Hi,
(insert whinge here)
Just got back from a session at the Inverloch speed strip where there was a bit of a problem with respect on the water.
Aside from having the right of way, the starboard tack was clearly the fastest run but several kiters ( and some poleys as well) decided to hug the bank on the port tack as well. It was such a narrow approach, this wrecked the run onto the strip on several occasions.
It p*sses me off when riders on the water don't respect other riders around them.
Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what they've done about it??
(end whinge)
The standard rule is starboard (Right hand forward) has right of way,which means you sail your course NOT force other sailers to far up or down wind. If sailors/kitters don,t then have a polite chat and explain the benefits of having this rule,no crashes,injuries,clean runs and lots of fun for everyone 
Most people love this solution. If not ,then just sail in front of them and weave or come to the Pit where all the fun is and leave Invy for another 2 weeks. They all piss off then and is back to being ours again . Mars Landing was great the other night,just all me on all that water 
Most people love this solution. If not ,then just sail in front of them and weave or come to the Pit where all the fun is and leave Invy for another 2 weeks. They all piss off then and is back to being ours again . Mars Landing was great the other night,just all me on all that water
Most people love this solution. If not ,then just sail in front of them and weave or come to the Pit where all the fun is and leave Invy for another 2 weeks. They all piss off then and is back to being ours again . Mars Landing was great the other night,just all me on all that water
And to back up Kato, if you're on starboard and travelling 15knots faster than the person on port about to smash into you, the slower of the two should make like a spooked sparrow and try to get the hell out of the way!
Well said Mick/Kato, can we post this up on the Kite forum as well. I agree with Mick there where Poleys as well as kiters not being respectful on the water
Hey Mick,
Know what your saying and understand your concern and frustration - it's happened to me a number of times at Inverloch but generally only over the peak season. Personally I think if your planning on sailing speed at Inverloch the summer holiday times are not the time to be doing it. Not only is it chaotic on the water with a large concentration in a very small area (due to the changing sandbars) but the sandbars are now ruining the course also. High tide seems like the only decent time now to sail. I had some great planning runs yesterday down the inlet towards the red bouy with a 42cm fin but by mid tide even my 37cm was too deep, leaving very little space anywhere else to sail.
Not much help I know but your not alone. I think the area we sail really is or should be more for the beginners & intermediates in peak season. Not sure how you'd go telling that to the kiters though as I'm sure they enjoy playing cat & mouse with the swimmers (and sailboarders).
agree with you 100% EJ..
the conditions early in the week with a big south westerly blow cleared out most of the swimmers, so there really was only kiters and windsurfers on the water...
The banks are changing which makes it hard to get onto the run..and this is made more difficult when you have to bear off or pinch up because some knob(or knobette) doesn't know basic right of way rules.
The outer bank looks like it might be the go...
A very pertinent addition to the rules/guidelines expressed so far is that 'water room' needs to be given when close to an obstruction, like the shore. So that sailor on starboard tack must be given room to pass and not be run aground. This is also particularly important when overtaking on the same tack. The downwind sailor must not luff the upwind sailor into the bank. Very dangerous!!!!
Since it is already quite impractical and sometimes dangerous to pass downwind of a kiter, it is important that kiters give windsurfers that small amount of room required to pass to windward of them, on either tack.
Port and Sraboard is a pretty simple rule and sorts most incidents out if followed.
I have a question for the more experienced speed sailors about passing.
A couple of times recently I have found myself aproaching behind somebody halfway down the coarse travelling considerably faster. What I have been doing is screaming at them, not meant to be abuse (although there may nave been some adjectives added) I am trying to make them aware that I am about to pass them so they don't do anything stupid. The problem is a couple of times the sailor has panicked and turned suddenly.
What is the general practice, just abort that run ? or do a passing manouver and hope they hold their line?
On the "Beginner to Winner" dvd
It says, the person being overtaken is meant to continue sailing in the same direction, until he/she is overtaken.
Therefor i think its a matter for the beach and tell them that when their being overtaken stay on the same bearing! and LOOK before gybing..
Where,s Dale in this conversation He gave me a meter gap and i can fit through that I don,t think hes ever recovered from it
The rules,
International rules are that if on starboard stick to your line and port bear away to give water and room and any vessel under engine power to give way to sail unless big vessel in restricted water then its tough.
But the biggest problem is if you are going for speed you are normally bearing off the wind so if you are on starboard the person on port will bear off into your course so its a bloody nightmare the only way i find is to work out who has common sense to realise what you are doing. And if you think they havn't got a clue then sail passed on a reach or play Russian roulette.
Had it a few weeks back i was on port gave way and this idiot went broad so i changed to a close reach then so did he then i went broad and so on in the end it was bloody close.
Reminds me of this one from "Top Joke" in 'Shootin' the breeze' forum.....
This is based on an actual radio conversation between a U.S. Navy
aircraft carrier (U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln) and Canadian authorities
off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. (The radio
conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on
10/10/95 authorized by the Freedom of Information Act.)
Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to
avoid collision.
Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the
North to avoid a collision.
Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15
degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again,
divert YOUR course.
Canadians: No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.
Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND
LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE
ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS
SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES
NORTH--I SAY AGAIN, THAT'S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH--OR
COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.
Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
If there's any chance of a collision on a speed run ABORT! Your first responsibility is to avoid a collision regardless of any rules. As a faster overtaking sailor you have to keep clear and avoid a collision. Missing out on a fast run may be frustrating but no injury or potential life threatening accident is worth the risk to yourself or the other sailor. Never assume the other sailor had heard or seen you, they are probably just as focused on their own run as you are on yours. If in doubt....bail out!
Agree Roo but yes it is very frustrating when you have been waiting for 10 minutes for a wind bearing cloud to arrive, you start the run and somebody drops in from the east bank. Hey, and I have been guilty of it myself. The other speedies generally are not an issue, they are all going a similar speed and tend to leave a big enough gap. It,s really the freeride guy's and especially the guy's doing flat water freestyle that are hard to judge. They jump in to a trick without notice and if they don't pull it off fall in front of you.
But yep, aborting the run if it appears unsafe is the right answer I guess.
I thought the general rule of boating was the overtaking vessel has to give way to the vessel being overtaken. This goes along with the general rules of starboard giving way to port, passing each other to the right, and Sydney ferries allowed to run over the top of you.
It would basically come down to the fact we are born with eyes in the front, not the rear of our heads. Its quite easy for someone to see ahead of them when sailing but it takes effort to look behind. I personally try to look around when tacking when its busy as I don't want someone colliding with the front of my board.
He gave me a meter gap and i can fit through that I don,t think hes ever recovered from it
He gave me a meter gap and i can fit through that I don,t think hes ever recovered from it
Signs with sailing rules(or local code of conduct) should be put up in the rigging areas simple way to make everyone aware what's expected of them, assuming they can read.
In a perfect world the water would be always flat, the wind honking and we'd break 45 knots every run! But it's not perfect and no rules will ever make it that way. Doesn't matter what rules you post not everyone will follow them and there's no way of enforcing them.
Sailing with other speed sailors rarely causes problems as most people are on the same wavelength, it's usually free sailors doing there own thing that inadvertently cause problems. I doubt it's intentional as they are just minding their own business enjoying themselves and there's no law against that. On a summers day in the Gorge with hundreds of sailors out it's very rare to see a collision, there are no rules but most people keep a heads up and try and watch out for others. At the end of the day that seems to be the best solution, other than for the kiters who's heads are up watching their kites rather than other sailors!
Remember the number one rule, no one ever has complete right of way, if the other guy has no common sense, use yours
But that's from someone who told his mate to never worry when I'm going for it, because I'm aware of my surroundings and what I'm doing 
Its all a gamble but i think but if you are sailing fast then really its your responsibility to make sure your not endangering other people coz your normally on the edge and it can go wrong at any moment (no warning) as for people's wakes i'm afraid that is tough sh!t how can you have a rule about that? what do you say could you please not carve upwind,gybe or 360 when someone is approaching at high speed the water is there for all is it not? Not trying to be rude but come on mate be fair.
