With the howling E wind over the Easter weekend. A few kiters and windsurfers launched on the main beach at Aberdovey.

I've just had a chat with the Harbour master and theres a few concerns been raised about this.

we are not technically supposed to launch from the main beach or use the main channel especially at peak times, but as we have a pretty cool East wind situation and are not too busy this is normally ignored so long as we're sensible.

If there is an incident we are going to be stopped from launching and riding there and that includeds people riding over from Borth/Ynyslas.

Ok, concerns were

1. Launching close to the slipway.
2. Launching in the yellow bouys.
3. Weaving in and out of moored boats!
4. Riding all the way back to the Dovey main beach and jumping before changing direction and weaving back out through the moorings.

General guidlines are...
1. Only launch at Aberdovey if its deserted on the beach, if not get your lazy ass in a car and drive to ynyslas.
2. Once launched stay out passed the moorings and dont buzz the beach.
3. NO jumping near the beach or boats.
4. Be insured (the heads up is, if you hit a boat theres going to be a claim)

This goes for windsurfers and kiters (although kiters are the main concern)

Thanks

lisa might be worth posting this on kitecrowd and kiteboarder.

yeah going to Col :-)

Hi There,

I am assuming that you mean that any windsurfer cannot launch from the beach at Aberdovey. Even If I was say 100m to the right of the slip. This what I am basing my response on. If Iam wrong then please accept my whole hearted apologies, for my misunderstanding and bad spelling.

I have been launching at Aberdovey for over twenty years and never had any problems in that period. Why does every activity in the world have to become the victim of petty rules and regulations that by there introduction destroy the very essence of what lies at their core, freedom. Nobody owns the water and the beaches are public. If I want to launch at Aberdovey then what is to stop me?? Are the local bobbies going to, well yes More than likely under the prevention of terrorism act " Excuse me sir but I think that you may be one of those suicide windsurfers with an intention to blow a sheep..........up."
First it started with those Wombles they introduced on the motorways who stop all three lanes of traffic to recovery emtpy packets of crisps. Give them a uniform and some petty civic duties and bang lots of mini Hitlers running around. And whats the betting on how long our free and intoxicating sport becomes the victim of some little Hitler in a blue toyota Hilux comes sauntering up the beach extolling the virtues of doing nothing and handing out fines for surfing as if he was feeding candy to kids??

Sorry people but this needs addressing, yes we have a responsibility to the public. Although looking at the size of some of them I think they are in more danger of being mistaken for a marker bouy in a shipping lane and by their own gravitational field draw in oil tankers ontop of them. Hey then we would all have free oil, never mind those Somalian pirates. But at what point can we launch or is the whole beach from Aberdovey to Tywyn now under some kind of windsurfer watch??

Forgive my longwinded response only I chopped the end of my finger off the other week, that coupled with a demonicaly possessed child a week of no alcohol and being verticaly challenged have left me in a melancholistical mood.

No doubt I will be chastised for this point of view, but hey ho!!

hey silver, no launching at aberdovey is not a problem. It's just that a few people we're launching right up near the boats and weaving in and out of the moorings.

again on a quiet day not too much of a problem. The concern was with this happening as the summer got busier.

again it was more directed at kiters but windsurfer are not immune

again you should be launching in the yellow bouys anyway

Just all need to be sensible otherwise we get the one ruins it for all thing

I was there on the bank holiday weekend and did launch my kite from the beach, but walked a good 200m away from the moorings and beach users. I was concerned to see the three kiters launching between the moorings and a number of kiters that were on the beach that day had the same view.

There was a good possibility that they could have hit the boats and the guy's that were doing this....you know who you are...need to think about the rest of us, and not pee off the harbour master or the local hitlers.

I'm far from a kill joy, but we do need to be responsible with our great sport.

I do think the windsurfers are a lot more able to launch in this area and the majority that do all look competent enough to control there rigs.

This issue first came up about ten years ago, and we pretty much set out verbal rule of play back then. basically if its a busy day Dont launch off the main beach in Aberdyfi, its simples. yes we have a right to use the water, but play sensible and use your own judgement. I dont think it affects windsurfers in the same way, at the end of the day they dont have lines to cut people with.

Any water craft can be a problem, I saw a total donkey in a sit on top canoe nearly remove a childs teeeth down off the harbour in Aberdyfi once! and I cant see any body telling them not to launch off the main beach, but its down to us to keep our surf spots going :-D

I for one will continue to launch off the main beach, but I launch right next to the waters edge, I dont spend any time flying or walking up the beach, and I head straight over to ynys las. Oh and dont launch there if its busy!!!!