Windsurfer on starboard tack, plus heading out, so he has right-of-way twice (?)
Anyway, ouch!

Is that a kiter, no bar no lines, looks like maybe a rouge surfer being towed?

As for right of way, well i guess its debatable. The guy on a wave or the windsurfer could both put logical arguments forward.

The best question is how could this have been avoided........ probably the bloke on the surfboard using his head. Clearly he is a twat.


EDIT....No its a kiter. why am i unsurprised

What a numbnuts...someone ought to slap that fool...

Hmm, here's an interesting question: What do you guys think of kiters?

Me!

looks like 'numbnuts' and 'fools' have a definite right of way[}:)]

Someone tell me - what are the rules?

I've only ever surfed in the surf, in which case whoever is on the wave (first) has right of way. I'm guessing this developed because you will get hurt if they hit you paddling out so get out of way, plus it really sucks to have to muck your line on the wave up to avoid someone. Of course if on the wave you are going to avoid hitting someone paddling out if really required.

So I'd assume that whoever is on the wave has right of way, except in exceptional or dangerous circumstances where common courtesy takes over.

That kiter is not on the wave, is on port tack so does not have right of way.

However... at 3 seconds it appears the windsurfer actually lines him up. He should have turned right/starboard/windward, or even just kept his line. Maybe there is more to it? Maybe it was just a bad, split second decision.

Anyway, he has excellent taste in sails so I hope the kiter was somehow hurt more, although it doesn't appear that way.

jp747 said...
i for one had a disastrous crash unto another windsurfer with him slicing thru my board he was on starboard..the facts though were downwind of me 2meters away was another sailor and i was sandwiched to the pt. i just had to hit the brakes instead rather than bear away so really ROW didn't apply here since the situation was hard to avoid...maybe!

Yeah Right of Way only applies when both parties have control of their sailcraft and have the ability to change course. Since you were (it seems) unable to alter course when on Port, then the Starboard rule doesn't apply.

And the 'avoiding collisions at all cost' always applies. Safety before rights

The kiteboarder was in the wrong (on port and not going out the back), but the windsurfer probably shoulda beared off or something.

WAIT, how can you bear off when their is kitelines downwind of the kiter? Maybe they aren't in the exact place needed but probably close to where he needs to bear off. I've never sailed near a kiter. Where whould you go here? Kites are stupid, taking up so much space, that could be a 40ft yacht there and make no difference!

Don't you love it (NOT!) how the kiteboarder does the 'illegal tackle' by putting his board up to KO the windsurfer? Thats like a knees up or elbow into a tackle in league, not cool in either situation.

Too expensive to be hitting eachother like that.

Fkn kook kook koooooooookING kiterer is wave riding thus he should hv given right of way,,, by bottom turning around him,, and leting him pass . The Windsurfer was doing the right thing holding his line on the way out...... Plannng or not.

The windsufer did the right thing by holding his line.

Kook kitter went right in front of him..........tosser no idea

Lucky the kiter wasnt killed had the windsurf board gorn into his rib cage......

Mind you the windsurfer looks like he got sliced up by the fk strings and poxi snow ski razor rails of the board.

I would have been spewing and gorn straight to the beach..............

AND LET SOME AIR OUT........... [}:)]

I THINK I jUST LET SOME OUT THEN

silvec01 said...

ok here is what i understand it with windsurfers etc.

In Waves the Person heading out has right of way. if you are on a wave you have to give way to the people coming out if the situation comes down to it.


If two people are heading on a straight course in opposite direction
Starboard tack has right of way. ie right hand forward.


If two people are heading in the same direction
downwind has right of way,

If you change your course you immediately must give way.. ie a gybing sailor doesnt have right of way.

overtaking sailor must give way.


any objections???

I concur

my 2 cents is its a classic port and starboard incident the sailboard was in the right and had no where to go, down wind included as the strings would of taken him out as well.
so called 'wave law' would have no bearing on the matter.

This right of way argument comes up constantly.

I think the general rule in the surf is to give way to those sailing out.

However,some say that rider on a wave has right of way.

The best thing is to not force what YOU believe to be the right of way, the other rider,windsurfer or kiter may have a different idea....or no idea !

The crash looks like a big misjudgement on both parts.

But seriously, the important thing is .......the windsurfer goes down in a screaming heap,while the kitesurfer comes out of that encounter still upright and planing !!!

being a surfer for more than 30 years, the person on or going for the wave has right of way - if this is a surf break, has a designated wave and he is attempting to catch or ride the wave.

Look at how the windsurfers handle the situation at Margaret River - they have it nailed and its a system that should be used everywhere.

now that I kite and understand what a kiter can see and also a windsurfer can see if these guys are competant it shouldnt be a question of who gives way as it should never get to that point. From what I can gather this is at the Nissan wavemaster which is a competition??? Which goes further to the point that these guys should have known better - or one or both of them therefore had no idea what they were doing and the other should have taken some form of evasive action???

ok here is another question who would be in the right if the matter went to court?
any lawyers out there?

And of course there is number 4 that I forgot about.

Top riders get right of way regardless, at least that's the way some top riders act when they come down here.

Gonewindsurfing247 said...

Who has the right of way ?
Ok-kayyy.....
Well,
just suppose we swap the poley in the clip for another kiter.
So now imagine the clip shows a kiter riding a 'wave' on a direct collision course with an outbound kiter.
So who has the right of way now.....?
The guy riding the wave of course.....
because the outbound kiter can easily chicken-gybe out of the fken way.
But poleys can't, won't, don't chicken-gybe to avoid any sh1t.
lol.