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??????????
Hi bigguy89,
Sorry to hear that this has happen to you or anybody kiter or sailboard. I sailboard there all the time and can ashore you this is not the norm. Me not being there I cannot give you a reason but I have had occasions where kiters have tryed to sail above me and there lines have hit my sail, smashing me (not fun), im not trying to say this is the reason just my experience.
Where all sailing in one form or another so yes lets work together.
I hope to bump into you and have a laugh and race on the water.
would i be correct in assuming that you tacked up to the windsurfers sand bank where they do their gps speed runs bigguy98?
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!
a windsurfing speed kit is very hard to stop quickly unlike a kite and they use the sand bank as a kind of merry go round so that no one collides.
put a kite that hugs the bank both ways into the mix and bad feelings arise not to mention many collisions have happened over long past years.
it is a big broadwater and a lot of those older windsurfers have been doing it there for decades. often apartheid is best!
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.
I was there after the alleged incident and although I didn't witness it I can concur with Greenleader and Edgy and have experienced and witnessed kite guys pulling air off the bank without looking. Where does the windsurfer go, not down wind to get landed on, not upwind to smash the bank.
A couple of years ago a fairly novice board rider was landed on by a kiter and suffered severe bruising and a laceration.
And Big Guy from what I have been told you did inflame the situation somewhat by then aiming at the WS and spraying him. A similar thing happened to me last year copping an eyeball of water and almost being blinded.
Normally we all try to get on and most experienced sailors of both genres know how to avoid each other without causing angst.
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?
Honestly, about half the time at shearwater there's some manner of mishap. Most of the time its caused by inexperienced/learner kites but its often just lack of basic courtesy. Mostly we all just walk it off but I have noticed in recent months its really cranked up a notch. There is a lot of room out there and it only takes a moment to take early preventative action. So far in the 6 weeks I've had a head on collision (by a guy who just sailed off the beach blind straight into a bunch of us) and been bombed 5 times (twice yesterday).
Calling out to let people in the area know they are going to get bombed (or that you are in trouble) would be nice, constantly turning blind is just scary, pulling in up wind and doing a big kite swoop over someones head is a sure fire way to make friends. I've taken to watching the sky now instead of looking for gusts. Really its easy to be considerate, I don't think its done on purpose rather that its not in the forefront of peoples minds to be mindful of each other. A few seconds spent avoiding situations certainly improves everyone's day. Really we more at risk to being run over by drunk boaties than each other ;-)
^^ 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
Every one wants to get along , but every one is also sick of kites taking up a massive amount of space and randomly jumping / turning with out looking then blowing down wind into what ever might be there .
Thanks for clearing up any doubts we had in our minds on the subject Microskin mate, much appreciated.
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.
I understand everything everyone is saying, i have been kiting on the gold coast for over 6 years, and have seen kiters get in the way of wind sufers, but i have also seen windsurfer cut upwind and take the upwind right of way, so on both side there need to be some education. when i kite there i always give way to the wind surfer, i let them have the bar first, then i take it a ride. but this guy was yelling at me even before i got to the bar, and yes after i was abused i stood on the bar and tried to get him to come talk. all i have to say is attitude like that will get someone hurt.
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).
95% of the time we all get on well, most of the kities are really nice and I try to acknowledge them when they lift their lines as we pass and have the odd drag,but some, as in human nature, to show dominance,some do try to intimidate and it is that which probably causes some friction.
We realise that no one owns the sand bank but for at least 15-20 years maybe longer windsurfers have sailed at the train usually without problem as there has always been an understanding, an etiquette.
From my perspective the biggest problem occurs with the difference in speed at the point and kities boosting with or without looking leaving the windsurfer with nowhere to go and a feeling of oh ** !
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
yeah, i know...... it's kind of like stand up paddle masturb@t10n rollerblading in the park wearing speedos ironing your socks while watching oprah. so maybe you do it occasionally, maybe
the last time was a loooong time ago, honest
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
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!
Everyone gets water rage i guess... I think like in a car, the best thing is "water off a ducks back".