Hi folks,
The old vexed qusetion of right of way rears it's head again. 
I have noticed City Beach getting pretty crowded (well relatively anyhoo) lately.
The rule for RoW as far as I know is starboard tack has priority. This is fine until you get into a situation where you have gone into the waves in shallow water and are attempting to turn so as to exit and get back out again and there is some eager beaver right on your tail thinking I have RoW cause i'm starboard... Great plan genius but where is the 1st kiter supposed to go? Up into the dunes maybe??? [}:)]
I have had a few near misses lately (nothing to get too worked up about as I usually play it safe and abort if there is likely a squeeze for space). However I have seen this scenario played out to others at CB more times in the past few weeks than in a couple of seasons combined.
I had a quick chat to a couple of guys that I saw doing this several times recently. There were Austrian lads and were ok with the suggestion to give way to those coming out of the surf. They were from a flatwater background and had only been in town a week or two. No-one had mentioned the bad form in cramping the kiter in the surf before.
For the record I usually give way to anyone leaving the surf zone (port tack) and on the open water return to the starboard priority. I pretty much expect the same also. For most folks this is fine. Every now and then some water hog comes along but such is life. It is just not smart at all to sit behind someone with nowhere to go.
Anyone else find similar happenings this season??
Find this all the time especially if you are at Pinnaroo , which I don't kite at ,just blow through to Mulla's on a down winder but , yea mate it's bloody shocking , and some of these guys are right idiots , I usually play it safe also , and abort or sometimes try and point my tack so theie brains maybe engage
Are the right of way rules being taught by instructors properely , I wonder?
As I have had a few friends start up and they have not been taught any rules!!!!
[}:)]
Now go take a laxative... 
When in such a situation surely a cranked downloop speed run downwind and a tight jibe will get you out of it?
try it next time.
Just lurve your new look Reli man...and where did you get those shades? They are just so cool.....hope it is windy today, yesterday wasn't too bad but I put up too big a kite so was overpowered but jumps were good.
My only advice is to use your friggen head when out there, look before you do anything...don't assume anyone knows anything................assume that THEY KNOW NOTHING. And every once in a while something does happen, but that is really is not too often given how many kites are out there these days.
Well it is not only the Euros that have to watch out.
A few weeks ago some guy with a Flexifoil (Red/green/yellow) cost me 2 lines int the break at city/floreat beach. Just said sorry and went on with his downwinder. If you are reading this, you owe me a set of lines dude.
This guy was on my ass all the time and when it went wrong he was so close behind me that our kites hit because his kite was above mine.
Just give eachother room, especially in the surf, is that so hard?
Robin
going in to bat for one Euro mate at CB. this is becoming a very busy set up beach for downwinders and we all love the place. and some guys just like to kite there and not go down wind... each to their own.
now the guy i'll back here is some what different from all of us... he's visually impaired to point he see his own kite at a clouded blur.... FREAK OUT BLIND MAN KITING HOW DANGEROUS... wait up he can do s bend to blind can you? i have talked to him about being cautious when approaching the beach and he is doing all he can...
so if this is the guy stalking you fret not he leaves Sunday.
cheers and good wind and happy kite communities.
Pos
WTF??
I have been on the wrong end of the flexidude couple of times (flexiguy not really giving way on the starboard or port). Just figured he wasn't a real sharing kinda guy. Not major close calls and nothing life threatening just a bit of lost ground. Like I said I usually give ground rather than lose a limb (especially if on a downwinder what is the point?) but seriously if he is that badly sighted - good skills or not - then he is quite a liability to all around him. 
I don't want to be the bloke that says you can't play in the sand pit but crikey, if he doesn't even realise he has rooted someone's kite then that is not acceptable. Hmm tough one, kinda glad he is splitting town though...
Anyhoo hope some of our Euro friends have read this thread at least so there is a bit more awareness of the surf protocol.
Oh BTW the worst offenders I have seen were the 2 Austrian blokes. It wasn't occassional, more it was almost every run into shore it was happening.
The good thing was whilst one chap was on the beach I was able to point out what the other bloke was doing to him as he did it twice whilst I was avin a chat. The poor bugger getting stalked both times was spewing though...No dramas and the Austrian guys both seemed to take it onboard well.
I did mention if they had been doing that all day at Brighton they may have sampled a famous Aussie knuckle sambo (no onions thanks) or at least been conversant in colourful coloquialisms by the end of the day..
Maybe it was the fexidude copping the stalking and he had no idea anyhoo!!!
Learn to downloop, as it could be argued that they are on the wave and have right of way.
downloop hard, go downwind fast your out of the way then.
Win Win
You get out of the way, guy behind enjoys his wave.
Simple eh?
The Austrian dude was like a spandex ballhuggers - too close for comfort.
[ridiculous suggestion]
is it possible your not assertive enough? if your not a beginner you may be well trained in the art of kite fighting, the idea is to put your kite in a position that gives no risk to your kites well being yet could chomp the other kite to pieces. [or just take the wind out of the canopy and make it fall out the sky]
once your kite control is down to the extent that it is easy for you to do it can be your favourite weapon in the battle for air supremacy
[/rediculous suggestion]
