HI guys i was kiting at the train today and was very disappointed to have a windsurfer yelling at me to F OFF, AND TRYING TO CUT ME OFF. i had only just arrived didn't do anything stupid, was giving way and this guy thought he owned the place. had a word to him on the beach and still kept just saying F OFF, I have been kiting on the gold coast for the passed 6 years and have never been yelled at like that, i had a talk to a couple of other kiters on the beach and they said that they had experienced the same thing. WTF Can't we all get along??????????

This is not good, do you have a description, maybe someone can have a word with them

Very true Ian if I go out and there's a bunch of guys kitting I stay away and give them room. But a few times I have been sailing at the train and a kiter has come up and tried to hug the bank both ways. Not cool..Most of the time it is ok though.

If your smokin down the bank at 35 knots on starboard and a kiter comes the other way hugging the bank on port with lines horizontal not giving an inch of space, what do you do? Giveway with a friendly wave or stand your ground with abuse?

^^ we never did see that guy again did we .

But getting back to the original comment "why cant we get along " there is something wrong when you cant have a conversation on the water or beach without abuse . maybe the pair of you needed a sniggers .

Kiters do have a massive foot print and Im not sure if they realise it, knor am i convinced they understand STARBOARD , leeward boat , or water

ggh said..
But getting back to the original comment "why cant we get along " there is something wrong when you cant have a conversation on the water or beach without abuse

Everybody stick so hard to their right and privileges that even small advice on safety, order or common sense or is taken usually as an attack and return abusive feedback.
Once I did try to warn middle aged dad snorkeling with his young son kid just in the mouth were all windsurfers and kitesurfers traffic concentrated , has only access to the beach from sea. In the most polite way pointing only to his own safety ( say nothing about our inconvenience at all) but response was very sad/nasty.
The same with anglers , always try to catch the biggest fish just on the KS WS landing path although there is plenty room either way to the sides.
I am not sure that even all WS realize that launching from the beach just in the front of gybing another windsurfer is a bit rude at least.

By the sounds of it this is really, firstly, an education issue followed by personality one. The good news is both of these should be able to be sorted out with some work.

Hi Bigguy98.

This seems like unusual behaviour for a windsurfer. We are a fairly easy bunch to get along with generally speaking. I don't think we can discount the fact that the sailor may not have been a local and may not know the etiquette of the area. A few years back I had a French kiter yelling abuse at me because he didn't understand the local courtesies we offer each other. I hope it was an isolated event that can be sorted out without any further abuse.

Regards, Scot Farley (President Windsurfing Queensland).

That old chest nut...jet skiers next and then fishermen....................i know the frustrations but there is plenty of room and as green leader says there are some unwritten rules

^ i reckon that's a fair reply.



things that seem to cause issues;

- although kiting has improved speed wise, the average windsurfer still seems to be that much faster than the average kiter when both are adequately powered up (particularly the slalom boarders) and points upwind better when fully powered up, and "some" windsurfers expect to be able to maintain their speed and direction (whether that's fair or not)

- windsurfers who have not yet learnt to tack, and tacking can help avoid the kiters (and other things)

- because of the large differences in speed between the different types of windsurfing equipment, most windsurfers have been educated to look back behind themselves before turning etc. but this may be lacking amongst some kiters because of the similar speed most kiters travel at (and some windsurfers)

- often windsurfers can't tell whether the kiter who is trying to point right up into the wind is trying to head upwind or about to boost a jump, and therefore the windsurfer is concerned about going downwind of the kiter (either overtaking or passing oposite direction) and getting landed upon, and therefore wants to go upwind of the kiter

- some kiters learning a trick and regularly crashing the kite which then takes up quite a large space of water downwind of the kiter, forcing everyone else downwind, and generally everyone is trying to maintain an upwind position

- almost everyone loves a bit of flat water, so both kiters and windsurfers want to do whatever they want to do in that spot



although i kite so infrequently, the times i have, i don't feel anywhere near as vulnerable to a kite landing on me as when i'm windsurfing, and i can only put that down to not having a windsurfing rig in front me, and the similar speeds the average kiter travels at, which tends to lead to a maintained consistent space between themselves

don't want to jinx myself, but in the last few years, almost everyone who's been kiting while I've been sailing at the GC has been great

Wow haircut you kite. The horror!!!!

I'm getting back into windsurfing and can someone explain what are the right of way rules between kites and Windsurfers? Windsurfers I guess follow the sailing rules; port, starboard, overtaking boat to keep clear etc. While between kites it is about windward/leeward determining whether to keep the kite high or low ( I think??) . So what about when kites and windsurfer play together?

Anyway, I was out at the Train last Friday and everybody seemed to be getting along well. And I'm a very newbie kiter and the guys at KFC have been really cool about me getting in their way and making a dick of myself trying to learn.

Cheers

oryx said..

I'm getting back into windsurfing and can someone explain what are the right of way rules between kites and Windsurfers? Windsurfers I guess follow the sailing rules; port, starboard, overtaking boat to keep clear etc. While between kites it is about windward/leeward determining whether to keep the kite high or low ( I think??) . So what about when kites and windsurfer play together?

Anyway, I was out at the Train last Friday and everybody seemed to be getting along well. And I'm a very newbie kiter and the guys at KFC have been really cool about me getting in their way and making a dick of myself trying to learn.

Cheers

Oryx read through this . If you really look deep into them they are one in the same but the explentation are differant ( for kites ) with added content due to the movement of the kite and it position its becuase of this people think they are different . If you also get hold of a copy of the international colison at sea regs .

Port gives way to starboard is for two craft on opposite tack ( Added content for postion of kites lifting lowering so they dont tangle )

Windward gives way to Leeward same tack

http://www.nswkba.com.au/cocbroke:

And the ISAF in these www.sailing.org/documents/racing-rules.php

because kiters and windsurfers use kfc and the train apart because that is the way it has evolved over the past 15 years, a kind of unwritten law!

Yeah, that's the "grandfather" clause! Lol