Hi guys

A dog owner has posted a Petition to have kiting banned at Altona. It's not one of the usual handouts for kiters so I'm not sure what the go is and who is using this location.

www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-altona-dog-beach/sign.html

www.facebook.com/groups/170885263014227/?profile_pic_upload=1&success=1#!/groups/170885263014227/

Not sure who is using this particular location (for teaching as well?) but I would tread carefully for the next little while.

I think it's important to note that the majority of the complaints seem to relate to owners concerned about their dogs chasing kites (owners responsibility to control their dogs?)

KR Team Rider Ewan Jaspan (www.ewanjaspan.com) and videographer and editing master Arterium Angledal (www.arterium.net) present...

"RELIGIOUS"

Enjoy!

Long story short: yesterday a dog tore a hole in my kite. I was told by other kiters that the guy walks his dogs at St Kilda on a regular basis so I thought I warn you as the owner himself said: the dog has been chasing kites for years.

Add to this the dog is unleashed and does not listen to his owner and I reckon more kites could be prone to this.

Description:
Dog, some old pitbull looking dog that does not respond to his owners calls. The dogs name is Holly or Polly. You ll hear the name when the guy is desperately trying to get his dog to stop chasing kites. Let that be the alarm bell.

Owner: 45 ish, small and skinny with tatoos and rings in both nipples. the best way to describe him would be a "free spirit" that looks a bit like a vintage rocker. No offense intended.

The guy was friendly enough and offered me his mobile number after having suggested I flew the kite WITH the hole.. That was quickly put to bed.

KBV was contacted by a dog-owner who was subjected to most unkiter-like behaviour after a kiter crashed his kite near the owner and the dog and the dog damaged the kite.

According to the communication the kiter was upset at the damage and subjected the owner to threats of various nature including harm to the dog. He then "dognapped" the dog until the owner retrieved identification he demanded and insisted on the kite being replaced. The kite was uninsured.

We understand that the situation has in the meantime normalised and the dog owner has agreed to pay for the repair of the kite HOWEVER there are some points to note:

1) Dog owners have a clear undisputed responsibility for the control of their dogs at the beach and also are responsible for any damage caused by the dog to kites or kiters. They also however have an equal right to use the beach.

2) Kiters have a responsibility to remain clear of swimmers, beachgoers and other kiters at all times. If this crash occurred when the kite was being launched or landed then the kiter has the responsibility of due care to not launch/land when anyone is close enough to be endangered. If the crash occurred when the kiter was sailing then he was definitely not adhering to the standard 50m from shore rule.

3) The above are both pretty well understood by most kiters BUT what we find most difficult to understand is why the kiter "lost it" and displayed the most atrocious form of behaviour to a member of the public who had equal right to be there. Threats (unwarranted or otherwise) of any form are equivalent to abuse and as such could land a kiter in legal hot water.

Without going into detail (protect the innocent?) suffice to say we ask all kiters to
be considerate in the way they kite and, in the event of an accident, in the way they react. This is a highly visible sport - Every interaction with the public is important - from handing issues to simply explaining kiting to a stranger.

Please do what you can to contribute to a positive public image of kiting and kiters.

Postscript: The AKSA/KBV insurance does not cover a situtation like the above. Kiters should consider insuring their sporting equipment in the same way they would cover a bicycle, glof clubs, or anything else that could be considered relatively expensive.

Some household insurers (sorry cannot advertise here) also cover sports equipment (specifically kiting equipment at home or while out of the house or being used) - worth looking into.