News for kiters: Wellfleet beaches and the CCNS 1/4 mile rule
News from the Wahine team riders
03. 27.09
Some CCW folks went to the Wellfleet Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 to find out whether Wellfleet would adopt proposed beach regulations that would ban kiting from Town of Wellfleet beaches from April 1 through October 1. They have some good news and some not so good news to report.
- The good news: the Selectmen voted not to implement any regulations on kiting on town owned beaches.
- The not so good news: the Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) is again prohibiting kiteboarding on its bayside property -- which includes water within 1/4 mile of the mean low water mark on CCNS bayside beaches.
What does that mean? While you can launch from Wellfleet town landings on the bayside, you're not allowed to kite within a 1/4 mile – that’s 1300 feet – of the mean low water mark on CCNS bayside beaches from April 1 until the last plover fledges, which is generally sometime in August.
So, kiters, you can launch from the town landings, get out past the 1/4 mile mark, and you can then ride wherever you want. The mid and low tide slicks north and south of the town landings are off limits during plover season. Downwinders are ok, but you must stay 1/4 mile offshore a CCNS beach and you must not land on a CCNS beach. If this doesn't make sense, or you're not sure what the restrictions are once you get there, please ask.
And what else does this mean? For the time being, it would be very, very smart if kiters who cannot stay upwind consistently learn to kite somewhere other than Wellfleet. We do not want to jeopardize the kiting community's access at these beaches in Wellfleet and we really want to show both the Town of Wellfleet and the National Park Service that the kiting community is made up of responsible, respectful individuals who can self-police themselves.
We would like to thank Christa Von der Luft and Jody Craven for the countless hours they have spent thus far educating themselves, the community, and the National Park Service on this sensitive issue.
Also, a special thanks goes to Trip Forman, owner of Real Kiteboarding on Cape Hatteras, for making the trek up from Hatteras to help.
And, last but not least, another big thank you to all the people who attended the Wellfleet Hearing to show their support for the kite boarders.
Stay tuned cuz there will likely be more to come on this issue...