I shot this little video of Nick kiting on lake washington today.
Gnarley conditions, 35 to 45 plus!
That 7m has amazing top end, and you can tell Nick is liking that mako 140.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_5O8gueYZo

Nick getting ready to spin into a transition at full speed.

Nick carving a high speed gybe.

Catching some big air in front of Mikes kite.

Who has the right of way? Us or them.

Looks fun. I just had another great session on my 140 today. It is a perfect winter board for me…eats up the chop, tons of fun in the waves, helps out in the lulls, and can still boost.

We both made it out today.
I was on a 134 mako and a 12m Rise for lunch, and came in and launched the 8m Rise for Nick.
This was his 1st session with the 8m, and he seemed to adapt quickly and started pushing it.
This guy is really good and fun to watch.
Blustery and kinda flat conditions in the 20 to 30 range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e1R1-jNsNs

Who has the right of way? Us or them.

Depends on the country.  I’ve found that in Canada both sides give way to the point of stalemate.  In Spain and Italy both sides assume right of way and just pull out, the other guy sits on his horn and tailgates for 2 miles.  In England one will pull out infront of the other, and the other guy will swear at the other guy whilst locking his door.  Ooops, I digress.

In those situations I always drop downwind.  When I was windsurfing and knew nothing about kites, having the lines/kite come above me used to freak me out.  I just extend courtesy to the other guys and get out their way.  It seems to be appreciated every time.

vpas - 08 January 2009 06:17 AM

Who has the right of way? Us or them.

Depends on the country.  I’ve found that in Canada both sides give way to the point of stalemate.  In Spain and Italy both sides assume right of way and just pull out, the other guy sits on his horn and tailgates for 2 miles.  In England one will pull out infront of the other, and the other guy will swear at the other guy whilst locking his door.  Ooops, I digress.

In those situations I always drop downwind.  When I was windsurfing and knew nothing about kites, having the lines/kite come above me used to freak me out.  I just extend courtesy to the other guys and get out their way.  It seems to be appreciated every time.

In UK, sailing rules are that starboard tack has right of way i.e.  moving to your right with back to wind, so in this picture the kitesurfer has right of way. Common sense should always prevail though and etiquette over wave riding in my opinion i.e if someone is riding on a nice wave or setting up for a big jump, I get out of their way!  Never had a problem at my spot - everyone happy just to be on the water and never too busy.

md01 - 16 January 2009 01:18 PM

vpas - 08 January 2009 06:17 AM

Who has the right of way? Us or them.

Depends on the country.  I’ve found that in Canada both sides give way to the point of stalemate.  In Spain and Italy both sides assume right of way and just pull out, the other guy sits on his horn and tailgates for 2 miles.  In England one will pull out infront of the other, and the other guy will swear at the other guy whilst locking his door.  Ooops, I digress.

In those situations I always drop downwind.  When I was windsurfing and knew nothing about kites, having the lines/kite come above me used to freak me out.  I just extend courtesy to the other guys and get out their way.  It seems to be appreciated every time.

In UK, sailing rules are that starboard tack has right of way i.e.  moving to your right with back to wind, so in this picture the kitesurfer has right of way. Common sense should always prevail though and etiquette over wave riding in my opinion i.e if someone is riding on a nice wave or setting up for a big jump, I get out of their way!  Never had a problem at my spot - everyone happy just to be on the water and never too busy.

Same goes for Denmark. I that exact situation, common sense would dictate that the kitesurfer would bear off ever so slightly and pass downwind of the windsurfer. In Denmark that we are extra nice to windsurfers since they have common interests to keep windsport areas open.

Kirk

md01 - 16 January 2009 01:18 PM

In UK, sailing rules are that starboard tack has right of way

Indeed.  I digressed into a satire on different driving standards, in case anyone missed it.