[East Bay] Alameda/Crowne Beach

[ozreiuosn]

Now that we have room, are we going back to the safe way and launch somebody with the kite towards the water?

I always think about that when launching. If you're gonna get dragged somewhere, I *usually* choose water over hard objects such as cars, apartment buildings, trees, etc.

Let's see what Jane and Rebecca have to say. Ladies?

Kirk out

Being at Crown Beach for 8 years, watching the beach slowly erode before my eyes has been crazy, and it's great we've been able to keep our safety record "fairly" clean.

That being said, when the beach was at its "normal" state all those years ago, I don't recall us launching any other way than kiter in the water, kite up on the sand.

[WindMuch]

That being said, when the beach was at its "normal" state all those years ago, I don't recall us launching any other way than kiter in the water, kite up on the sand.

... and we all know how well that's been working, right?

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11725&p=81809&hilit ... ree#p81809

monkey.JPG (49.87KiB)Viewed 15575 times

As a general rule, launching with the kite in a position to pull you into hard objects vs. soft(er) sand/water seems like a recipe for not-so-good things to happen. YMMV...

Kirk out

[ozreiuosn]

That being said, when the beach was at its "normal" state all those years ago, I don't recall us launching any other way than kiter in the water, kite up on the sand.

... and we all know how well that's been working, right?

As a general rule, launching with the kite in a position to pull you into hard objects vs. soft(er) sand/water seems like a recipe for not-so-good things to happen. YMMV...

Kirk out

I'm quite aware of how well its working

kook.jpg (136.88KiB)Viewed 15567 times

Not saying the general rule is a bad idea, but each site will have their own little nuances to cater to beach goers, families, fellow kitesurfers with a WIDE RANGE of skills.

When a kiter launches from the water, they can immediately put their kite over water and body drag out. Launching up on the sand, the kiter then needs to walkdown to the beach, thru other kite lines, obstacles etc.

Considering Crown is where groms get their feet wet and earn their wings, we might consider adjusting the general rule.

For this particular section of the beach, it seems its in everyone's best interest to launch from the water.

Additionally, its hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Starting a new "guideline" for launching will definitely cause confusion and a few yelled expletives.

[WindMuch]

I spoke with the Boardsports gals yesterday. They'd like to have a bit of time to see how the launch works best with the new sand/beach setup.

While they can't recommend anyone launch a particular way (for liability reasons), I'm sure a 'normal' will begin to develop once the season kicks in more fully at Alameda and a pattern develops.

I recommend stopping by the Shack and asking what they think is best when you're there.

Kirk out

[jzderm]

When I was out a couple of weeks ago we were launching with the kites near the water. But I think that was mostly due to the fact that the self launch gear is attached to the shower out at alameda. Also having the kites farther out near the water may give cleaner wind in low wind conditions. Just my 2 cents

[WindMuch]

Hi All,

I stopped by Alameda the other day and chatted with the folks at the Boardsports shack. While *unofficial* (lawerspeak), people are launching with kites TOWARDS the water now.

Seems like a much safer practice - if something goes amuck during launch, the pilot gets dragged towards the sand and water, rather than trees, cars and buildings. Seems like the right setup to me...

Kirk out

[kandrey89]

I'm archiving the webcam feed for myself, might make the archive public later.
For now, I'll be making timelapses, as time permits.

You can find the timelapses here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4xSt ... Fs0eZL7KfA