here, no need for comments like "pull ya head in".

As to "better outcome for all" we will not get one with the current division in the ranks.
How is putting windsurfers closer to the kiters, and downwind of them "better for all"????

When there are banned areas all up and down the metro coast in 5yrs I'll have another sook, but know who to blame.

Mark _australia said...

When there are banned areas all up and down the metro coast in 5yrs I'll have another sook, but know who to blame.

This isnt new, and not confined to kiters. Kiters are merely the new windsurfers at scabs.

I recall as a grom in the late 80's (maybe earlier) a similar situation at scabs to what we have now, except it was windsurfers v joe public.

On the windy days windsurfers were actually spread over the whole stretch from brighton to trigg. It was even a topic on the news, especially after a surfer had his face re-arranged by a windsurfer at contacio - surfer duckdives, comes up other side as a windsurfer speeds towards the shore...SMASH!

There was a huge public uproar how dangerous windsurfers were and how they should be banned from Scarbs. It seems the result from these times was windsurfer/swimmer segregation and perhaps the beginning of what everyone is saying the "historical home" of scabs windsurfing - brighton and the grassed area at the surf club.

Surprisingly (I dont like any restrictions), Im kinda ok with this exclusion zone. It makes sense and was always going to happen on such a busy beach.

I would just like to see the first southern boundary moved north a bit to the surf club to accomodate the windsurfers some more...and the second northern boundary moved north a bit to trigg 2nd carpark, not 3rd.

Interestingly enough, the Stirling "Coastal Ward" councillor election campaign is on now and the election is set for 15 October. Maybe time for a chat...?

Personally I like to only use scarbs for landing my kite after a downwinder. it is incredibly crowded...I dont actually know how people kite there on some days given the amount of surfers / swimmers that are around them int he water..

spot wave, get in position, unhook, avoid irish surfer on 14' longboard paddling for chop in 30kts, avoid swimmers who must play on highways in their spare time, dodge 3 or 4 kiters coming out from beach refusing to give way, dodge guy body dragging for his twintip.

bottom turn then straighten out to avoid huge disaster. Go out and try again.

Mark _australia said...

andrewm said...

dodge 3 or 4 kiters coming out from beach refusing to give way,

Don't they have right of way?

In the "rule book" yes they should have right of way, and at the end of the day,they do.

but most waveriders heading out tend to stall,wait for the waverider to pass,then power out so not to stuff up someones wave. A bit of respect goes along way.

Do polers just charge out saying, "I have right of way, look out everyone,get out of my way", and destroy someones wave????

Bump I can't believe we are still going on this, where's the wind!!!

Most of the good guys i have no issues with - the problem is that the kooks(read advancing intermediate kiter of which i was one once) and learners then follow.


last time i went out sailing at Brighton - last Sunday - i had kite lines dumped on my head - AGAIN.

This guy gybed his twin tip in front of a wave , got eaten and had the tension pulled out of his lines so the kite lines were now in freefall onto my head. Down i go into the water and then eaten by the end section of the same wave. Thankfully this time i didnt get wrapped in the lines like the fun incident last year.


When he came up from the wave he explained to me how terrible it was that his foot got twisted in the strap. (fwiw - austrian accent) I felt very sorry for him.


the next session a few days before that it was a guy on a flysurfer with a super slow kite that kept flying into the water (not enough turning speed / larger bar required)

(- he was coming out - dipped the kite for power and flew it straight into the water - blocking the way - bye bye set wave) so i had to take evasive action. This happened twice
On multiple occasions he was lines down through the break clogging up the place - and then after relaunching he had a twisted whirling out of control foil kite that would not behave or correspond to his control inputs on the bar - not a good look.

Then another guy plonks his kite in the break just as i was launching- about 10 ft in front of me. Wait for the attempted relaunch - inevitable wave wash and swim in with drowned soggy kite/ lines in a mess.

I would love not to have to Windsurf with kites anymore (or at least not the kite crashers) as all these incidents just add up to 1 big pain in the ass footprint.

When it comes to fighting for access windsurfers and Kiters would be better facing legislators with a united front.

I am OK with the restrictions but don't think it will stop the problem which is kiters and windsurfers hitting swimmers. Swimmers will continue to enter the water drawn by the kiters and are out to get a better look at the action in many cases, they have no idea how dangerous it is.

The zone South of the pipe is going to get pretty manic this year with all the windsurfers and kiters in a tiny zone, especially late season when the banks dissappear further south.

If we all have to stay South of the outfall pipe then I really feel swimmers should be kept out of the water when its windy and Kiters or windsurfers are out. They are too hard to see especially as they are constantly diving under water.

Swimmers will not be banned, more accidents will happen and soon the restrictions will apply over a longer area of beach.

It is true that it is the kiters and not the windsurfers that have been far more of the problem at Scarbs, mainly because every guy who has had a few lessons [and many who have had none] are out in Scarborough causing all sorts of trouble. The windsurfers whio have been there for years are justifiably hacked off. Scarborough is a notoriously difficult beach to windsurf at and if you can get through the break you can rightly call yourself an expert windsurfer. Kiters have just never paid their dues and are simply in an environment in which they have little experience.

The windsurfers have long been unpopular with the Clubbies at SLSC because the zone in front of the clubhouse does get crowded and I am sure they have been instrumental in the ban, having said that a surfboat is the most dangerous and out of control craft imaginable in the waves, followed closely by a paddle ski. I'd rather get hit by a surfboard or windsurfer anyday. Shame the clubhouse was built on the best bit of beach for windsurfing.

Had a good kite Monday with that nice wedge coming in South of the pipe. There was a couple of guys out North of the pipe, and why wouldn't they be as there are no signs to indicate the newly imposed restricted zones. The ranger was going off at a Brazilian guy. Took him a while to realise he had zero English. I tried explaining restrictions to him a little later but suspect he is still none the wiser. His English was almost as bad as my Portugese. The council better get some signage up or the ranger is soon going to be off on a compo-claim with laryngitis!

niall barrett said...

There was a couple of guys out North of the pipe, and why wouldn't they be as there are no signs to indicate the newly imposed restricted zones. The ranger was going off at a Brazilian guy. Took him a while to realise he had zero English. I tried explaining restrictions to him a little later but suspect he is still none the wiser. His English was almost as bad as my Portugese. The council better get some signage up or the ranger is soon going to be off on a compo-claim with laryngitis!

I understood that the restrictions don't start until December.

Spoke with the ranger at Trigg on Tuesday, he asked if I knew about the restrictions and was very reasonable about it.
He confirmed that they are supposed to start in December at Trigg

driftin said...

Wow If I posted everytime a windsurfer stuck underpowered in the waves blocked me, I would be here all day :-) I hear windsurfing perth offer tradins of windsurf gear for kites? Might help you.

I kited for 6 seasons.
It was so much fun initially but got boring after a while.
And the crowd factor was getting annoying too.
I am sure i could trade a wrx in for a kia sorrento -
but i wouldnt choose to do that either.

Stop mouthing off at people you don't know driftin .

Matt is a very good kiter and ,until you identify yourself I would be willing to bet ,probably a hell of a lot better than you .
The fact that he returned to windsurfing might be due to the fact that he is good enough to hold an Aussie wave sailing title .

If you want to contribute to a solution , make comment , if you are just trying to stir **** up between kiters and windsurfers , stop hiding behind your keyboard and come and talk to us on the beach .

I have been kiting at Scarbs for about 8 years and would like to be able to do so in future