From Kbv:

Two incidents at StKilda today highlighted the need for greater care at StKilda.

Incident one involved a kiter tentatively launching his kite so near to the seawall that when he immediately hot landed the kite it hit two parked cars in Pier Road.

From the outset there appeared to be a series of signals that all was not well. When readying for launch [by an experienced kiter] he was directly upwind of his kite. The experienced kiter correctly waved him around to the edge of the window so as not to create a hot launch. The kiter appeared reluctant to take the directive however until the launcher was satisfied with the kiters position he rightly did not let go.

The kite moved up and quickly into the power zone - it was the obvious the kiter did not know what he was doing and the kite luckily dived and crashed - but into two parked cars beyond the seawall. The kiter was only pulled forward a few meters.

What was obvious was that whilst the beach was over 100 meters wide at the area near to launch [low tide] the launch was only 15meters from the Seawall. This is too close to pedestrians and parked cars.

Incident two involved an experienced kiter walking his kite at 12.00 oclock next to the seawall near to the main StKilda Kite Beach entrance. The kiter appeared to be returning a borrowed board and had a brief discussion with a uniformed instructor. Sadly the instructor did not tell the kiter to immediately move back from the seawall.

This is really scary as any gear failure at this time or a freak gust may result in the kite landing in traffic on Beaconsfield Parade. What carnage could follow I will leave to the imagination but as a two lane busy thoroughfare it would likely not be pretty either for the kiter, who gets dragged by his lines as the kite wraps around the front of a car/truck travelling at 60k, for the pedestrians that have lines cutting across them powered by the now well kite-wrapped vehicle and anchored by the now seawall-impaled kiter, and the parked vehicles and street side pedestrians now being crushed by the out of control emergency braking kite-blinded vehicle. It's too scary to think about.

It's only after the police/coroner immediately close the beach to kiters and then the council imposes their complete ban on kiting at StKilda, that we will all say kites should have never been flown near the seawall. But it will all be too late.

As a suggestion for anyone kiting at St Kilda, please stay at least 25 meters away from the seawall along what is now a designated kite beach.

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