Tweak Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Firstly, lifeguards do a very good job, saving lives etc. Well done. But the have started to get my goat. Recently the lifeguards have made their daily appearances at all the local beaches in cornwall. They put their little flags up here and there when it is blowing force eight and its about 3 degrees just in case someone feels the urge to go for a paddle. The only people in the water are kitesurfers and due to utter boredom the lifeguards seem to take it on themselves to be a pain in the arse. On a number of days I have had, or friends of mine have had the lifeguards come over and stick their noses in. Their first move is to drive over in the van, carefull not to run over the one dog walker on the 5 mile beach, and inform us about the restricitons - which we already know. They then sit and watch and if someone happen to go in their "zone" one mile out to sea then drive over flashing their lights and being twats. They seem to set up their flag zone on the best part of the beach leading to the following usefull advice; "go kite over their infront of the rocks" and "go kite infront of that cliff in the huge wind shadow". Which is frankly a little bit dangerous. They are also full of **** like "if you come back into the zone then we will get the police down here and they will fine you." (im guessing that is police with jet skis) and "the council listen to us alone about restrictions on the beach and if you **** us off we will just ban it here." One of them had the cheek to say "we have given you the whole of the beach today so stay away from the flags." Given us the whole beach? Who ****ing owns it? Incidentally it was low tide and and we were kiting over the low tide mark therefore it is not on crown land. I will point that out next time. Ok, in the hight of summer i agree that they have the right to keep kiters out of the swimming zones but when it is ****ing freezing and there is no one in the water OR on the beach what is the bloody point, especially if you are about a ten minutes sail out to sea! So from now on when I see their little 4x4 driving to inform me that I am breach of their petty rules I will be heading off back to sea. Done it before and I know it really works them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweak Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 I would just like to add, last weekend they had a go at me kitesurfing but they didnt have a go at the guy who was land yatching at 2 pm on a sunny sunday amidst of families, dog walkers and general beach revellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadGuernseyBoy Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 I totally aggree. A bit of common sense on the lifeguards part would not go amiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angus8ken Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 hang on a sec! we dont have tend to have lifeguards on many of our beaches up here but you have to remember they are out to keep everyone safe. its understandable if they are experts about kitesurfing, if they are telling you to use dangerous parts of the beach surely its up to you to inform them nicely of the risks so that they are better able to create zones in the future. kitesurfing is a relatively new sport and naturaly has lower priority to beach space than sunbathers and swimmers and the rest, if you go round ****ging off the lifeguards then you surely cant be that suprised of a ban does come your way in the future! they are there, live with it! best work with them than agaist them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweak Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 but you have to remember they are out to keep everyone safe. i wrote that first kitesurfing is a relatively new sport and naturaly has lower priority to beach space than sunbathers and swimmers and the rest, again. read my post. i have no problem when there are other people on the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 They don't sound like the nicest lifeguards...In the future I'd just be as polite as possible and explain why you were in that zone. Arguing/being cocky is probably just going to aggravate them, and make them more of a nuisance next time. It could be tough but I'd grin and bear it. Also, " Incidentally it was low tide and and we were kiting over the low tide mark therefore it is not on crown land. I will point that out next time" Britain has jurisdiction up to 12 nautical miles beyond the low tide mark, and all British laws still apply. (*I think*) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick.tracy Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 I agree, they can be a right pain in the asre. I was driving down the track toward a beach car park in Hayle once, with buggy on the roof. There is no buggying allowed on the beach there, I was just going to static fly anyway. Some blonde haired pratt with no shirt on drove his 4x4 in front of me across the road, made me get out, then told me to turn round as "we don't need idiots like you on the beach". He didn't even question whether I intended to buggy or not. I appreciate they are there to stop holidaymakers drowning when ambition overtakes ability, and many of them do a great job, but it is a classic example of power being given to people who don't know how to use it, and it going to their heads. (Oh, and one ran over my lines the other day, while i had the handles in my hand - I won't even START on how pi$$ed I was at that clown...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 there sooooo anoying kiting aboult 1/2 a mile out from there flags when i came back in way up wind of there "zone" he come over flashed his lights and put his his siran on. i tryed to run back to the water but the trucks are slightley quicker than running on foot. he then proceded to tell me that if i did it again he would call the police. looking back on the situation i can see that i was clearey indangering all of the swimmers that were out 1/2 a mile in a force 5 wind and some big messy waves. there was no one on the beach let alone in the water i hate life gards :@:@ he looks like this if you were wondering http://www.vecernji.hr/system/galleries/pics/060525/a-borat2.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 and dont even get me started on the ammout of war*os that are infesting cornwall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweak Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 lol war*oos, we all know why.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 becauses its a swear word !!!!!!!!! shame on you waroo = reel leash = anoying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spewing Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Have the same problemb in south devon. Every year we get a new crop of south african life gards over for the summer. They all seem to have the person skils of a wart hog. They even seem to **** of the local life gards. Maybe in south africa you are the law but thing are slightly diferent here! However they have got a job to do and on the subject of kiting past the baveing area way out i can see there point as ive droped my kite in big surf 300/400m out from the beach and only just managed to relaunch before the kite before it would be a problemb on the inside. However the surfers here pull way more people out of the rip than they do and there a total liability when then knee padle out on there rescue skis and try and catch some waves Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsun101 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 I assume you were kiting in perranporth this afternoon, I would just like to make a few comments Re your original post: "go kite over their infront of the rocks" and "go kite infront of that cliff in the huge wind shadow". In perranporth on a NNW (such as today) the cliffs don't cast a wind shadow anywhere near the sea! and on low to mid tide (the time you were out on the water) the cliffs are approx 150m across the wind from the sea! "carefull not to run over the one dog walker on the 5 mile beach" Perranporth beach is 3 miles long! "The only people in the water are kitesurfers" there were swimmers in the sea between the flags at the time the lifeguard approached you. "One of them had the cheek to say "we have given you the whole of the beach today so stay away from the flags."" The flat water pool that has appeared on the beach over the past few days is located in the banned area of the beach. The lifeguards allowed people to kite in this area as they could recognise the kitesurfers were making full use of the conditions it provided. I suggest the compromise of having use of the whole beach with the exception of the flagged off area was quite reasonable to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweak Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 ummmm. no. this post reflects the last two weeks of kiting all around the region and last summer, and the summer before that. Because of the perran situation I avoid it and was out at daymer today with no lifeguards but a stupid launch fee to pay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 i cant help it if im have not yet lurnt how to stay up wind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 and if you were the guy on the 12 meter waroo that went out as we left you went out and went stright down wind in to the zone any way ?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmicrider Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 alsun 101 are you a lifeguard ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsun101 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Apologies for the rant Tweak! Im not a lifeguard, I kite around the SW. I just think the lifeguards are attempting to make the best of a bad situation and from my experience generally make the right calls. I saw a guy get dragged about 400m down the beach today with his kite looping and crashing repeatedly. The lifeguards managed to chase the guy down the beach and grap his kite - im sure he was v grateful they were around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kite layne Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 i would just like to say its not just in england ,everywhere you go on holiday have very tight restrictions i supose if they never had them it would be a right mess as **** as it may be i realy think we do need them or there would be carnage,as for rights on the beaches we dont have any all the coast line is owned by the queen she lets local councils run are beaches so realy they can stop you from going on so i would do as im told and be polite and try and not cross the line ,they will ban it cos there not arsed ,just smile and say im very sorry i wont do it again youl find that goes down realy well they like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev6800 Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 i was kiting in cornwall last spring on crantock i set up away from every one it was early in the morning so it was not busy had a quick session and then got out as more people were starting to arrive i did not go near anyone and was no in any way a danger to the public came off the water got my wife to land me and packed my kit away straight the way been kitesurfing 3 years and would not want to see the sport banned or restricted in anyway as i was packing my kit down the lifeguard came over and said sorry to p**s on your bonfire but kite surfing is banned here my reply was im sorry i did not see any restriction signs and i have not seen anything on the net he said its not actually baned its just frounded apon so not to p**s any one off i did not kite there again several days later in the height of the day on a busy beach there were 4 kiters / want to be kiters flying foils on the beach with no reguard for anyone else im kiting get out of my way attitude every so often you would here a thud as another one hit the beach with peaple walking by i could not believe they were not challenged at all not one of them hows does that work ? since this instance i havespoken to a local kite shop owner who informs me there are no restrictions just use your common sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sukie Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 lifeguards to a very god job, a very well known fact. BUT, regular kiters in cornwall know the rules, the same as if not more than the lifeguards. we know that if its busy, you do not kite, if there are people, you do not kite. but i think there is a limit to how far the bans and restricitions can go. i have been out at perran over the past week or 2 in howling winds, raining like mad, and there has been no one on the beach let alone the sea. the guard flags were up, good for them, i wouldnt want to be sat on a beach all day in those conditions. BUT, they still came over and told me to move. i was no where near the flags but evry close to the actual 'allowed' area, a bit over the top? yes, i think they were bored (though they are pretty hot so it aint all bad ) but yes, we can kite all winter anywhere on the beach and use our common sence then as soon as the season starts the guards think that kiters are ignorant and have no idea of their capability. hasnt really made sence what iv said, but it makes sence in my head...... i guess they just dont understand that we dont want any accidents proberly more than them, so we employ more judgement than the think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev6800 Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 totally agree sukie i think i understand what your head is trying to say !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudley Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 becauses its a swear word !!!!!!!!! shame on you waroo = reel leash = anoying northrhinodude3= elitist knob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northrhinodude3 Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 i know im a nob you dont have to post it on here wan*er Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiteboyza Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 and life guards all over the world think what a bunch of jumped up tossers kite surfers are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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