Sherman Beach Expansion?

[Pablito]

So, I hate to bring up the topic, but I'm wondering who are the people to talk to about beginning the process of expanding the kiting area at Sherman. Anyone who thinks there's not a problem hasn't been there on a weekend in a while.
Who were the folks who made the current beach a reality? Gabe told us how it was before, when people had to walk their kites out to Ho Chi Minh. How did change happen? Was the current beach bulldozed out of the brush, or was it already there?

It seems to me like we need separate launching and landing areas. It's going to have to happen sooner or later -- either that or the county is going to ban us when some multi-kiter accident happens and/or someone gets killed. The accident with Curt could have easily been worse; especially if there had been a kite or two in the air already on the beach (one launching, one landing) and he had crossed lines with them. His kite went through the entire launch/landing area. It's just too damn crowded.

You could "improve" Ho Chi Minh and use it as a landing beach. Or you could bulldoze out the brush to the south of the current beach and have a separate launch area there. Or, you could always start a fight with the windsurfers by talking about ways to make better use of the beach that they use to park their gear on.

One of the positive things about this situation is that unlike Alameda, "wind enthusiasts" are the majority of users of that part of Sherman Island park, which lessens the probability of conflict. And I don't think blackberry bushes constitute "habitat", in fact, in most counties, they are considered a nuisance weed.

Any thoughts?

Paul

[bdawg]

So, I hate to bring up the topic, but I'm wondering who are the people to talk to about beginning the process of expanding the kiting area at Sherman.
Any thoughts?
Paul

Paul,
I haven't met you (yet) but i like how you think. This same topic has been floating around in my head for some time now. Do we limit the number of kiters on the water at any given time, make the beach larger or ????? I do like the idea of a seperate lauching landing beaches. I would think it should be just north of the first island to minimize any wind shadowing from the island. I am not going to stand here and say yeah when are YOU going to do that? I am willing to put in some labor. I have a good buddy who also works for a carpet company so i have acess to used carpet. I don't have a truck (but could borrow one) to haul it down there. I think if we all get together we can make this happen.

Paul i think you should talk to Bob the camp host and see what he says.


Blair

[andyandmarlys]

One thing I have considered is that erosion may be an issue. Without enough vegetation, the sand may blow or wash away. I think the limited beach area exposed at SI may be what is keeping it there at all.

[Pablito]

Well, I think that most things that have happened down there are community efforts, so I also was thinking along the lines of "us" not "them" as the doers.

I believe the big logs at the edge of the beach are the "erosion control devices". Since there is already a beach at Ho Chi Minh (just north of the first island, as you mentioned, Brian), you wouldn't be creating additional erosion hazard, just clearing out an area behind it and putting in some more "erosion control" logs between the beach and the launch/land area. Also, the area behind HCM is a little bit higher above the water, which would help prevent erosion. To get to that "beach" itself", you have to walk through a low spot, I guess, as Gabe mentioned,so that some sort of walkway might be necessary during high tide.

I know there is the "Sherman Island Kiteboarding Association", who probably already talk about these issues with the park staff. Is anyone already a member? (I guess we all should be, but I've never been asked to join by anyone so far). I'd like to find out what the existing channels are before I approached Bob. I'm sure Ollie knows about this, but he's too busy not kiting this week to check the posts?

I've been kiting all summer at SI, and I still only know a few people's names, although I see Dewey and Zeev all the time. If you see a guy with one or two English bulldogs at the beach, that's me.

[jstjohn3]

If you want to talk someone with SIKO, Nat with Edge Kiteboarding is the main contact and founder. Good Luck!

[working all the time]

Pablito - dude, you have me confused w/another ripping kiter who rides at the delta. I am a hard working man who has his nose to the grindstone.....I am lucky to get to the delta on the weekends when I don't have too much yardwork.

Good winds, Zeev.

[Guest]

Regarding erosion: have you noticed the sand divot/depression forming downwind of the new landing-zone opening that Indian Bob created last winter? I don't think we should mess with the natural order there-- we may lose what little beach we have. Plus, you can't just start rearranging, bulldozing etc. on parklands.

Here's the solution: if you're in my Rolodex, you're welcome there anytime. Otherwise "Don't Kite Here"! If you have to ask if you're on the list, then, well...

:mrgreen:

[Pablito]

Directly downwind? doesn't the wind blow directly on shore there?

If what you say was true, then there would be no beach at all at Alameda, Santa Monica, Mission Beach in San Diego, etc.

Erosion of beaches is the natural process; humans in California spend tons of dough every year to keep beaches where they want them. At the bigger beaches, they dredge up sand from out in the water and haul it in to dump back onto shore. If they didn't, the water would gradually wash it all away.

As long as you keep a strip of natural, erosion preventing vegetation between the beach and land, Sherman Island is not going to get washed away. The set up at the current beach is almost exactly right -- a thin strip of sand separated from the rest of the island by dense blackberry bushes. Ho Chi Minh already has a beach, all it needs is a clearing 25 feet or so back behind it just like the other beaches have.

SI is not a national park or anything; they've already paved a huge chunk of it over with asphalt. The entire island wouldn't even exist anymore if they hadn't built giant levees all around it, just like all the other "islands" in the Delta. This is not pristine habitat.

I've got all kinds of equipment (oh yeah, I'm a farmer. Some folks on this site know that) that I could dedicate to the effort. I'll talk to Indian Bob.

[Pablito]

Or maybe we should just let Z. and his lawn mower handle it... I hear he needs something to keep him busy from Oct. 1 until it starts snowing in Tahoe.

You don't really have a lawn, do you Z.? How does it survive the summer?

[OliverG]

Pablito - dude, you have me confused w/another ripping kiter who rides at the delta. I am a hard working man who has his nose to the grindstone.....I am lucky to get to the delta on the weekends when I don't have too much yardwork.

Good winds, Zeev.

Hmm, I don't know Zeev..... Have your 2-day work weeks turned into 3-day work weeks?

Earlier this year I said to myself that I'd spend more time up there, especially during the week, but somehow it never turned out that way. Seems to be the way it always goes. Oh well, I'm lucky to get lots of days in on the Bay after work though...