Irish Water Safety Assoc. Promotes National Kitesurfing

[RickI]

For full size click:
http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... h_Sign.jpg
From: http://www.iws.ie/guidesnew.asp

I just received word from a rider in Ireland about the successful efforts of a kiteboarder named Colly from Dollymount Beach, Dublin and others in Ireland to preserve access. Colly is a hands on guy with an eye on promoting Safety & Sustainability of our sport at his launch and throughout Ireland. My source, not Colly, tells me that kiteboarders actually get preferential treatment over windsurfers because they go out of their way to "liase with the authorities and let them know that we're not a bunch of kids with big kites." He told me that they are to have a designated, flagged launch with the sign shown above this summer. Add that to a nation wide adoption of launch signs along with procedures by the Irish Water Safety Association and it sounds like serious progress toward maintaining access and public acceptance.

So, here is just one more example of how getting organized and involved can benefit Safety & Sustainability. So, well done guys, thanks for passing the news along and have fun shredding this summer!

[RickI]

I just heard from Kitedude that they also have received permission to locate a windmeter for Internet access on the local Council building at the launch. More about this at:

http://kitesurfing.ie/index.php?name=PN ... opic&t=531

The logistics of obtaining permission to install a wind meter at a good location that provides representative wind readings near the launch is often quite duanting. It is a major accomplishment to have the government offer to provide a location for such an installation that will benefit anyone that wants wind data online. Well done guys!

[RickI]

More information about this appears at:

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2301255

[RickI]

I received an PM from Collly that I wanted to pass on to the Forum. Colly mentioned that:

"...... it was sparked off by the French Minister for Marine last May. He wrote to ALL his counterparts in Europe asking about "Wichard Shackles and kitesurf safety".

Sounds like a heads up to me and perhaps an opportunity for other areas in Europe to possibly head off problems. The riders in Dublin/Ireland were able to start a good thing and with little advanced organization too. Well done guys! It is good that your governmmental authorities got proactively involved with a desire to first understand then to facilitate the safe enjoyment of our sport. Going hands off, the public sector is left to try to figure things out on their own which may not be such a good thing. It would be great if this might be repeated elsewhere. Anyway, on to Colly's message:

"Thanks for the acknowledgement Rick. Great to see our little sign up on this site.
Yes it is a huge achievement. But I can't and Won't take all the credit.

For the record...... it was sparked off by the French Minister for Marine last May. He wrote to all his counterparts in Europe asking about "Wichard Shackles and kitesurf safety". It was prompted in part by some highly publicized accidents last year in France and I think the ongoing efforts stemming form Silke's accident.

The IWS (Irish Water Safety) found us through shops and schools. We had (still have) no association but we had to react. We met with the IWS at our local beach were they observed every aspect of our setup from were/how we park to kite setup and launch, how we conducted ourselves and of course we clarified the "chicken loop release issue". Satisfied with the demonstration of several branded production bar release systems and one fitted with Wichard Snap Shackle they asked "what could they do for us?â€