On water etiquette (or lack of)

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damo_cal
damo_cal
VIC
20 posts
VIC, 20 posts
21 Dec 2006 10:38am
Why is it when approaching on oppisite tack some people force themselves to sail above you? I've had people trying so hard they've spun out in front of me. It gives me the S**!s. You dont lose wind for the split second in passing. I reckon its a penis waving thing, supremacy on the water. Its usually dudes with way too much gear trying way to hard.
Kremlin
Kremlin
418 posts
418 posts
21 Dec 2006 9:17am
Comrade Damo
You must be of shouting at these people and telling them not for doing this. Not angry words for starting... just let them know this is bad behaviour and then go from there.
This guy who cut front of you on every tack... he was weraing red gath helmet and sailing at Lancelin yar ?
Most people are of being ignorant... once you explain they are doinmg something that is frustrating to others and dangerous MOST will usually stopping of the action.
These ones who don't... you need to be speaking with them with different tone and maybe with big stick
Talking first, then explaining and then you will see what you see
Peace to all EXCEPT that tool with Red Gath helmet !
WINDY MILLER
WINDY MILLER
WA
3183 posts
WA, 3183 posts
21 Dec 2006 9:45am
what about the #### head, who did this to me while he was on port tack, then to proove how cool he was; do a chop hop just before we passed, spin out, then slide into me and crash.....

i used to get pissed with these monkeys but now just give em a wide berth and bear off.................... the only problem is if u meet a like minded person who bears off aswell and u end up on a bearing off/heading up weaving kamikaze collision course
stehsegler
stehsegler
WA
3571 posts
WA, 3571 posts
21 Dec 2006 9:54am
damo_cla,

I think the main problem is that people simple don't know the most basic water rules...

Here some easy ones to remember:
if your right hand is your mast hand you have the right of way (something along the lines of starboard or porttack - but the think with hand seems to be easier to remember)

if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)

if everything else fails common sense should prevail (although that seems to be lacking with a lot of people)
Combs
Combs
WA
152 posts
WA, 152 posts
21 Dec 2006 10:40am
The rules are reasonably simple and common sense should also apply. A lot is made of this heading out through the waves has right of way over those comming in rule. A lot of us sail on flat water though, but common courtesy should still apply; such as:

Someone on the plane (usually approaching the shore or sand bar), should give way to someone who has previously taken off but is not on the plane yet. The slogger really cannot do a lot if the conditions are marginal.

Someone beach starting should give way to others approaching. For instance, you see a lot of occassions where someone is going to gybe along the shore and someone beach starts right in their track. The beach start could have been delayed by a few seconds.


One of the biggest things I consider is that those who are starting out in the sport do not have the same ability to control their gear and are too busy trying to stay upright to really look around. Wider vision and awareness only comes with experience. So I give them a wide berth.

All in all though, most people are usually considerate and positive in their actions. Those that aren't range from the people who have been windsurfing since year dot, through to those on their first time out.

stehsegler
stehsegler
WA
3571 posts
WA, 3571 posts
21 Dec 2006 11:01am
can I ad another one?

if you are about to jibe LOOK BEHIND YOU FIRST!!!

can't believe how many people turn without looking... but I guess that's pretty much the same on our roads.
Zed
Zed
WA
1274 posts
Zed Zed
WA, 1274 posts
21 Dec 2006 12:14pm
Well usually when you are sailing back in you're trying to get upwind as much as possible esp. at places like Scarborough - I always end downwind there for some reason. So when sailing in I think that person should have priority over the person sailing out, but I guess I'm biased cos I'm ** at sailing upwind.
damo_cal
damo_cal
VIC
20 posts
VIC, 20 posts
21 Dec 2006 2:29pm
Thanks for the replies, i was just venting some frustration. I feel much better now. Cheers
Revhead
Revhead
ACT
372 posts
ACT, 372 posts
21 Dec 2006 2:37pm
Yeah agreed. I cant stand the tools that sail upwind of you regardless of tack or reason. Meaningless little "victories" (as they see them) are for meaningless little minds.
da vecta
da vecta
QLD
2515 posts
QLD, 2515 posts
21 Dec 2006 5:05pm
couldn't agree more!

guys, if you are fully planning on a big rig please sail underneath someone coming onto the plane or using a small rig.

this is basic manners
da vecta
da vecta
QLD
2515 posts
QLD, 2515 posts
21 Dec 2006 5:09pm
oh yeah, unless you are in an official race and then feel free to be as rude as you like.
chairman
chairman
500 posts
500 posts
21 Dec 2006 4:54pm
Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12872 posts
WA, 12872 posts
21 Dec 2006 9:55pm
quote:
Originally posted by stehsegler

damo_cla,
if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)




Sorry don't agree! And I've said this before. Depends where you are, and what the waves are like.
Here the etiquete is the guy riding the wave is given right of way, unless it's big and the person coming out needs to find the safest way thru the impact zone.

There's no reason somebody looking for the most vertical face for a jump has right of way over somebody going down the line looking for a lip to smack!

If you're sailing at a new spot, ask a local what the local etiquete is before assuming the person on the wave is going to abort a good ride so you can jump where you want.
Deano
Deano
WA
255 posts
WA, 255 posts
21 Dec 2006 10:39pm
Decrepit

What defines big ? (Don't be rude) Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.
I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.

Deano

decrepit
decrepit
WA
12872 posts
WA, 12872 posts
21 Dec 2006 11:03pm
quote:

I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.



Well that's the local attitude exactly, stay clear of the guy on the wave. (if you can)

quote:

Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.




Agreed, it can be confusing, I don't think we call it "rules" and it's an understanding amongst the locals that's evolved over the years. It's fairly obvious to the guy on the wave if the person coming out needs to be given some room.

And the person inside is doing his best not to F**k up the wave for somebody coming down the line. It happens fairly naturally most of the time, as you come off the wave downwind and go back out around the break.

So the danger comes when a local is on a wave, sees somebody coming out, well powered up, with plenty of room downwind to get out. The guy on the wave will then take his eye off the person coming out and concentrate on the wave. That's when 2 people can be aiming at the same lip.
It's just the way we've evolved over the years, we put more emphasis on waveriding than jumping, (there's room to jump downwind of the break if that's what you want to do). So you do to your mates as you would be done by, stay clear of a wave ride.
curac
curac
WA
1160 posts
WA, 1160 posts
22 Dec 2006 1:32pm
next time you see the tool box who does that. just do a jump through there sail.
da vecta
da vecta
QLD
2515 posts
QLD, 2515 posts
23 Dec 2006 1:28pm
quote:
Originally posted by chairman

Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform



thanks chairman of the (star)board, your point is well taken. when doing silly tricks you have no rights at all. I was talking about just saling along getting onto the plane.
Mark _australia
Mark _australia
WA
23647 posts
WA, 23647 posts
23 Dec 2006 3:37pm
Decrep, it is not your local rules, that is the rule for every waveriding spot. The way I phrase it is: the guy going out has right of way UNLESS he is planing. That is, if he is schlogging he needs the freedom to cross the wave where he wants so as to not get hammered. In that case the guy on the wave lets the guy going out do what he needs to. If you are PLANING heading out you have no right to ever cut in front of a guy who is riding a wave.

The whole idea is to prevent people getting hammered when they could be enjoying waves instead of holding their breath under them. . The most annoying thing in the world is when you are making the drop down the face, you HAVE to go down the line right now or else it will close out on you.... and just as you start your bottom turn some d!ckwad euro tourist passes 10m downwind of you cos he has an optimal jump. As a result you take 5 big sets on the head and spend 30min swimming with a broken mast. All the other dude hd to do was look and see the guy on the wave was about to start his ride, and bear off 20deg to miss him.

decrepit
decrepit
WA
12872 posts
WA, 12872 posts
23 Dec 2006 5:43pm
Thanks Mark.

Had a feeling it wasn't just here, but haven't had much support for this point of view before.

I find we just can't emphasize this point enough, so many people just post, "person going out has right of way".
Then dickheads looking for jumps think they are "within their rights" to stuff up your wave.

May be a difference between venues with DTL waves and closing out shore breaks???
blunt1
blunt1
WA
15 posts
WA, 15 posts
23 Dec 2006 8:22pm
WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine


waveslave
waveslave
WA
4263 posts
WA, 4263 posts
23 Dec 2006 9:53pm
quote:
Originally posted by blunt1

WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine






Wrong.

Of course the waverider has priority over outbound riders.
Why ?
Allow me to extreme it....to explain it.

Let's say for instance;
I'm slotted deep in the pocket wavekiting a secret NW outback desert reef lefthander,
really having a big dig, you know.
Am I going to really care about anyone chugging out thru the ****n zone ?
Am I capable of actually doing anything to avoid chuggers ?
No,
cause I'm fully committed.

In the box seat.
On the rail.
There's no time for distractions.
Get it ?
Kremlin
Kremlin
418 posts
418 posts
23 Dec 2006 11:10pm
Comrade WaveSnake
quote:
I'm slotted deep in the pocket wavekiting a secret NW outback desert reef lefthander, really having a big dig, you know.

maybe you need being for re-thinking of the 'self medicating' you are doing
I think you now thinking that what you doing in your dreams is now for certain reality yar ?
Maybe you also try practice what you preach ?
How come at your local spot you want for to be having right of way on way in AND right of way on way out ?
This not talking about your habitual snaking and drop ins
I watching you for certain yar !
elmo
elmo
WA
8890 posts
WA, 8890 posts
23 Dec 2006 11:16pm
quote:
Originally posted by waveslave

quote:
Originally posted by blunt1

WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine






Wrong.

Of course the waverider has priority over outbound riders.
Why ?
Allow me to extreme it....to explain it.

Let's say for instance;
I'm slotted deep in the pocket wavekiting a secret NW outback desert reef lefthander,
really having a big dig, you know.
Am I going to really care about anyone chugging out thru the ****n zone ?
Am I capable of actually doing anything to avoid chuggers ?
No,
cause I'm fully committed.

In the box seat.
On the rail.
There's no time for distractions.
Get it ?






quote:
Originally posted by Blunt1
WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine





quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

Thanks Mark.

Had a feeling it wasn't just here, but haven't had much support for this point of view before.

I find we just can't emphasize this point enough, so many people just post, "person going out has right of way".
Then dickheads looking for jumps think they are "within their rights" to stuff up your wave.

May be a difference between venues with DTL waves and closing out shore breaks???



quote:
Originally posted by Mark _australia

Decrep, it is not your local rules, that is the rule for every waveriding spot. The way I phrase it is: the guy going out has right of way UNLESS he is planing. That is, if he is schlogging he needs the freedom to cross the wave where he wants so as to not get hammered. In that case the guy on the wave lets the guy going out do what he needs to. If you are PLANING heading out you have no right to ever cut in front of a guy who is riding a wave.

The whole idea is to prevent people getting hammered when they could be enjoying waves instead of holding their breath under them. . The most annoying thing in the world is when you are making the drop down the face, you HAVE to go down the line right now or else it will close out on you.... and just as you start your bottom turn some d!ckwad euro tourist passes 10m downwind of you cos he has an optimal jump. As a result you take 5 big sets on the head and spend 30min swimming with a broken mast. All the other dude hd to do was look and see the guy on the wave was about to start his ride, and bear off 20deg to miss him.




quote:
Originally posted by da vecta


quote:Originally posted by chairman

Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform



thanks chairman of the (star)board, your point is well taken. when doing silly tricks you have no rights at all. I was talking about just saling along getting onto the plane.



quote:
Originally posted by curac
next time you see the tool box who does that. just do a jump through there sail.


quote:
Originally posted by decrepit



quote:
I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.



Well that's the local attitude exactly, stay clear of the guy on the wave. (if you can)

quote:
Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.



Agreed, it can be confusing, I don't think we call it "rules" and it's an understanding amongst the locals that's evolved over the years. It's fairly obvious to the guy on the wave if the person coming out needs to be given some room.

And the person inside is doing his best not to F**k up the wave for somebody coming down the line. It happens fairly naturally most of the time, as you come off the wave downwind and go back out around the break.

So the danger comes when a local is on a wave, sees somebody coming out, well powered up, with plenty of room downwind to get out. The guy on the wave will then take his eye off the person coming out and concentrate on the wave. That's when 2 people can be aiming at the same lip.
It's just the way we've evolved over the years, we put more emphasis on waveriding than jumping, (there's room to jump downwind of the break if that's what you want to do). So you do to your mates as you would be done by, stay clear of a wave ride.




quote:
Originally posted by Deano


What defines big ? (Don't be rude) Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.
I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.

Deano




quote:
Originally posted by decrepit


quote:Originally posted by stehsegler

damo_cla,
if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)



Sorry don't agree! And I've said this before. Depends where you are, and what the waves are like.
Here the etiquete is the guy riding the wave is given right of way, unless it's big and the person coming out needs to find the safest way thru the impact zone.

There's no reason somebody looking for the most vertical face for a jump has right of way over somebody going down the line looking for a lip to smack!

If you're sailing at a new spot, ask a local what the local etiquete is before assuming the person on the wave is going to abort a good ride so you can jump where you want.
chairman


Australia

11 Posts Posted - 21/12/2006 : 3:54 pm Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform






quote:
Originally posted by da vecta

oh yeah, unless you are in an official race and then feel free to be as rude as you like.



quote:
Originally posted by da vecta

couldn't agree more!

guys, if you are fully planning on a big rig please sail underneath someone coming onto the plane or using a small rig.

this is basic manners



quote:
Originally posted by Revhead


Yeah agreed. I cant stand the tools that sail upwind of you regardless of tack or reason. Meaningless little "victories" (as they see them) are for meaningless little minds.



quote:
Originally posted by damo_cal

Thanks for the replies, i was just venting some frustration. I feel much better now. Cheers



quote:
Originally posted by Zed


Well usually when you are sailing back in you're trying to get upwind as much as possible esp. at places like Scarborough - I always end downwind there for some reason. So when sailing in I think that person should have priority over the person sailing out, but I guess I'm biased cos I'm ** at sailing upwind.



quote:
Originally posted by stehsegler


can I ad another one?

if you are about to jibe LOOK BEHIND YOU FIRST!!!

can't believe how many people turn without looking... but I guess that's pretty much the same on our roads.



quote:
Originally posted by Combs

The rules are reasonably simple and common sense should also apply. A lot is made of this heading out through the waves has right of way over those comming in rule. A lot of us sail on flat water though, but common courtesy should still apply; such as:

Someone on the plane (usually approaching the shore or sand bar), should give way to someone who has previously taken off but is not on the plane yet. The slogger really cannot do a lot if the conditions are marginal.

Someone beach starting should give way to others approaching. For instance, you see a lot of occassions where someone is going to gybe along the shore and someone beach starts right in their track. The beach start could have been delayed by a few seconds.


One of the biggest things I consider is that those who are starting out in the sport do not have the same ability to control their gear and are too busy trying to stay upright to really look around. Wider vision and awareness only comes with experience. So I give them a wide berth.

All in all though, most people are usually considerate and positive in their actions. Those that aren't range from the people who have been windsurfing since year dot, through to those on their first time out.



quote:
Originally posted by stehsegler


damo_cla,

I think the main problem is that people simple don't know the most basic water rules...

Here some easy ones to remember:
if your right hand is your mast hand you have the right of way (something along the lines of starboard or porttack - but the think with hand seems to be easier to remember)

if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)

if everything else fails common sense should prevail (although that seems to be lacking with a lot of people)



quote:
Originally posted by WINDY MILLER

what about the #### head, who did this to me while he was on port tack, then to proove how cool he was; do a chop hop just before we passed, spin out, then slide into me and crash.....

i used to get pissed with these monkeys but now just give em a wide berth and bear off.................... the only problem is if u meet a like minded person who bears off aswell and u end up on a bearing off/heading up weaving kamikaze collision course



Originally posted by Kremlin

Comrade Damo
You must be of shouting at these people and telling them not for doing this. Not angry words for starting... just let them know this is bad behaviour and then go from there.
This guy who cut front of you on every tack... he was weraing red gath helmet and sailing at Lancelin yar ?
Most people are of being ignorant... once you explain they are doinmg something that is frustrating to others and dangerous MOST will usually stopping of the action.
These ones who don't... you need to be speaking with them with different tone and maybe with big stick
Talking first, then explaining and then you will see what you see
Peace to all EXCEPT that tool with Red Gath helmet !




Twas the night before the night before Christmas and all through the neighborhoods you can hear the families arguing in preparation for the Christmas lunch's.

2 points which should be noted here which every one has conveniently ignored:
  • We have no Swell, the Mandurah estuary has m ore waves than the Ocean
  • We have Bugga all wind
  • I'm stuck on attempting to go fast in a straight line till I can safely venture back in the waves, So I don't give a Rats hairy freckle about your problems
  • I think I may have created the biggest quotation ever (untill someone copies this)
  • I can't count



So merry Christmas all

Hopefully Huey delivers some wind and some waves.

and remember if someone gets in your face, hurl a mouthfull off abuse at them, pick a fight and point to the shore.

when they start going in gybe around go out and catch another wave

Alby
greenleader
greenleader
QLD
5283 posts
QLD, 5283 posts
24 Dec 2006 1:01am
the guy on the wave is the guy on the wave, thats the rule!

only guys who ride waves understand.

don't need any canadian handbook to clarify this.

system has worked good for decades.

if you're on the wave, weave your magic, everyone else keep clear.

oh yeah and merry christmas.


Pugwash
Pugwash
WA
7733 posts
WA, 7733 posts
24 Dec 2006 12:03am
quote:
Originally posted by elmo

quote:
Originally posted by waveslave

quote:
Originally posted by blunt1

WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine






Wrong.

Of course the waverider has priority over outbound riders.
Why ?
Allow me to extreme it....to explain it.

Let's say for instance;
I'm slotted deep in the pocket wavekiting a secret NW outback desert reef lefthander,
really having a big dig, you know.
Am I going to really care about anyone chugging out thru the ****n zone ?
Am I capable of actually doing anything to avoid chuggers ?
No,
cause I'm fully committed.

In the box seat.
On the rail.
There's no time for distractions.
Get it ?






quote:
Originally posted by Blunt1
WTF! are you 2 idiots going on about????
Thats the problem with localism (inbreeding)your a minority isolated from the rest of the country and the world making up you own little rules for your own little breaks based on surfing rules, get with the times wake up! Your the ones creating hassles out there. The rest of the world goes by sailor heading out has right of way except for when they go to your little red neck towns and you 2 probably spit the dummy and chuck littles tantrums because in your two miniscule spots you don't abide by the rest of the worlds wave sailing rules. Yeah sure some dick head can spoil your wave ride but generally I find most guys respect someone is on the way and try and avoid getting in there way
Do you have large signs in the rigging area to advise national and international travellers that you've changed the rules???

Our own windsurfing body WWA Staes the guy going out through the waves has right of way!

how about this:: Rule 3.9.1 from the 2006 PWA Rule book issue 1 Part 3 states
(a) In Surf, a competitor who is coming in shall keep clear of a
competitor who is going out.
or this!
Oregon Coast Wave Sailing Guide Right of way: Sailors going out from the beach have the right of way.
That said try not to mess up anyone's wave ride
just to claim the right of way. It is better to go out between the sets any way.
Or this !
Do's and don'ts while hangin on Maui
Keep in mind that there are local sailing rules you should find out about.
"Outbound" sailor has right of way in waves. First sailor on the wave owns that sucka.

Every where I look on the internet I get the same info I guess thats because it a standard for around the WORLD!

Hers an exerts from an article
Law of the Surf Forum
Head of the School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Edited by Brian Fitzgerald & Geoffrey Clarke


"So what are the wavesailing rules? There are four of them:

Do not sail over the back of a wave on your way toward the
shore. This practice is said to be dangerous for two reasons:
you could land on top of someone riding the face of the
wave, or you could collide head-on with a jumper on his or
her way out. Notice that this primary rule parallels the "do
not-drop-in" rule of surfing.

Sailors going out have right of way over sailors coming in.
This is the most surprising rule because it is the opposite of
the norm observed by surfers. The usual explanation for this
rule is that sailors coming in have more manoeuvrability than
sailors going out.

The first sailor to jibe on a wave (i.e., the first sailor to turn
to come back in) has right of way over other potential riders.

Finally, as between two sailors who take a wave at the same
time, the one closest to the shoulder has right of way.
This set of customary norms seems to be widely accepted by
wavesailors throughout the world. For example, Olivier Matt, the 1997
Canadian wavesailing champion, has an article entitled, "Wave Sailing
101," in which he describes the code in more-or-less the same terms.
The website for Windsurfing in Western Australia contains a very
similar set of "wavesailing rules".
Almost all observers, however, recognise that these rules are not
always obeyed. They are tempered in practice with many exceptions
and limitations - some of which seem eminently sensible, others much
less so. The first of the limitations on the customary rules is the
general principle of courtesy. It is often said that, if the customary
norms give you "right of way" in a particular situation, but insisting
upon your rights under the circumstances would be rude or
inconsiderate, you have an obligation to give way. This principle is
most often invoked when an outgoing sailor (who, as I have indicated,
meets an incoming sailor who is enjoying a great
ride. It is fairly common in such situations for the outbound sailor to
alter course or even deliberately to fall in order not to block the path of
the incoming sailor. A second, related exception is that women more
often give way to men than vice versa - in part because they are more
likely to apply the courtesy principle. A third exception is that local
sailors sometimes think they have priority over visitors, even when the
four customary norms would indicate they are supposed to defer.
That, in short, is the extra-legal customary code of wave sailing.
Against that backdrop, what is the appropriate role for law? There are
good reasons to think that the answer is: nothing. Formal legal norms
and the associated enforcement apparatus should have no role in the
regulation of wavesailing. Why not? Most obviously, because there
already exists a functioning extra-legal code known to, and generally
observed by, wavesailors. Many sociologists and economists tell us
that informal customary norms of this sort are likely to be better - i.e.,
more economically efficient and more fair - than anything a legislature
or court could come up with. Bottom line: the law has no place here.
Unfortunately, there are two problems with that response. The first is
that not everyone abides by the code. Some people refuse to do so on
principle. For example, in Internet chat rooms where these issues are
debated (believe it or not), some wavesailors openly reject the basic
rule that people going out have right of way. Other people violate the
customary code, not because they are opposed to it in principle, but
because they are impatient or greedy or tired of beginners messing up
the waves. When people refuse or fail to obey the customary code, the
informal sanctions available on the beach are not very effective.
Fistfights are a poor, dangerous, and often unfair system for
penalising violators. Other social sanctions highlighted by sociologists
- criticism, ostracism, and so forth - do not seem to be working very
well either.
So incomplete observance, related to ineffective enforcement, is the
first reason why the customary code may not be altogether
satisfactory. The second reason is that, in practice, the customary code
is biased. It privileges locals over visitors and it privileges men over
women. It may be possible to defend the first of these biases (although
the argument in its favour is not obvious), but it is hard to imagine a
plausible defence of the second.
Those are the circumstances that create the possibility of legal
intervention. What would legal intervention look like? One possibility
is that a legislature or court could adopt a formal set of rules, backed
by a schedule of penalties, that paid no attention to the customary
code. For example, windsurfers could be declared to be "vessels",
fully subject to the international anti-collision rules and the associated
norms of Admiralty Law. George Greenough told me that Australian
Admiralty Courts actually took this position in a case in which a
windsurfer ran over a swimmer. Virtually
all sailors think that such a context-insensitive approach would be
disastrous.
Another possibility, suggested by Stanley Yeo at the beginning of this
forum, is that courts could apply to wavesailing collisions the standard
criteria of tort law, under which a sailor would be liable when his or
her failure to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person" under
the circumstances caused injury to others. Although this suggestion is
perhaps more plausible than the first alternative, few observers regard
it as satisfactory.
The only way for enlisting the formal legal system that seems to merit
serious consideration would involve employing lawyers and courts to
reinforce, rather than displace, the customary norms. How might that
work? In extreme cases, criminal law could be brought to bear on
persons who violated the customary code. Recently, the Supreme
Court of Colorado upheld a manslaughter indictment against a skier
who went down a slope at a reckless speed, hit another skier, and killed
him. On rare occasions, criminal sanctions might be applied in an
analogous fashion to wavesailing accidents. A sailor who, in violation
of the customary norms, sailed over the back of a wave, collided with a
jumper and killed him could be prosecuted for some form of homicide
- perhaps manslaughter or even second-degree murder.
In more routine cases, tort law could be harnessed. Courts could find
sailors liable, not when they violated a general norm of "reasonable
care" (of the sort I just mentioned), but when they violated the
customary code and injuries resulted."

WAKE UP YOU 2 GET WITH THE TIMES CHANGE YOUR LOCAL RULES AND MOVE ON.
The same set of world wide rules lets everyone know what they should be doing anywhere and the we all get on just fine





quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

Thanks Mark.

Had a feeling it wasn't just here, but haven't had much support for this point of view before.

I find we just can't emphasize this point enough, so many people just post, "person going out has right of way".
Then dickheads looking for jumps think they are "within their rights" to stuff up your wave.

May be a difference between venues with DTL waves and closing out shore breaks???



quote:
Originally posted by Mark _australia

Decrep, it is not your local rules, that is the rule for every waveriding spot. The way I phrase it is: the guy going out has right of way UNLESS he is planing. That is, if he is schlogging he needs the freedom to cross the wave where he wants so as to not get hammered. In that case the guy on the wave lets the guy going out do what he needs to. If you are PLANING heading out you have no right to ever cut in front of a guy who is riding a wave.

The whole idea is to prevent people getting hammered when they could be enjoying waves instead of holding their breath under them. . The most annoying thing in the world is when you are making the drop down the face, you HAVE to go down the line right now or else it will close out on you.... and just as you start your bottom turn some d!ckwad euro tourist passes 10m downwind of you cos he has an optimal jump. As a result you take 5 big sets on the head and spend 30min swimming with a broken mast. All the other dude hd to do was look and see the guy on the wave was about to start his ride, and bear off 20deg to miss him.




quote:
Originally posted by da vecta


quote:Originally posted by chairman

Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform



thanks chairman of the (star)board, your point is well taken. when doing silly tricks you have no rights at all. I was talking about just saling along getting onto the plane.



quote:
Originally posted by curac
next time you see the tool box who does that. just do a jump through there sail.


quote:
Originally posted by decrepit



quote:
I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.



Well that's the local attitude exactly, stay clear of the guy on the wave. (if you can)

quote:
Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.



Agreed, it can be confusing, I don't think we call it "rules" and it's an understanding amongst the locals that's evolved over the years. It's fairly obvious to the guy on the wave if the person coming out needs to be given some room.

And the person inside is doing his best not to F**k up the wave for somebody coming down the line. It happens fairly naturally most of the time, as you come off the wave downwind and go back out around the break.

So the danger comes when a local is on a wave, sees somebody coming out, well powered up, with plenty of room downwind to get out. The guy on the wave will then take his eye off the person coming out and concentrate on the wave. That's when 2 people can be aiming at the same lip.
It's just the way we've evolved over the years, we put more emphasis on waveriding than jumping, (there's room to jump downwind of the break if that's what you want to do). So you do to your mates as you would be done by, stay clear of a wave ride.




quote:
Originally posted by Deano


What defines big ? (Don't be rude) Hows some one to know the difference between sizes. Some one may think its big and its only head high.

This just confuses things.
I sailed down your way many times but I just keep clear.

Deano




quote:
Originally posted by decrepit


quote:Originally posted by stehsegler

damo_cla,
if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)



Sorry don't agree! And I've said this before. Depends where you are, and what the waves are like.
Here the etiquete is the guy riding the wave is given right of way, unless it's big and the person coming out needs to find the safest way thru the impact zone.

There's no reason somebody looking for the most vertical face for a jump has right of way over somebody going down the line looking for a lip to smack!

If you're sailing at a new spot, ask a local what the local etiquete is before assuming the person on the wave is going to abort a good ride so you can jump where you want.
chairman


Australia

11 Posts Posted - 21/12/2006 : 3:54 pm Da Vecta
I admire your explosion grubbies
but prefer an upwind viewing platform






quote:
Originally posted by da vecta

oh yeah, unless you are in an official race and then feel free to be as rude as you like.



quote:
Originally posted by da vecta

couldn't agree more!

guys, if you are fully planning on a big rig please sail underneath someone coming onto the plane or using a small rig.

this is basic manners



quote:
Originally posted by Revhead


Yeah agreed. I cant stand the tools that sail upwind of you regardless of tack or reason. Meaningless little "victories" (as they see them) are for meaningless little minds.



quote:
Originally posted by damo_cal

Thanks for the replies, i was just venting some frustration. I feel much better now. Cheers



quote:
Originally posted by Zed


Well usually when you are sailing back in you're trying to get upwind as much as possible esp. at places like Scarborough - I always end downwind there for some reason. So when sailing in I think that person should have priority over the person sailing out, but I guess I'm biased cos I'm ** at sailing upwind.



quote:
Originally posted by stehsegler


can I ad another one?

if you are about to jibe LOOK BEHIND YOU FIRST!!!

can't believe how many people turn without looking... but I guess that's pretty much the same on our roads.



quote:
Originally posted by Combs

The rules are reasonably simple and common sense should also apply. A lot is made of this heading out through the waves has right of way over those comming in rule. A lot of us sail on flat water though, but common courtesy should still apply; such as:

Someone on the plane (usually approaching the shore or sand bar), should give way to someone who has previously taken off but is not on the plane yet. The slogger really cannot do a lot if the conditions are marginal.

Someone beach starting should give way to others approaching. For instance, you see a lot of occassions where someone is going to gybe along the shore and someone beach starts right in their track. The beach start could have been delayed by a few seconds.


One of the biggest things I consider is that those who are starting out in the sport do not have the same ability to control their gear and are too busy trying to stay upright to really look around. Wider vision and awareness only comes with experience. So I give them a wide berth.

All in all though, most people are usually considerate and positive in their actions. Those that aren't range from the people who have been windsurfing since year dot, through to those on their first time out.



quote:
Originally posted by stehsegler


damo_cla,

I think the main problem is that people simple don't know the most basic water rules...

Here some easy ones to remember:
if your right hand is your mast hand you have the right of way (something along the lines of starboard or porttack - but the think with hand seems to be easier to remember)

if your are sailing out against waves you have the right of way...
(now this one should be a no brainer)

if everything else fails common sense should prevail (although that seems to be lacking with a lot of people)



quote:
Originally posted by WINDY MILLER

what about the #### head, who did this to me while he was on port tack, then to proove how cool he was; do a chop hop just before we passed, spin out, then slide into me and crash.....

i used to get pissed with these monkeys but now just give em a wide berth and bear off.................... the only problem is if u meet a like minded person who bears off aswell and u end up on a bearing off/heading up weaving kamikaze collision course



Originally posted by Kremlin

Comrade Damo
You must be of shouting at these people and telling them not for doing this. Not angry words for starting... just let them know this is bad behaviour and then go from there.
This guy who cut front of you on every tack... he was weraing red gath helmet and sailing at Lancelin yar ?
Most people are of being ignorant... once you explain they are doinmg something that is frustrating to others and dangerous MOST will usually stopping of the action.
These ones who don't... you need to be speaking with them with different tone and maybe with big stick
Talking first, then explaining and then you will see what you see
Peace to all EXCEPT that tool with Red Gath helmet !




Twas the night before the night before Christmas and all through the neighborhoods you can hear the families arguing in preparation for the Christmas lunch's.

2 points which should be noted here which every one has conveniently ignored:
  • We have no Swell, the Mandurah estuary has m ore waves than the Ocean
  • We have Bugga all wind
  • I'm stuck on attempting to go fast in a straight line till I can safely venture back in the waves, So I don't give a Rats hairy freckle about your problems
  • I think I may have created the biggest quotation ever (untill someone copies this)
  • I can't count



So merry Christmas all

Hopefully Huey delivers some wind and some waves.

and remember if someone gets in your face, hurl a mouthfull off abuse at them, pick a fight and point to the shore.

when they start going in gybe around go out and catch another wave

Alby




ELMO DRUNK? BAD ELMO

Merry Christmas Elmo and all.

Pugs

ps: spread some love... I'll start: I like being snaked, it provides enjoyment for the under privelidged
greenleader
greenleader
QLD
5283 posts
QLD, 5283 posts
24 Dec 2006 1:09am
it's not christmas yet!
Pugwash
Pugwash
WA
7733 posts
WA, 7733 posts
24 Dec 2006 12:33am
quote:
Originally posted by greenleader

it's not christmas yet!



Spread some LOVE greenloser
greenleader
greenleader
QLD
5283 posts
QLD, 5283 posts
24 Dec 2006 1:57am
Pugwash
Pugwash
WA
7733 posts
WA, 7733 posts
24 Dec 2006 1:26am
quote:
Originally posted by greenleader





Much better
poor relative
poor relative
WA
9106 posts
WA, 9106 posts
24 Dec 2006 1:31am
Everyone can share my waves...even waveslave.

Love you all...even waveslave

Happy Xmas to all my pole hugging mates and waveslave
May you ride long fast and hard...
Kremlin
Kremlin
418 posts
418 posts
24 Dec 2006 9:21am
I very much looking forward for sharring of next wave with wavesnake (waveslave)
IN fact as a goodwill of all for christmas and all of 2007 I say anyone who see wavesnake on a wave should go and share with him ESPECIALLY if he is already on wave first !
He doing of this thing for many years so now maybe we make a big collective effort to return the love.
If you hear him shout and swear, not for worry... this is what Wavesnake do all the time... is normall for him for sure yar, so just keep going and remember to give him big hello.

Merry christmas waveslave... this I make my present for you.
I start national campaign for sharing of every wave for everyone with the waveslave
Peace to all (especially angry little self medicating men)
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