Important Information that will change the way people Kitesurf in Poole Harbour, to make it a safer location.

Please find enclosed a scale drawing of the harbour and the soon to be laid line of buoys. These mark a total no kite zone including launch and landing. The green line depicts the mean high water mark.

Poole Harbour

These new measures will be put in place by the Poole Harbour Commision, to try and reduce the amount of serious accidents thats seem to happen every year.

Poole Kitesurfing club has been set up to be the point of reference for the kiting community, please read below.

______________

His is the signage and info for all the public, provided by PHC.

Poole Harbour Kitesurfing

In case of emergency dial 999 (112 from a mobile) and ask for the Coastguard

The kitesurfing Code of Conduct has been introduced as an attempt to improve the safety record of the sport.  However for this to be successful the general public, the parents of families, dog walkers and other water users are asked to play their part by being diligent, be aware of their surroundings and by taking the relevant actions to avoid incidents.

• All riders must hold current 3rd party specialist kitesurfing insurance.
• Membership of the Poole Kitesurf Club is strongly recommended.
• Be sure you can handle the prevailing weather conditions if in doubt, do not go out.
• Always assist fellow kitesurfers when launching and landing and treat all water users and public with respect and consideration
• Always use an effective kite safety leashing system
• Wrap your lines when not in use and secure kite properly
• Keep a safe distance between you and your fellow water / beach users
• If you lose your kite or board when on the water, ALWAYS report it to the coastguard.
• A kitesurfer must know the rules of the water in relation to other users and abide by them at all times
• If you ride alone, let someone know you are out and what time 
you will be expected back

Specific Location Risks (Whitley Lake)

• Whitley Lake is very popular with all types of water users as well as families enjoying the shallow water and can become very busy and congested during peak times.  If you feel the numbers on the water are too great to kite in a safe manner taking into consideration your experience and skill, do NOT go out
• Kiting within 50m of the harbour wall is strictly prohibited. Marker buoys are in place to indicate the no kite area
• Launching and recovery is preferred only through the zoned lane (See diagram)
• There is a very busy main road running the entire length of the harbour wall.

Due to the proximity of buildings and high ground Kitesurfing in Poole Harbour is not recommended in the following wind directions. North, North East, East, South East and South as the winds can be gusty, unpredictable and dangerous especially for learners/novices.

____________________

Info about the Poole Harbour Kitesurfing club mentioned above

Gary Hawkins (Chairman of the Poole Kitesurfing Club)

“Kitesurf Club was set up in March of this year as a means of joining together local kiters and we very quickly grew to 200 members we now have close to 400 members.

Shortly afterwards we were approached by Poole Harbour Commisioners via the Harbour Master who was concerned with safety especially in Poole Harbour and it was made clear that unless safety and regulation were considered a ban of could be in place in Poole harbour. The club was asked to be the main point of contact for the Harbour Master in an independent and equitable manner to ensure that kiting remained viable long term locally for the masses as well as the local shops and schools who’s very existence relies on Poole Harbour being accessible.

All the local shops and schools are fully behind the club and support us greatly. The local shops and schools will be funding the buoys and they ongoing upkeep. Working with the PHC and the BKSA we have developed a 50m no kite zone/launch/land as identified on the image.  This zone is to ensure all kiters stay at least 50m away from the hazard of the road and harbour wall at all times, therefore promoting a safety buffer zone. There will also be signage explaining this all around the harbour.

We have for years been blessed as having Poole harbour on our doorstep, the 2nd biggest natural harbour in the world, with its shallow waters and stunning scenery. However with the explosion of the popularity of kiting over the years and the proximity of the main road and hazards of the sea wall and often over 100 kiters on the water the harbour has become possibly hazardous for all users and the pubic. The club is committed to working with the Poole Harbour Commissioners, council and local stakeholders and local kiters to keep the facility of the harbour safe and sustainable.

The club welcomes kiters of ALL abilities and work hard to make the club inclusive of all ages, genders and abilities and often run beginner weekends where more experienced kiters can be on hand to offer support and advice.  We are considering a research project into kiting as a therapy for people of all ages with disabilities (both physical and learning disabilities).

In addition to the more formal side of regulation and safety the club has a fantastic social scene and we meet for a beer and a natter every Thursday at the Sandacres pub from 7:00pm. The networking via the social medium of Facebook has been very successful allowing people to meet to kite ensuring they always have a kite buddy to share their fun, often there are 20-30 club members on beaches across the south people can join up with.

The club also organises an annual Fundraising summer party, last year we raised £4,500 for MacMillian Cancer Care and this year we aim for raise in excess of £10,000 for charity.

Over the winter when kiting is not possible there are frequent trips to other events such as snowboarding and paint balling. The club despite its name welcomes kiters of all disciplines, water land and snow.

We are a BKSA recognised club and require are your BKSA membership details and expiry dates to join and you can enter your details here .. http://www.poolekitesurfclub.co.uk/p/join-club.html.

When members renew their insurance we ask  that they do this choosing the club on the drop down menu, we then receive £5 into the funds of the club to put towards safety and recognition. http://www.britishkitesurfingassociation.co.uk/membership/view-membership-details/1-individual-bksa-membership.html

We are planning to host some training events in the new year which we we open to all members for free and all such events will be advertised via e-mail to members as well as on our Facebook like page https://www.facebook.com/Poolkitesurfclub and on our very busy and interactive group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/PooleKSC/ and there are now new forums on the clubs website for those who do not use Facebook. http://poolekitesurfclub.freeforums.org/

The club is still very much in its infancy and as we develop with more members and income from joining and renewing members we will be developing club rashes, tags for harnesses mail shots and newsletters.”

Awesome new shots from yesterday at Lepe, thanks again Lorna Leverett.

“Hi Steve

Well done on the Bournemouth cam, hope to get down there at some point.

I’ve been out today at Lepe, so batch of photos to load…..

After a few cold weekends, it was good to get some shots of Ali Reader, Ali Barrett & Lucie Williams, who were out braving the cold water.  Ali Barrett was getting some awesome height, and first time out this winter for Ali Reader.  Really good to see you out guys, cheers for the tricks !!!“

Thanks again Lorna, you can see more of Lorna’s shots at www.sealevelphotography.co.uk.

Ali Reader

Ali Reader

Ali Reader

Ali Barrett

Ali Barrett

Ali Barrett

Lucie Williams

If you like the shots please help out and hit like below.

More shots and video>>>>>>>>>>>

Bournemouth surfing has never looked this good.

Bournemouth webcam has been placed on top of Harry Ramsden’s on Bournemouth beach, the camera is set to pan across the coast to give the best picture of what the conditions are looking like for both Surfers and general Bournemouth lovers.

Harry Ramsden’s have been very kind to allow me to place this cam in one of the best spots along this stunning coastline. The camera starts to the left looking towards Eastcliff, then pans across to the famous Bournemouth Pier, after a few seconds the cam ends up zoomed in on Branksome Chine for the windsurfers and kitesurfers who often use that spot.

Surf and weather forecast

You are able to view both the weather forecast and surf forecast thanks to our embedded Windguru and Magic Seaweed forecast. You can view these by either scrolling down on the webcam page or selecting the green tabs above the webcam streaming.

Latest photos and video

We also run a blog which consists of photos and video sent in by you the public. This works really well and has been very popular. So it would be great to get a steady flow of shots from Bournemouth of people enjoying themselves on the water. You can view the blog and all previous articles by clicking the “latest photos/video” tab at the bottom of In The Elements pages.

Here are some previous shots from Bournemouth pier Click.

Commenting on Bournemouth cam

You are able to comment on what you see on the cam, or if you are down by the beach and want to update the public with what it is like down there.

To comment on the cams you need to log into the site in the top left corner of the site. Its free, easy and only necessary to stop the site getting bombarded with junk mail.

Follow “Bournemouth new webcam” on Facebook

I will update the Facebook page with all the latest photos and news from the site and give you guys the heads up on what is going on down at the beach throughout the year. View the page here.

Thanks to David Libby, we have some cracking shots of Hayling Island (under webcam) during the December storms.

“Hi Steve,

A number of shots taken by of me or by me off Hayling Dec 2011, living on Hayling has its advantages, keep up the good work.

Regards Dave”

Thanks again David, great shots. We are always looking for more photos and video so get in touch if you want to get on the site!

Tell your friends about these photos, like below.

More photos and video >>>>>>>>>

In the elements

This is incredible, takes a few minutes to get going, so stick with it!

If you like, hit like below!

More video and pics >>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks to Mike Millard for sending in the first shots of the year from Poole Harbour, he has sent in a short video of kitesurfer Richard Salmon along with some great stills of Jordan Hurst.

If you want to see more of Mike’s shots, check out his Flickr page, thanks again Mike for the shots!

If you every take pics send them in! in the mean time Like below and show your friends the pics!

More pics and video >>>>>>>>>>>>

Lea Spencer has kindly sent in a few shots form Portland. Looks like it was another flat windy day at Portland last weekend!

Thanks again Lea you can check out more of his shots at redsurfbus.com Please hit like below to show your friends!

More pics and video >>>>>>>>>>

First shots of the year from Lorna Leverett, good to have you back! So to business, kitesurfing Hill Head 2012.

“Hi Steve

Happy New Year

I visited Hill Head for my first photo shoot of 2012 yesterday, and the wind just got stronger and stronger through the day.  Loads of kitesurfers out, awesome day.  If you can help with names of any of these riders, please let me know.  I have more shots from yesterday on my website.

Lorna

www.sealevelphotography.co.uk”

Thanks as usual Lorna and thanks for the great shots, be sure to check out her site for more pics from this session, www.sealevelphotography.co.uk.

Lucie Williams

Show some love for Lorna’s photos, hit Like below.

More photos and videos >>>>>>>>>>>

Not sure the commentators could be anymore enthusiastic! Very funny!

If you like please hit Like.

More Video and pics >>>>>>>>>