Black kite at Kanaha

MauiMakani · Joined: 07 Aug 1995 Posts: 28

I realize that this is being posted on a windsurf site, but hopefully the message will be passed along.
I want to start by saying, please do not let this become a windsurf vs. kitesurf issue; this addresses one incident that could have involved people from either sport, and is about personal behavior, not choice of craft.
Yesterday their was one black kite that persisted in being at the upwind edge of the Kanaha wave, so that his lines were often jibing right over the windsurfers masts, all contrary to the Maui Kiteboarding Associations stated rules. It should have been clear that this was not a good idea, since all of the other kiters out that day were doing a great job of riding downwind of the main windsurfer pack, and getting along well.
There was one incident that prompted me to feel that I had to write this. My wife was doing a light wind pivot jibe just inside of the surf zone, near the upwind end. As she was balancing clew-first in very little wind, waiting for the board to stabilize before she jibed the sail, the kiter on the black kite pinched in so close to her on her downwind side, that she could not jibe the sail for fear of the clew hitting him, he pinched up within a couple of feet of the nose of her board, and then when he was just a few feet straight in front of her, jibed his kite so that the lines dropped straight in front of her, and he dropped in the water just a couple of feet from the nose of her board. She was bobbing in almost no wind, and could not continue forward without hitting his lines, she would not jibe her sail without hitting his lines, and she did not dare drop off her board for fear that it might shoot forward and hit the kiter. Luckily my wife has the skill to balance at a dead stop clew-first, while the kiter drifted downwind of the nose of her board, but the average sailor could not have avoided a tangle.
The kiter cannot argue that he did not create a dangerous situation, since he was the one yelling "Don't hit me, don't hit me", to a stalled sailor that he had just jibed and dropped his lines directly in front of, and who was attempting to balance while bobbing with no wind and no ability to maneuver. This is not reasonable behavior.
I want to repeat that this post is not anti-kiting, but addresses personal judgement for all watermen. On a regular basis I ask windsurfers to follow the rules that allow us to all get along, by not sailing into the swim area, to give plenty of clearance to divers, and to yield right of way with plenty of room to the canoes. This does not make my comments anti-windsurf, just in support of rules that responsible members of the ocean community have come up with to keep everyone safe.
I ask that we all take a moment to encourage each other so that our actions on the water are safe, responsible, and hopefully in line with the rules and guidelines that all of our sports have formed in order to be safe ocean users.
John

rigatoni · Joined: 25 Feb 1999 Posts: 498

good luck with that one.

dogalone · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 113

well seeing how ALL of the other reindeer were observing the known local conditions, i would have to venture the guess that particular kiter was oblivious to normalcy at that location.

but your anecdote certainly begs the query, '...oh what to do, what to do about it...' glad to hear of your close adventure

nw30 · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:41 pm Post subject:

CREWJO100d

You can try to isolate this adventure from all the other kite vs. windsurf adventures, but it's not, it's just another story of this type that will go down as another addition to the K vs. W saga.
This will continue.
But what can be done? Not much.
It's always something, out there in the water.
If you are deserving, you just gotta claim your space, or loose it.

P.S. I don't kite

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

esteban · Joined: 21 May 2000 Posts: 223

Knife blades epoxied on the mast tip plug, utility knife at hand to cut lines...

gregorvass · Joined: 21 Nov 1996 Posts: 1113 Location: Behind You

Try This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj1iI68AQo8

gerritt · Joined: 06 May 1998 Posts: 632 Location: Redwood City, CA

This should go up on the Maui Kite forum. That community, I'm sure, will deal with this guy and set him straight. Maui watermen are not to be messed with.

coboardhead · Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Posts: 4303

I think Esteban has a good idea.

I windsurf and kite. I have had lines drop on me while windsurfing. Not really the kiter's fault in this case - she got cut off in light air by another kiter who got cut off by a couple of windsurfers trying to get in when the wind was dropping. Really sort of a cluster - we all knew better.

But, I did have a knife on me (carry one kiting). I did not have to use it.

Had things gone bad and I needed it, It would have been good for everybody.

"Perp" was very apologetic, so I decided not to wack her ISO.