The R.S.F.C has propsed to get a ban on kiteboarding in the harbour mouth at a recent Environment Waikato meeting.

The meeting was for E.W's updated recreational navigation zoning.
I was not informed & nobody who kites was at the meeting.

So I Rang the President of the R.S.F.C to find out what their problem is with Kiteboarding...... Here are some of her quotes:

" Once last year there were 40 kites out & I could not see the entrance beacons, this year it could be 60 kites and next year more. "

" I have even seen people kiteboarding on the bar - thats dangerous, what if they get in my way when I am crossing the bar ? "

" I don't like to slow down, thats dangerous. "

" If we don't manage to get it banned we will be requesting a navigational channel where there is no kiteboarding allowed. "
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I am lost for words...... Clearly kiteboarding is getting popular at Raglan, but I have only ever counted 25 kites on the water at one time.

I also use a boat on this stretch of water and have never had any issues with passing through kiters...... Although I do show respect by slowing down to 15 kts.

I think their problem boils down to the good old fashioned ignorance... " I don't understand it, it looks dangerous - lets ban it. "

This club has approximately 1000 members, they're not short of coin or political clout.

So I think we should have a word to the bureaucrats at Environment Waikato before they write up any new zoning.....

Please, everyone who has ever enjoyed kiting at Raglan..... Pick up the phone, e-mail, fax, call E.W. don't let these rednecked fishkillers ban us.

Yo - I see the EW website but there appear to be many different email addresses depending upon subject. You got a preferred email address to send objections to?

" I don't like to slow down, thats dangerous. "

are you sure this comment is as quoted to you?

I will write but want to make sure of this comment (and the others) before I do, because this one is VERY relevant.

In the latest issue of ENVIROCARE, the news update from environment Waikato, is a bit on the bottom of page 2 about the council reviewing environment Waikatos navigation safety bylaw
www.ew.govt.nz/policyandplans/navigation/safety/index.asp

www.ew.govt.nz/regionalservices/navsafety/contacts.htm

They are giving all water users the opportunity to voice opinions on the bylaw for the review. You have until the middle of December 2005 to put anything forward
For more information Contact Shelley Monrad ph EW on 0800 800 401
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The most kites Ive seen is about 20 at any one time so they are certainly overstating their cause,
You might want to point out that we only ever surf the bar/channel when the tide is going out, this is the worst time to cross the bar anyway as the waves tend to rise up a lot higher and have a shorter period.
I would even suggest to RSFC that the channel markers are not the easiest to see at the best of times and they should be lit, weve missed the channel a couple of times because we thought we could see it and it turned out to be a house :shock:

The " I don't like to slow down, thats dangerous. " is also probably correct as you try to keep the speed of the waves when you come into the harbour so the waves at the rear don't kick up the back of the boat.

Here's hopin that it doesn't happen... i bet you guys down there will be bloody pissed off if it happens... especially when as kiters we don't cause anyone any real harm.

Then again have fishermen and kiters EVER got along??

Fair point, but is that the case at Raglan? Maybe at the bar? In the river mouth I don't see why a boat should not slow down to 5knots within 200m of another vessel be it another boat, kitesurfer, or windsurfer and vise versa...

More to the point though I have never been anywhere near a boat all my time kiting at this spot , have seen very few and would stear well clear if there was one around....

and as far as 40 kitesurfers are concerned thats news to me, but the then again even with 200 riders out most of our rig is 25m in the air - how tall are theses navigation/marker buoys? Sound like difficult to see marker buoys or Nimby Culture (Not In My Back Yard)

Yeah Ian, I can verify the " I don't like to slow down it's dangerous "
She (the president) was speaking on the phone to me.

I totally agree, you can't slow down when you are crossing the bar in a boat, but she seems to be saying she dosen't want to have to slow down in the channel, to a safe speed while passing sailing vessels - yeah thats us.

They want to contravene a maritime law; Powerboats give way - or in this case slow down - for sailing vessels.

All because they're in a hurry to go catch fish & apparently they think we are blocking their passage - help them out on this one Hippy!

Mark, I think we need to write up a submission to E.W. on the kiters behalf, maybe tell them how dangerously some of those fishing boats have been charging through the channel with no regard for other water users.

Maybe we could ban them, there is after all a perfectly good boat ramp at the point. If, like she says - the bar's too dangerous to kite, then it must be too dangerous to boat.

Maybe we should organize a mass e-mailing of submissions to E.W. what do you guys think?

The Markers are actually on the hill back at the township(big triangular thingy) so you would probably be looking through the kites to see it

(Deleted due to overwelming protests, see below)

We need a lobby group of our own or else we are gonna wake up one morning and go WTF @#!

No Way! I regularly kite the bar, just like I used to windsurf it.

A "navigation channel" sounds ridiculous, how are you going to mark it / enforce it ????

It's just not feasible and totally uneccesary, obviously kiters will give way to boats at all times or they won't live to kite another day.

The whole thing is a non issue, brought up by a bunch of power hungry rednecks who think they OWN the sea. The amount of things they take from it I reckon they OWE the sea more like.

Sorry i forgot you skyrider. With my skill level you wont see me off the bar for at least a couple of years.
This is what we need, input from all quarters about what we want from the review. Ive email Shelly Monrad about what we can do and at least we can be informed on whats happening

Hey skyrider, can you or perhaps someone else post a standard email that we can all copy and forward to EW, one that asks the right questions? Otherwise this Shelley chick is gonna get a whola lotta random drivel (like the email I just sent her saying WTF?) This makes it easy for lazybones like me and presents a more united front (not that I'm a commie or anything).

A kite moves at around 15-35km/h - unlike a navigation marker. I also went for a fish yesterday and landed dinner.

Looks like we need to wait for Shelley Monrads reply to Marks email...
See what she suggests before we sort out a standard e-mail that we can all send, hopefully with some variations from the more literate of ya's.

I do agree with Tangled, we don't want to sound like a bunch of wacko's.... & we need to show a united front.

Looks like its just the bar thats the issue, we'll have to wait for the meeting i suppose

education is as always the key: i'm sure when those boaties see us kiting B.A.F across what they laughingly consider as their channel, they think "why can't those yahoos go somewhere else, they have the entire beach on either side to play with their balloons?" without realising for a second that the outgoing tide through a narrow gap effect is the only reason we are there.

likewise, most kiters don't consider what it's like negotiating the bar in an oversized tinny when you're half pissed and your hands are covered in blood and every time you try and focus on the pub's welcoming arms, a fluoroescent blur flies past towing some grinning idiot.

both sides need to understand the issues of kiting and boat access and establish a local protocol which is explained to all water users of the area.

Wow that brings back memories of Mike Hollands boat, Mangawhi bar, a moment of panic when we lost a german, and a long swim back to shore.

ouch - i'd almost repressed that particular flashback.

I'm glad my LONG (15 year plus) standing rule of never getting into anything powered by more than 2hp when driven by Mike Holland means I don't suffer such flash backs.

Can't believe its been 3 years since the last Red Bull event in NZ...

DK

Yeah well back to the topic:

Shaan says education is the key , but I'm not looking forward to "educating" these fullas..... Even while attempting a polite conversation with this Lady President of the R.S.F.C she got all worked up about having to explain her reasoning to a person foolish enough to think they can kiteboard in such a DANGEROUS area that is actually her highway to piscatorial hell....

She hung up on me when I asked why slowing down in the channel (not crossing the bar) was dangerous.

Mark, if you could keep me informed as to the time & place of this meeting.... Ph 825 7453 or 027 670 8301

I'm hoping you'll be coming along to back me up - or hold me back more like - I tend to get sarcastic & rude when dealing with ignorant people like this, which won't be much help for our cause.

Looks like their key point is not wanting 40 kiters on the hell channel closeout section in the middle of the main bar (which is approx. 1 km out to sea).

To date there has been # zero kiters hanging around this area... when we kite the bar we focus on the wave areas to the north or south & usually in hazardous boating weather.

And when I say WE - that's usually one, two or three guys, and a whole lotta the Tasman sea, I have hardly ever seen a boat when I'm on the bar - we're so far away we never notice them.

The places we ride on the bar are where no sane / sober sportfisherman would dare put their 70 K boat - and if they did they would be capsized & probably appreciate getting their sorry arse dragged in & rescued by a kiter.

I have NEVER seen a boat have to change course for a kiter.

I have NEVER seen a kiter not altering their course for a boat.

I HAVE seen boats travelling at speeds in excess of 5 kts within 200 meters of kiters.

Educating kiters should be easy enough 'cos if you're stupid enough not to keep an look-out upwind & downwind while on a tack, reach or run you are risking yours & other peoples lives

Kiting in Raglan lately; Aside from the usual beginners who don't know how to give way - There are alot of kiters not looking behind to see if it's all clear for a transition.... There is also the odd person who boosts straight into somones path.... Others who like to kiteloop without checking they wont end up taking someone out downwind.

I have done stupid things, like not give way to people launching - we all need to make more of an effort to make kiting together work safely Otherwise we are just going to help the public & clubs like this say we are dangerous and try to ban us.


Far out this has turned into a real bleat !!!

Sorry everyone I don't mean to sound like a jerk..... I just got back from a sweet surfboard-kite session, sideshore (almost ) with 25 kts NNW and 2-3 ft of peaky NW swell..... Stoked & not a boat in sight.

This is what EW wrote back to me;

Hi,

Thank you for your enquiry.

Environment Waikato held a public meeting a couple of weeks ago in
Raglan about the regions navigation safety bylaw which is under review
and at that meeting there were concerns raised about boaties trying to
cross the bar and also negotiating kite surfers.

The boaties raised concerns about how difficult it is to line up the
leading marks some days due to the sails on the kite surfers, which is
crucial for them to make way over the bar safely. We undertook to
organise a meeting with representatives of the kite surfing community to
discuss these issues and to see if there was some way that these two
activities can be managed better to avoid conflicts of use. At no time
was there any suggestion that the activity be banned and I am not sure
where this is coming from as we have had a few enquiries about banning
kite surfing which is not the intention. It is purely to manage that
small piece of waterway safely.

I have arranged to have a meeting on Tuesday next week with a few kite
surfers at 12.30pm at the Environment Waikato Office in Hamilton as the
kite surfers I have spoken to said that they work in Hamilton.

If you know of anyone that would like to attend this meeting please let
me know.

Regards

Shelley

Yeah, went to the meeting with Shelley of E.W. Steve Soanes - Raglan harbour master, me and Mark.

Lucky for us the Harbour master was supportive of kiting for now.... Altough he did say that this was a "heads up" for all kiters at Raglan to keep out of the way of boats passing through the channel.
He said that he had recently done a trip out on the bar to check the claims about visibility of leading marks and finds no reason why kites would be a hindrance .

There is obviously alot of ignorance about Kiteboarding because at the previous meeting they had come up with ideas of moving us down the harbour where the wind is more affected by the hills or around to the North of Ngarunui beach (the southern beach) - with it's bad access and surging eddies away from the main channel.

Obviously the people making the complaints have been intoxicated or suffering from double vision maybe in the throes of fish-fever as the claims of 40 kites out last year are wildly inaccurate.

The final comment by Shelley of E.W. was that they will let it ride over the next few months, but she was expecting that this fishing club will be putting a formal submission in to council early next year when the new draft she is working on will become law.

I first heard the "BAN kitboarding" words straight from the horses mouth - The President of the Raglan SportFishing Club..... and I am not kidding you that is what she & a few of her cronies would love to do.

oh well, everyone back to their knitting.

sounds all good then, keep out of the way,and no bostn da boatz.

you could join them - you know a couple of raw chickens tied to your footstraps by some strong rope and just see what you land....

You have followed the path and done well, as the great ganet returning with a stomach full of feed for its young. We all appreciate your efforts!!

Be careful though as the enemy may be just regrouping to spring their final assault.... I suggest we should come up with a set of navigational guidelines/rules that make sense to us (but do allow for boats to a minor extent as well) and have the council people make signs both at the boat ramps and kite rigging areas so we look proactive, responsible and simultaneously shut the fisherfuckerfolk out of future insanities...

Look foward to seeing you at the Free Ride!!!

These points were bought up at the meeting and we all agreed that it was a good idea to put up signage at the ramps and the rig up area.
The basic jist was that if kitsurfers are at the entrance then all boats try to maintain a reduced but constant speed and course through the entrance and not to hang around. Because kiters are a lot more maneuverable we agreed that it was easier for us to give way to boats transitioning the bar and maintain a reasonable distance (we do anyway), rather than the power gives way to sail rule

Shelly will contact us when the time comes for submissions so we can all add our 2 cents, just incase the wAkO FiShOs make some submissions of their own

This was in the "matters arising" minutes of the Raglan Coastguards latest meeting:


Navigational Bylaw Meeting 2 Nov 2005 Concern over kitesurfing in Raglan Harbour entrance was raised in a report from Raglan Sport Fishing Club, particularly as popularity of sport is increasing as well as potential for collision with power vessels. Discussions will continue.




We're being scrutinized at moment.

Use your bloody common sense kiters!!!

Keep a good lookout for boats & don't cut across a boats bows within 100 meters.

It's easy for us to turn around and go the other way, & means we don't get banned.

I observed the freeride .... Noticed that a few kiters were riding in a way that would tend to make me agree with Raglan Sports Fishing Club.... Looking out of control and totally oblivious of other people on the water - be it on boats or kites.

Kiting is a show-off -look-at-me kind of sport.... It means we are all ambassadors for the sport by our actions.....

So just because you can kiteloop to blind doesn't mean you can burn (cut off) another kiter.... And even if you can kite like Mauricio it don't mean you can set up a railslide on an approaching boat.


There are alot of "discussions" to come down here...

About 3 Years ago I was called in to see the Tauranga Habourmaster, As I thought it was going to about how bad we all were I invited Glen Bright to join me.
when we went in the door he said he classed Kitesurfers as wind powered vessels and expected us to abide by all the rules concerning such. He gave us a heap of books on the rules and regs for yachts and asked us to hand them out.
He mentioned there had never been a complaint about us, to keep it that way.
Under his rules Power Vessels have to give way. He did ask us not to play with shipping though.

just remember that powered vessels only have to give way outside a shipping channel...
if a wind powered craft is crossing a shipping channel or overtaking someone who goes along a shipping channel [power or sail] it has to give way.

as kites are so muchfaster, more manouverable [and vulnerable in a collision] it makes sense to stay clear despite having the right of way or not.

fair winds and a happy new year.