I bet they pick all the exact spots where all the windsurfers and kitesurfers go, just to cheese us all off, like rye, brighton, and st kilda. Thease guys stuffed my mountain bike hobby up, now they are going to stuff my other hobby, windsurfing. I cant win I think I might give up windsurfing now as well. The restriction zones are for windsurfing as well not just kiting. Its so crap because no one kitersurfs in westernport bay. Why are they picking on that bay? and no one hardly windsurfs anymore. So why are they picking on windsurfing? They must have nothing better to do. So who is going to represent windsurfing at there workshops? no one? Some windsurfers still do windsurf and they have asked no one to represent windsurfing. So under the new laws in mtbing. If you are found riding on trails wich are banned from mtbing, you get issued a fine by parks victoria on the spot. So if you are caught windsurfing at a beach wich is banned, you will be giving a fine on the spot by them. They have the power now to issue you a fine. I got this info on the ban from the kiting news section in this seabreeze site.

Parks Victoria have invited representatives from KBV to attend a number of consultation Workshops regarding possible kiting restriction zones in Port Phillip Bay and Westernport Bay. Potential kiting restriction will be considered as part of this Boating Zones Review.

This is a very serious issue for kiters as the information and ideas at these Workshops relate directly to continuing to keep all Victorian beaches open to kiting.

KBV Members and Contacts were recently requested to notify their interest as a "local Rep" for attendance at any of the Workshops. However not all slots for attendees were filled.

The Workshops are to be held as follows:

Portarlington #150; Thursday 31 July
Geelong - Tuesday 5 August
Safety Beach #150; Tuesday 12 August
Carrum #150; Thursday 14 August
Port Melbourne 21 August.
The spots for Port Melbourne have gone but KBV are still seeking "local Reps" for all other regions.

The Framework for the Review of Boating Zones includes a new proposed Zoning #147;No Surf Kites or Sailboards#148;. KBV intends having at least one KBV Committee Representative at each of the Workshops and seek to be supported by kiters who are familiar with the areas noted above.

KBV understand no kiting exclusion zones have yet been set and have secured at least three spots at each of the Workshops and in the interests of kiters being properly represented from their respective areas.

Please contact KBV via their website under if you wish to be involved.

Whats the point of posting this now since the workshops all over according to your post?

How do they issue you a fine anyway? They get you and ask for your name. You call yourself Donald Duck, Bart Simpson or if you are really smart Jeffrey Sampson. You give a dodgy address.

Its not like the police asking for your drivers licence.

Thats Sh!t, but i think its one of those all talk no action procedures!!!

Lets just hope Windsurf Victoria sorted it all out!!

Rules are rules. Get a little electric motor and prop and stick it on the back. The sail is just for aesthetics. Sure sounds like Victoria is ruled by wowsers and fun police.

There was a case recently that went before the High Court where a drunk woman in the NT fell over the edge of a cliff one evening. She tried to sue the council saying they were negligent because there were no signs warning of the danger of the cliff.

The court dismissed the case because it was deemed unreasonable to warn of every possible danger.

The common law legal system we have in Australia is not well suited to issues of a dangerous environment. Fact is sometimes people do stupid things and then hurt or kill themselves. Unfortunately under our legal system they have to then find someone who has been negligent so they can claim some damages.

Contrast this to how they do it in New Zealand. There is no need to sue someone for your unfortunate situation. The relevant authorities will do their best to treat and rehabilitate you so you can live as best a life as possible.

In Australia someone has an accident then everyone else has to suffer as the fun police tell you to stop.

Have windsurfers been causing problems for other water and beach users in Victoria?

They have "fun" in Victoria???

You would think any issues with windsurfing would have been sorted out in the 80s when it was a much more popular sport and had many more people doing it than you get today.

Yes kiting is popular and takes up more room than windsurfing. However I am not sure if its more popular than windsurfing. I'm staying at Perth and because I have nothing much to do I've been going down to the water whenever its windy. This afternoon I was at Pelican Point on the Swan River. I counted 15 windsurfers out there and 5 kiters. However those 5 kiters were much more visible than the 15 windsurfers. Perhaps that the problem?

Goodluck with this as it would be no good for a basically safe activity like windsurfing to be banned when plenty of unsafe activities are either encouraged or ignored by the authorities who rule us.

Mobydisc said...

There was a case recently that went before the High Court where a drunk woman in the NT fell over the edge of a cliff one evening. She tried to sue the council saying they were negligent because there were no signs warning of the danger of the cliff.

The court dismissed the case because it was deemed unreasonable to warn of every possible danger.

The common law legal system we have in Australia is not well suited to issues of a dangerous environment. Fact is sometimes people do stupid things and then hurt or kill themselves. Unfortunately under our legal system they have to then find someone who has been negligent so they can claim some damages.

Contrast this to how they do it in New Zealand. There is no need to sue someone for your unfortunate situation. The relevant authorities will do their best to treat and rehabilitate you so you can live as best a life as possible.

In Australia someone has an accident then everyone else has to suffer as the fun police tell you to stop.

Have windsurfers been causing problems for other water and beach users in Victoria?

Last time I checked, the NZ system was running at a massive loss. It may be better now, but the system did have significant problems.

In NSW, the Public Liability Act and some common law changes had a massive effect on dumb tort actions. You've now got to be a lot more sensible, and if you choose to do something dangerous you take the risk yourself to a much greater extent. The number of actions (especially from people who did dumb things like falling while walking along perfectly good footpaths, or slipping on chips on the floor) dropped enormously. It's now a much better system IMHO, but still inefficient.

Windsurfing Victoria has been a very active participant in the Bay Boating Zones Review - which is still in its early stages

We have made a written submission, especially emphasizing that windsurfing & kiting need to be reviewed separately (as the safety issues are very different)

Plus we recently had a long meeting with the PV Project Manager, including detailed input on all the windsurfing locations around both Bays

WV was the first peak body consulted, outside the series of local meetings - our voice is definitely being heard

The next step will be commenting on draft maps with proposed new zones

So in summary we are having a genuine say - any changes are not a "done deal", and the process is likely to continue well into 2009

So relax, and enjoy your windsurfing!

Peter Hands
President
Windsurfing Victoria Inc

Thanks for the info and for arguing our case.
Windsurfing isnt kiteboarding and doesnt pose the same risks so it would be a real shame if we were restricted because of kiting. I hardly see any windsurfers anymore at my local bayside beach.

Hey sailquik I heard to once parks victoria had there eyes on sandy point for a while and they were going to ban all water activites so they could make it into a a wild life place only

well Kato ask em, if ya dont believe me son. thease guys mean business and they will do what ever they can to stop us windsurfing trust me son.

I told you guys mr windsurf was back

Yep[}:)]

I told you guys mr windsurf was back

Yep[}:)]

if i seen them waving me into the beach, i'd just gybe wave back and sail back out, might as well make it worth the fine, hopefully they would get sick of waiting for you to come into the beach and leave. the MSB would do the same in lake macquarie for life jackets, we would see them coming and sail into the beach, then walk away from our gear.
But banning a water sport from beaches is just typical of todays society, they are doing big campains to get kids and adults to live healthier lives, eating, execising, stop drinking and smoking but restricting what people can do, they are even trying to stop kids doing hand stands at school so stuff like this does no longer suprise me, soon you will get a fine for jogging to fast.. think society really need to relax and remember how to have fun..

crooks