Just wondering why some 27 people Did Not Start in this race, according to the race results published





Could there be a system put in place were people that have signed up for a spot, and missed out, had the opportunity to take the place of one of these people?

I was there with all the right gear, on the day.....spew

Wind was light, there wasnt even green aarows on seabreeze for the Saturday.

As a consequence of the light conditions. (Keep in mind the racers on race boards were using 14m-19m kites)

A percentage of racers pulled out as they didn't have equipment to make the crossing safely.

A smart call imho.

Just as long as Tim doesn't pull the ' they are entitled to an automatic start next year' card...
They do make kites bigger than 11m I hear..

Kite shop owners have no excuse.. Grosse and the Puppet should have got out their 17m big un's from their repective shops dusty shelves in order to get it on and race.. It is classed as a race so the promotors specify..

More and More I think the L2L is a just jolly up centred around 10% serious racers and 90% weekend warriors livin the kiteracing dream.

husa said..

The forecast was pretty accurate for the whole week, so no excuse there. Does everyone in WA only have a 9mtr kite as their biggest kite?
Why sign up for a race unless you're prepared to race?

Bingo.

Underoath said..

NoBS said..

Just as long as Tim doesn't pull the ' they are entitled to an automatic start next year' card...
They do make kites bigger than 11m I hear..

Kite shop owners have no excuse.. Grosse and the Puppet should have got out their 17m big un's from their repective shops dusty shelves in order to get it on and race.. It is classed as a race so the promotors specify..

More and More I think the L2L is a just jolly up centred around 10% serious racers and 90% weekend warriors livin the kiteracing dream.

Perhaps you start your own race and make the rules. Why are you so bitter Nobs?

Just because I tell it like it is, that makes me bitter??

Then so be it..

NoBS said..



More and More I think the L2L is a just jolly up centred around 10% serious racers and 90% weekend warriors livin the kiteracing dream.

And your point is...what

I did it a couple o years ago, i would class myself as weekday warrior and it was a great experience to be involved in something that looks and feels and for some is, a great competition. I had a jolly great time in the jolly up and came in 48th, pretty stoked after a couple of stacks.
If they could get 100% serious racers i would say they would, they needed me to make up the numbers ha ha
What do you want it to be NobS, really easy to criticize anything, are you a journalist by any chance ?

NoBS said..

More and More I think the L2L is a just jolly up centred around 10% serious racers and 90% weekend warriors livin the kiteracing dream.

Forget your usual out-of-whack statistics (they are nowhere near accurate & how the hell would you know anyhow).
But ur right the L2L is a WAKSA 'jolly up" - whats wrong with that. (nothing unless you constantly twist everything in life into a negative)
Most would see the dual purpose of serious world class racing combined with a huge & memorable day of social kiting for the less than competitive types as a pretty awesome stunt to put on. Dont see it in too many other sports.

Pulled together with Tim well out in front at the helm but still a WAKSA event open to all members with solid c'tee assistance and a swag of regular members volunteering their time to make it happen on the day.
Exactly as it should be. A member based association running events that all members have the opportunity to be involved in.
If all the funds & effort of the WAKSA machine only extended to the serious & elite it wouldnt be the fair & broad based association it has always been.

With the massive surge of interest in kite racing the pressure will be on the organisers to do as some have already suggested. Ie to run qualifying trials & only have those qualified & serious compete in the L2L 'final'. A race on this basis does has merit but it could hardly be seen as 'jolly good' 'jolly up' which is inclusive of all the membership.
Be a sad sad day (imo) if the L2L becomes a solely serious competitors event. There is plenty of room, and plenty of options - like the split start etc. to ensure that the organisers can keep the L2L as a serious world class event - for those at the top end - without shutting out the tremendous 'jolly up' of a day it provides for ordinary members.

Funny how some people see a 'jolly up' as something positive & nice. Weird hey? Surely a 'jolly up' refers to something bad & nasty!!! Doesnt it
Negativity - it even distorts the language of those who scowl their way through life.

this forum bull**** is a waist of time.

I thought I made a valid topic of conversation, but you lot are like a bunch of school kids, bickering about crap.

I am out of here.

Absolutly loved the event, was a great day and well organised, thanks to Tim.....

But there were a lot of the oceanics competiors who had travelled from outside of WA or internationally who missed out, with all the gear sitting there ready to go. When they found out peole had pulled out they were left a little disapointed they did not get the opportunity.

The event has some decent prize money so I don't see why the best racers are not automatically given a spot. Perhaps there could be a waiting list for any withdrawals or even entry preferance based on IKA rankings?

That's a good idea Puppet, have been thinking the same thing for a few years.

Would also mean competitors could have all gear on the spot and make the right choice equipment wise very near to the start.
And it may make more spots available without the logistics of getting everyone to Rotto.

dachopper said..

Well, i didn't even get a stuffing spot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! surely if they organised it for up to 300 people next year, minus the 60 - 70 non starters, I might have a crack, and all the others that missed out, can also have a go.

Kind of reminds me of Rottnest accommodation, booked out a year in advance so who can be bothered. Build some more ....... you've got to be joking !@

You weren't over there at Rotto at the starting line - I dont blame the non starters who pulled out at the island. The wind was absolute **** in the bay where we started - kites dropping everywhere - I took the gamble to still race & luckily the wind was a little better after a couple kms, we were warned pre race that there was a real possibility of the wind dropping and a majority of the field being in the water until rescued - this would have taken ages as only 6 standby boats from memory & approx 10-15mins per person to rescue. Was a well run event & felt privaliged to be able to take part.

Husas original post, puppets last one and flybywire all were attempting to do some reflection and review of the race in the interest of continuous improvement.

In that vein and at the risk of being flamed :

What if the event did start and finish at Leighton .( Or some where else appropriate on the mainland)

What if there were different categories ie the professional (or aspiring pros) , then racers and finally the "jolly" cruisers and have a staggered start? Is having a larger number of entrants a risk management issue for being able to rescue crew ?

Obviously there was a lot of interest and people disappointed cause they didn't get a spot , Is there a reasonable way to SAFELY expand the numbers?

As a PR event , promotional opportunity it has a lot of potential.

having kite boarding get some positive image is needed.

Just saying

suniboy21 said..

what's stoping all you desperate poor buggers who missed out on getting a spot in the line up from just starting at the same time and heading back with the group? surely there not going to shoot your kite down?

This has been covered before, the logistics of this event are significant, including insurance and dept of transport approval, people ghosting on the race aren't covered, registered, or accounted for, and in doing so jeopardise the whole event. If someone wants to kite from Rotto back to the mainland please pick any other day and sort it yourself.

The race is "The Lighthouse2Leighton" not the Leighton2Rotto & back again which in my opinion not many would be able to complete whether they be weekend warriors or true racers

Again in my opinion if you are trying to be constructive at least be practical

The race is a fantastic event and improves every year, big ups to Tim, Waksa the volunteers & sponsors

My suggestion would be to move the start line further out and widen it to safely accommodate more entrants.

NoBS said..
More and More I think the L2L is a just jolly up centred around 10% serious racers and 90% weekend warriors livin the kiteracing dream.

Besides your inept sentence structure and punctuation skills I have to say this is one of the more true things I've read on SB in regards to kiteracing in general. There's about 10 or 15 people max worldwide that are talented at it and the other guys are just going along for the ride because they feel like they can be a part of it all.
Is this wrong? I don't know, I don't have a problem with it as such but you can't deny that this is the truth of it all.

The bloke that said that's a bloody legend.