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So out at Alameda this pm, some guy upwind of me on outbound tack suddenly jibes without looking. I steer under his kite and am able to continue on, dodging him as he's getting yarded straight downwind into me. I hold up a bit and realize he's yelling shit at me. Can't understand a thing he's saying but it sort of pissed me off that he'd be giving me shit after being a bonehead.

I usually apologize to folks if I jibe into their way.

I approached him on the beach and indeed he blamed me for following too close. "It's in the IKO book" he said. I was not as diplomatic as I would be normally be. In fact I sort of lost it. After some profanity I had to walk away.

It wasn't the jibe, it was the lack of accountability for initiating an action that could have been serious.

So please, if you have an IKO book that implies in any way shape or form that it's cool to jibe without checking your six, please burn the stupid thing. While "following too close" is a general safety guideline, even the most ardent adherent of that guideline will find him/ herself in a position downwind on a parallel tack in which some dumbass doing a random jibe without having requisite self preservation skills may take you out.

Look over your shoulder before you jibe please. I don't give a shit what that damn IKO book says.

Wait. IKO rules apply to Alameda?

I know what you mean. I had a similar experience on my last recent trip in Boracay.
There were three of us going out tacking hard towards the reef with jumbled surf, me in the middle, and about two kite's length distance from both riders in upwind front and downwind behind me.

Dude in front decided he did not want to go further, did a quick toe side turn gunning for me and the other dude. Idiot did not even look behind or give a warning he was going to turn. I lowered my kite but ended up taking out the guy behind me, not enough space to do an emergency maneuver.

Its just tough to teach common sense to some people.

Rey

friggin old guy wrote:So out at Alameda this pm, some guy upwind of me on outbound tack suddenly jibes without looking. I steer under his kite and am able to continue on, dodging him as he's getting yarded straight downwind into me. I hold up a bit and realize he's yelling shit at me. Can't understand a thing he's saying but it sort of pissed me off that he'd be giving me shit after being a bonehead.

I usually apologize to folks if I jibe into their way.

I approached him on the beach and indeed he blamed me for following too close. "It's in the IKO book" he said. I was not as diplomatic as I would be normally be. In fact I sort of lost it. After some profanity I had to walk away.

It wasn't the jibe, it was the lack of accountability for initiating an action that could have been serious.

So please, if you have an IKO book that implies in any way shape or form that it's cool to jibe without checking your six, please burn the stupid thing. While "following too close" is a general safety guideline, even the most ardent adherent of that guideline will find him/ herself in a position downwind on a parallel tack in which some dumbass doing a random jibe without having requisite self preservation skills may take you out.

Look over your shoulder before you jibe please. I don't give a shit what that damn IKO book says.

FOG: Isn't this a bit like:

"I was driving down the road and some guy changed lanes into me. He didn't look at where he was going and where I was, but it is somehow my fault for being too close?"

WTF?

well it depends on what the IKO book says I suppose.......

I'm gonna agree with you here FOG except WindMuch's analogy kinda makes sense. While it's not your fault *per se* defensive kiting is in order imo. If you are too close and downwind slow down or turn around or tack harder upwind. Don't hang tight on a downwind parallel tack.

Nope. You have a responsibility to check before jibing. Full stop. You run into somebody, it's on you.

Saw the guy at alameda again today, we talked it over it's all good. Everybody was feeling good after great sesh. Didn't get iko'd by anybody.

I totally agree. 100%. However butt checking someone you don't know on a downwind parallel tack isn't smart.

Well,
Defensive kiting was definetly a lesson learned for me today,

Was tacking away from the beach at Alameda today and found
Myself crossing someone in the opposite direction right were
That damn exposed cement piling in front of the shack is,
Noticed the guy being tentative so turned downwind with kite
As low as possible to stay clear, not sure if he lost control or what
But as i was ducking as low on my board as i could he proceded to
Swipe his lines straight at my head wich i somehow cleared but lost
Control and was subsequently tea bagged downwind just feet away
From that cement block, my line got tangled on the buoys that mark it,

So i realeased from the buoy got my board and kept on kiting,

On my tack back i had some words with him as he was packing on the
Beach, he apologized and all but i seriously felt it was very close to tragedy,
Realized fellow kiters can be extremely dangerous and in retrospect
I should have avoided him by lines length as soon as i saw him coming,

Can't stay clear of everybody though ..
Anyway i feel blessed i got extremely lucky, it was my most
Horrible incident kiting yet..
Distance is definetely your friend!

Hope the guy that had accident at third is ok and heals well ..

"In fact I sort of lost it. After some profanity I had to walk away."......

Really? It's kiting folks. Nothing that could possibly happen to you on the water or on the beach warrants this kind of bullshit.

15 years of kiting and it still amazes me when I see or hear about people coming unglued because someone doesn't look or some other minor infraction on the water.

Who gives a shit. Kite defensively. Watch out for yourself. Don't put yourself in a position where anyone's decision will impact your safety or your day.

In my mind, the beach reaction by the poster is far more inflammatory than someone tacking without looking. Sounds like the dude who came unglued on the beach was in fact following the tacker too closely. Give people room....it is not that difficult and then you'll never be in the position you put yourself in.