Hawaii banning windsurfing?

[LikaNui]

What the hell is this Senate Bill (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2008/bills/SB2091_.htm) (shown in its entirety below)? And who introduced Senate Bill 2091, basically banning windsurfing and kite sailing?
Report Title: Ocean Recreation; Sailboards

Description: Prohibits operators of sailboards from approaching within 200 feet of a swimmer or surfer in the ocean.

THE SENATE
S.B. NO. 2091

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO SAILBOARDS.


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that surfers and swimmers using Hawaii's oceans for recreation face a danger from operators of sailboards and kiteboards. Sailboarders and kiteboarders often operate their craft at high speeds in areas crowded with surfers and swimmers. Kiteboards and sailboards are much heavier and faster and could cause serious injury if they were to collide with a swimmer or surfer. The purpose of this Act is to ensure water safety by prohibiting the operator of a sailboard or kiteboard from approaching within two hundred feet of a swimmer or surfer in the water.

SECTION 2. Chapter 200, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§200- Operation of sailboards and kiteboards. No person shall operate a sailboard or kiteboard within two hundred feet of another person swimming or using a surfboard within the waters of the State.

For the purposes of this section, "sailboard or kiteboard" means any type of board that is propelled by a detachable sail or kite apparatus.

For the purposes of this section, "surfboard" means any type of board that is used for the sport of surf-riding and includes boards commonly known as "body boards"."

SECTION 3. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun, before its effective date.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.



INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________




:mad:

[Menehune Man]

Oh oh...
Think there will be problems completing and if necessary enforcing this bill/law.

[LikaNui]

If they have to stay 200' away from swimmers and/or surfers... how the hell are they supposed to get out on the ocean if they can't launch from a beach and get out through the waves? :confused:

I suppose I could charge windsurfers and kite sailors to take them offshore in my boat, but. :o

[lavagal]

Hmmm. I bet this might have been triggered by a Kailua Neighborhood Board, which has been warring with kiteboarders for quite some time now. Just a guess. How odd that Hawaii would ban any ocean sports. Who ever is representing Hookipa should get this bill shelved for sure!

[LikaNui]

Yeah, LavaGal, I was thinking both of those things too, along with Diamond Head.
But the problem in Kailua was mainly beachfront homeowners complaining about kite sailors who, while setting up, occasionally got their rigs caught in the homeowners trees.
And Kailua Beach Park has a marked and buoyed Swimmers Only area, so it's not a safety issue there.

[Menehune Man]

How odd that Hawaii would ban any ocean sports.

Hawai'i (legislative-ly) has been anti-boating/oceansports for many years!

Our harbors, for example...

"We" should be a mecca for ocean travelers! Have wonderful harbors, with terrific amenities. Many NorthWest coast cruisers sail farther south towards mexico before crossing to the Marquesas instead of heading here.

Then there's....

[craigwatanabe]

Hawai'i (legislative-ly) has been anti-boating/oceansports for many years!

Our harbors, for example...

"We" should be a mecca for ocean travelers! Have wonderful harbors, with terrific amenities. Many NorthWest coast cruisers sail farther south towards mexico before crossing to the Marquesas instead of heading here.

Then there's....

Well regarding harbors, I know people who live in their boats and use public facilities to bathe daily. I'm not sure about now but back in the 80's they didn't pay property taxes or pay high slip fees considering the locations. I don't know if slips were ever meant to be long term residential places to park a home.

Anyway they're not banning windsurfing completely, they're just banning them from infringing on another group of human activity. Heck even with boogie boarders and surfers there's a chance of collision. I've had a few times when a skag would open up a small wound. My fault for not seeing how the wave was breaking and not seeing the surfer drop right onto me.

But a surfer's skag at that speed is nothing compared to the speed of a windsurfer slicing across your back because you couldn't dive under fast enough before this water rocket slams into you. Windsurfing and other humans in the water don't go together well, kinda like super ferries and whales:D

[Menehune Man]

Well regarding harbors, I know people who live in their boats and use public facilities to bathe daily. I'm not sure about now but back in the 80's they didn't pay property taxes or pay high slip fees considering the locations. I don't know if slips were ever meant to be long term residential places to park a home.


It's costlier to pay liveaboard slip privilege's than to just "park" your boat.
And since the whole East Coast, parts of the West Coast and most other countries accept/ encourage boaters, why can't Hawaii?

What's your argument against it? Because they don't hafta pay property taxes?
Sheesh...

Why not encourage more sailors to pass through our ports?
That's a tourist market.

The problem with our harbors is mismanagement. Straight-up!

[Nords]

And since the whole East Coast, parts of the West Coast and most other countries accept/ encourage boaters, why can't Hawaii?
Why not encourage more sailors to pass through our ports?
The problem with our harbors is mismanagement. Straight-up!
I agree that the harbors could be better funded... and I bet that helps with the management too.

10 years ago I had a tour of Sand Island's Marine Education & Training Center. I don't even know if it's still going, but it was a partnership among several colleges, the state, and the military to try and build more of a marine industry. One of the lead instructors was a South Carolina transplant who grew up on the Intracoastal Waterway.

He said a marine industry will never take off in Hawaii like it has on the east coast. Essentially the water's too deep and the weather's too rough for the average recreational boater. That long, shallow continental shelf stops a lot of water/weather issues and makes excursions a lot less interesting safer.

As for windsurfing legislation, sounds like someone wanted a wind/kitesurfer arrested and discovered there's no law against it... anyone know who's sponsoring the bill?

[timkona]

And what about an Environmental Impact Statement from each windsurfer who wants to dock his vessel on Hawaiian shores?

And what about the possibility of any windsurfer crashing into the reef or the rocks on the shoreline? That would hurt the ecosystem.

And what about a traffic study being done to avoid mid air collisions of the kites, or any kite to plane, or kite to bird, collisions?

Glurg..........

Crazy/stupid is an epidemic in Hawaii, where many, if not MOST, folks try to be as crazy or stupid as they possibly can be. It goes by many policitically correct terms like activism, caring, concern, et al. That is the essence of what makes it so damned easy to get along and make a decent living here.

You gotta love a minnow pond, where the fish hate to school. :cool:

[craigwatanabe]

It's costlier to pay liveaboard slip privilege's than to just "park" your boat.
And since the whole East Coast, parts of the West Coast and most other countries accept/ encourage boaters, why can't Hawaii?

What's your argument against it? Because they don't hafta pay property taxes?
Sheesh...

Am I arguing? I'm just stating something I noticed. Man take it easy! Sounds like you need hug :rolleyes:

[Frankie's Market]

As for windsurfing legislation, sounds like someone wanted a wind/kitesurfer arrested and discovered there's no law against it... anyone know who's sponsoring the bill?

I don't know who introduced it, but the state senator who represents Kailua and Lanikai is Fred Hemmings. If he is a proponent of that bill, it would be strange, seeing as how 'ole Fred is an ex-pro surfer and has had a long history of involvement in water sports.

[Vanguard]

And who introduced Senate Bill 2091, basically banning windsurfing and kite sailing?

INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________

Whoever did it didn't have the nerve to sign it :p

[Leo Lakio]

And who introduced Senate Bill 2091, basically banning windsurfing and kite sailing?Senator Les Ihara, Jr. (D - 9th District) introduced it.

You still have time to make it to today's public hearing:
The committee(s) on WTL has scheduled a public hearing on 02-15-08 at 2:45 pm in conference room 414.

[craigwatanabe]

I don't know who introduced it, but the state senator who represents Kailua and Lanikai is Fred Hemmings. If he is a proponent of that bill, it would be strange, seeing as how 'ole Fred is an ex-pro surfer and has had a long history of involvement in water sports.

Man that's a leap of an assumption and in only one direction...negative. Pretty soon because Fred's a Republican and he represents the Bush administration one could then assume that this ban on windsurfing was all Bush's fault!

Crazy? Not as crazy as your assumption. So who introduced this bill? A Democrat? Well who's Hitler now?

[Frankie's Market]

Man that's a leap of an assumption and in only one direction...negative. Pretty soon because Fred's a Republican and he represents the Bush administration one could then assume that this ban on windsurfing was all Bush's fault!

Crazy? Not as crazy as your assumption. So who introduced this bill? A Democrat?

Uh, Craig. I didn't assume anything. You do know that being a "proponent" of a bill does not necessarily entail introducing a bill, right?

And I mention Fred Hemmings because his position on the bill, for or against, is most relevant. After all, he does in fact represent the area where the most windsurfing and kitesurfing takes place on Oahu, by far.

Well who's Hitler now?

Better for you to ask, who's Noah Webster? Or Funk & Wagnalls?

[craigwatanabe]

Uh, Craig. I didn't assume anything. You do know that being a "proponent" of a bill does not necessarily entail introducing a bill, right?

And I mention Fred Hemmings because his position on the bill, for or against, is most relevant. After all, he does in fact represent the area where the most windsurfing and kitesurfing takes place on Oahu, by far.



Better for you to ask, who's Noah Webster? Or Funk & Wagnalls?


Sorry for that assumption, I just feel that IF one is going to put someone's integrity on the line by suggesting a possible scenerio where the outcome could be negative or strange as you suggest.

Case in point, today some gal was turning right in a right turn lane only. I was turning left in the adjacent left turn lane. She yells at me and says, "What if I was turning left?"

I respond, "Well you weren't turning left, you're turning right", she says, "Well what IF I were turning left?" I look at her and shake my head, "What IF I just don't give a rat's ass what you think at this point bitch" and I drive off.

IF can change the world. What IF we never won WWII? What IF we never invented the computer? Who cares? We did win WWII and we did invent the computer.

But getting back OT, I don't think Fred Hemmings' a proponent of that bill BUT being a surfer he could be one simply because this bill protects surfers from windsurfers. Remember this bill only puts distance between two types of surfers, not banning them.

[Frankie's Market]

But getting back OT, I don't think Fred Hemmings' a proponent of that bill BUT being a surfer he could be one simply because this bill protects surfers from windsurfers. Remember this bill only puts distance between two types of surfers, not banning them.

I'm simply shedding light on the potentially awkward situation that Hemmings could find himself in, balancing the interest of kite surfers/wind surfers (he is a good friend of Robby Naish's family) with that of other park/beach users as well as nearby property owners, many of whom are his constituents in the voting booth. And while a compromise like the one you describe would sound sensible, actually achieving it could be easier said than done. Remember, we're talking about a community that was entrenched in a more-than-decade long dispute over the fate of Camp Kailua.

[Geebz]

To the whole matter, it sounds like a typical "They (kiteboarders) are making too much nosie on our beach". More BS piled ontop the shoulders of freedom to play hard.:mad:

[craigwatanabe]

To the whole matter, it sounds like a typical "They (kiteboarders) are making too much nosie on our beach". More BS piled ontop the shoulders of freedom to play hard.:mad:

Yeah ban them all and blame it on Bush! That's the American way! :D