Utah Windriders Association

Nice night, i showed up 2nd to last to probably 2 dozen kiters on the water what an awesome sight to see! Its crazy how fast a huge place gets filled up when the wind is good. I had a question...in the most recent discussion on ROW i was trying to find clarification on whether or not the port sailor (heading west at SSB) has the option to pick upwind or downwind? Tonight was a night when ROW was surely an issue among some. I ask because i found myself (as i was on port tack) trying to make an obvious body motion of leaning hard into the wind and taking my kite higher up as to signal that i would take upwind pass and would almost everytime end up almost head on into somebody or just over-run and have to lower the kite and point downwind. It was never a big issue, ( except when big red waroo crashed some stupid trick right next to and just upwind of me which left me nowhere to go) but i think today it was easier for me to take downwind pass because of the killer angle of the sun limiting my upwind vision and not always having the power in my kite to rip through the big swell. I just started going downwind long before i came anywhere near anybody else which rid me of any ROW conflict. which worked ok tonight, but might not always and eventually i ran out of downwind water. So...does port sailor have right to choose easiest/preferred path or does port tack take upwind? Sorry to bring this up AGAIN, but i need to have it right.

Port sailor yerilds, Starboard sailor has right of way... this means starboard sailor can out tack port sailor and port sailor should give way and yeild down wind making room for the starboard sailor to tack up wind.

The way I see it (which may be wrong) is that the starboard sailor having ROW, his or her kite position should be the indicator for the kiter on port tack. If starboard sailors kite is high then they have chose to tack upwind and if it is low then not and this should work as a signal to the kiter on port tack.

I like to remember,

Right hand forward has right of way.

Of course it won't count if your going right hand forward, going toe side.
that would still be port tack.

I hope the kiters that need to learn this, are going to read this forum.
It was definably a cluster fruk concerning right of way last night.
I came too close to a couple of kiters down in the water that I didn't see soon enough because of the sun angle, sorry.

Jake-wright wrote: the port sailor (heading west at SSB) has the option to pick upwind or downwind?

Heading west with a north wind would be Starboard, not Port

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_and_starboard

I'm glad this was brought up and agree that we should all know the rule and agree to follow it. I admit that I goof it up sometimes. I'll make sure I default to the rule. I almost nailed Andrew yesterday for the same reason Marty mentioned. Sorry Andrew. I think it's important that whatever direction you're going to go upwind or down do it early and make the move big so it's clear to the other kiter.

That being said let's not lose sight that yesterday was epic. Great wind good energy from everyone there and thanks to Mark for taking the time to put down his kite and snap some really fun pictures.

Kip was back for the first time yesterday after being in Oklahoma all summer. He mentioned that while the kiting was god there the kiters were, for the most part, less than cordial. Thanks to everyone for being such a good group of friends, looking out for each other, launching landing etc... sucha good crew we have!

It always has been, although seldom used or understood, that your hand planted on your head (as in, "can you catch my kite," when displayed on land) indicates, "hey dude I have the right of way here and I am going to take it."

But I should shut up. Now I'm just another Californicator.

Right hand patting head. Yo dude, I have the right of way.

We covered these same rules a while ago, do a search and it should come up.

If you are the starboard sailor and you do not want to go up wind you need to yeild early and with a low kite, If both kiters are trying to go up wind and on the same coarse, the port kiter must yield and travel below the starboard kiter. these are the same sailing rules for about a hundred years..... We dont need to change them or, modify them, we need to learn and follow them....

If you dont know please ask some one, look them up online, (but please doint be the dick who thinks they know it all cuz you just looked it up)....

You really do not have the choice to pick weather you go up or down wind as the right hand foward, starboard sailor...you should always be passing port sailors up wind, not picking weather you want to go up or down wind that is not how it works.. If you are starboard and not reaching up wind, you must yield down wind to the port sailor well before your coarses intersect, you are then the down wind sailor and still have right of way, You can not be on a coarse that is going to intersect, then drop down wind as the starboard sailor you must go up wind while sailing starboard, and you must go down wind while sailing port. If everyone follows the rules there should be no surprises, you know where the other sailor is going becuase they are also following the rules and we are all stoked.....

well said Billy. I'll be following them going forward.



Thanks

Sorry i totally goofed up starboard and port, but my question is more than answered thanks. when on a collision course right hand forward kiter goes upwind with kite high; left hand kiter goes downwind with kite low!

Something that hasn't been mentioned is, when does this rule come into effect? If I'm half way across the lake from somebody coming at me do I have to stay upwind. No. It comes into effect when I'm close enough to somebody to affect where they're going. That distance is going to be shorter if I know the rider and know how he/she reacts and longer if I don't know them, or if it's somebody just learning. I'm also not going to be locked into the rule if I see that the person coming at me doesn't know the rule, or flat out wants to go above me. I still believe that in a civilized world we would be able to indicate early and go either way while on starboard tack but at a place like SSB with alot of kiters of all different levels, crowded into a small area, it would lead to confusion. In that situation, I'm dropping what I said before and agreeing that starboard should stay upwind. It also makes sense at SSB because you're looking into the sun on starboard and can't see as well.

While I'm at it I'd like to say, if you're trying a new trick or doing one you're not sure of, don't do it with somebody just downwind of you. Wait til there's a clear space below you. If you get yarded, you won't go into somebody else.

Here's another. If two kiters are heading towards shore, one downwind of the other. The upwind kiter can't turn until the downwind one gets out of the way. If the downwind rider goes right to the shore he pretty much traps the upwind rider. So if you're just downwind of somebody heading towards shore, help the other guy out and turn early.

wasnt going to say anything, but well said Ralph. Allot of kiters are very good and kite right on shore pulling big tricks. it is a big lake to do your tricks, especially on a busy night. anybody ever been to: Mud Lake, North Point, Provo harbour, Sal Padre? They are all very special places Dont get me wrong, I like to kite by the beach but it can be a challenge. But if you can get up wind it is very good.
stay safe

here is a good link on right of way

http://www.abc-of-kitesurfing.com/info/ ... -rules.asp

Ralph Morrison wrote:
While I'm at it I'd like to say, if you're trying a new trick or doing one you're not sure of, don't do it with somebody just downwind of you. Wait til there's a clear space below you. If you get yarded, you won't go into somebody else.

Also, If Mark Johnson has walked out into the water to take pictures, perhaps thoose not taking pictures could work their way up wind. As of latley with so many new kiters at south sandy, there is alot of lawn mowing going on in the shallows right in front of the beach, If you are just riding back and forth, and not smaking lips, hitting chop doing airs for some pics, would it be uncool to ask to keep the path to the launch land, clear, there was about five kiters in ankle deep water just tacking the length of the beach, If that is were you want to ride that great, but let thoose who just want to pass through do so...at one point I and three other kiters had to just stand and wait for a clearing while the same people just blocked exit by tacking by every minute. It started getting dangerous... And frustrating.