Wtih the summer moving on and more people on the water at "The Pond". I would like to raise the issue of safety on the water with regards to Kites & Windsurfer in a confined space. Yesterday whilst adjusting my harness line on the submerged sand bank, I had a kite fall out of the sky not more than 3m away and consequently I ended up tangled in the lines. This scared the crap out of me and there is no prevention strategy for me to avoid this incident. And not more than 5 minutes later another incident happened to me where a kite came within meters of my head because the kite boarder did not look around to see if there was anyone around that may be affected. I had given him a wide berth but obviously this was not good enough. There have been other close calls in this area, I am not an isolated case. We did not have this conflict of space whilst the two sports were seperated one either side of the raised sand bank. Do we need to have the arrangement as it is at Corros where there are signs designating two usage areas? Will it take another severe injury or worse a fatality before action is taken? Would it not be commonsense to go back to our old sailing areas and avoid this potentially dangerous situation? 
Perhaps one of the representatives from the "Safety" Bay Windsurfing Club would like to comment?
The signs in Geraldton were errected thanks to the Geraldton Windsurfing Club after consultation with the council - perhaps the SBWC could do the same?????
I am but I meant one of the committee members - you know someone with power.
When dealing with the council the Club has a better chance of being heard when represented by a committee member than just an individual member.
Yeah, that makes sense.
It seems everyone knows of the problem, but as you said for the council to listen it would need 'the club' to bring up the safety issue, not just individuals.
Yeah I think it has gotten to the stage now where it is a real safety concern for everyone (windsurfers and kiters).
We have already had one very serious incident (last season) involving a windsurfer and a kitesurfer where the windsurfer was knocked out laying face down in the water with 3 broken ribs.
We certainly don’t want any more incidents. Preventative maintenance is the key.
I went down there last saturday as a kiter, there was about 20 poley's racing in the pond. I was trying to give them a lot of room and keep out the way but some of the windsurfers riding there were just being plain nobs. Like squeezing us upwind into a few millimeters of water, overtaking upwind then racing downwind and cutting us off.
I have great respect for your sport in the waves but I think that the flat water aspect of it is pretty lame, but I guess the waves aren't for everyone. If I was out at Lancelin in the waves, I would give priority to the windsurfer riding the waves. The flat water part of the pond is perfect for kiting freestyle, so I think you guys should learn to at least share the water rather trying to own it.
Really both parties need to lift their game, kook kitesurfers don't look when they jump (that means behind them and downwind) and give everyone around them space. Poley's should be more aware of overtaking kiters downwind from behind and should just plainly learn how to ride nicer together without all this squeezing upwind etc. that occurs.
You paint the picture as the kiters being the bad guys but really based on riding there last weekend, the windsurfers were by far the more aggressive riders with the kiters I was with from Woodies giving them plenty of space. Clearly you have issues with other kiters but it was evident that they were not stoked to have us riding there regardless of the space we were trying to give them.
Steve approach the council with your concerns and a record of the incidents and lobby them to put up signage.
In regard to spacemonkeys reply. How do you address my concern of just sitting in the water, stationary and well out of the way and having a kite practically landing on me. This is not a sailing/niceness concern but of general safety and whether you chaps are in control of your rigs. You said it yourself, "most kiters don't look before they jump or turn." And the problem with this as I see it, is that you chaps take up a lot of room and therefore we as windsurfers have to give you so much room in an already small area, thus making our sailing just a matter of trying to avoid you and not enjoying the pleasure of going for a sail.
RESPONSE today from Dept of Planning & Infrastructure - Marine Safety
At present there is no legislation that adequately controls kite surfing and some other new forms of aquatic sport, however our department is initiating legislation changes to include kite surfing, we have a number of recommended legislation changes currently under review to accommodate these and other types of new recreational craft. Additionally we are researching the other states of Australia to see how they manage this sport and we intend to gain input from all stakeholders including the kite surfing organisations to develop strategies for an overall management plan.
This area of navigable waters comes under the jurisdiction of the Department of Fisheries and their officers are responsible for compliance monitoring in this area.
Maybe a little How-To needs to be put together by someone with experience Kiting and Windsurfing explaining the capabilities and limitations of each when passing or sailing close to each other.
I know from my experience I will generally try and stay upwind of the kiters. When it comes to the point-off on opposite tacks I would generally prefer the kiter to back off a little, reason being they seem to have better upwind ability and can make ground back easier plus you dont have lines dangling over your head, if we are getting pushed high we lose speed and control.
Also its probably important to try and gauge the skill of the others on the water, on the flat water you have a lot more learners, or people that are just getting the hang of blasting ... their concentration is going to be on controlling the board and naturally there will be less awareness of the surroundings.
Similar with a learner kite, it would be best to give them a very wide berth especially in gusty conditions.
Theres some thoughts from me anyway :)
@SB which area is the "Pond" is that the area the Windsurfing Demo Day was or is it the other side?
Cheers,
Having re-entered the sport after a sixteen year break I have no idea of right of way and recommended practice for sailing with kiters as they were not yet invented in 1991 so I would appreciate if someone could explain this for me.
There's no issue with kiter's riding upwind of windsurfers, theres an issue of kiters jumping upwind of windsurfers. When you guys were racing last saturday I thought you would want to keep on course so I thought if I went downwind I would be in the way so I kept right next to the sand only to have poleys trying to still get upwind of me way off course.
As a long time resident of Safety Bay and by simply viewing the situation, there is no doubt there are more kitesurfers using the 'pond' every year. That said, there are also more windsurfers in the recent few years. Both sports seem to be going through another resurgence.
It is unfortunate, that you will find as Spacemonkey put it 'nobs', but this will be in both sports not simply one or the other.
Sailing (be it kitesurfing or windsurfing) should be about education, if all sailors in the know follow some unwritten rules, then any new visitor sailor will soon adhere or get a quiet word spoken to them.
You may find that if the Council get involved one group will be disadvantaged for no real fault of their own.
Signed a windsurfer, who enjoys watching both windsurfers and kitesurfers.
Hi Steve,
I witnessed the incident, I was kiting upwind at the top of the weedbank. I agree it could have been much worse. I went and spoke with the kiter in question straight after, he was visibly shacken and remorseful. I didn't hear what he was say to you immediately after, but his mannerism appeared to be very apologetic.
With the second encounter which I never saw but heard about, it appeared that 2 freestylers kites tangled becoming uncontrolled. I believe those guy's to be accomplished kiters, but it appeared something went wrong.
IMO the sandbar area becomes a dangerous area when the wind is of a more southerly direction. Reason being it brings the sailboarders into the cove on the port tack to gybe, SW direction seems like the sailboaders go from beach to weed bank. That works much better as it generally leaves a buffer zone.
I don't agree kiters should have to go out behind the sandbar, there needs to be some rules written up so we can coexist together. No one owns any area or has rights over one another. If anything the kiters should have priority of inside the sandbar, as the wind there is disturbed for sailboarders by the height of the bar and kites are unaffected.
Please Don't get me wrong and interpret things the wrong way. I'm a local of 29 years and been enjoying these waters for recreation for 20 of them. I'm trying to think like an ex windsurfer and current kiter, there needs to be a happy medium. We can't expect visitors to just turn up and know what to do without any information. WE need standard signs for both disciplines at each launch area along the coast.
BTW (this is off topic) their is a sailboarder amongst you that deviates course and bares down on me. I've dismissed it several times thinking he's a kook and struggling with the gust's, these deliberate acts only create bad atmosphere and animosity. I definately won't hesitate approaching you either if it continues.
Cheers for not taking anything out of context guy's.
It's going to be better to sort out together. There are guy's down there that have windsurfered for 10+ years, and are now kiting, others do both dicisplines depending on conditions. I'm sure there is enought knowledgable sensible people with empathy for each others situations.
Just a suggestion, but perhaps a BBQ, pen and note pad could be one way of getting some suggestion's to put forward for some signs for the council to erect.
Sailboards enter the cove upwind , bear off wind for speed then exit down wind for a full circuit to the other side. For us it's an organized flow of motion. Enter kites whom some exit the cove upwind against the grain of incoming sailboards, I don't think sailboards are trying to be difficult, we are just following the same course we always have with the cove being the best part for speed and tricks.
Would it be out of the question for kites to join the flow and maybe do longer runs as we do so everyone gets a fair go.
We took this photo last week www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=7601 , should give everyone an idea about layout of area.
Nice avatar Mr No-one, is that photoshop?
That's even better than mine of SB(not hard)
Only resized on photoshop from your post, hope you don't mind, it was to good not to use. I'll drop in over the weekend.
Windsurfers and kiters on the Australind estuary seem to have a good working relationship, admittedly we have much more space and less population. The kiters hug the shoreline (we believe its because they think motorists can see them better.no offence guys) and the windsurfers sail upwind of them. Works well. Have been suggestions of a bbq together to prompote comradery but yet to happen. Have been a couple of incidents where windsurfers have helped out kiters blown ashore kms from launch spot and I'm sure they would do the same for us.
