Basic give way rules.

Got to clear up some basic rules guys.. Im not completely sure myself on them
Who gives way port vs starboard . ?

Dude - all good till the last half
Starboard has right of way.
That means left hand forward gives way to right hand forward

1, 1, 1

Caveats - we are dealing with normal vessels without any strange circumstances, such as dealing with vessels with restricted ability to maneuver (i.e a yacht near the edge of the channel in the swan river)

Example 1:

Vessel 2 has right of way...

Reason:
Vessel 1 is on port tack
Vessel 2 is on starboard tack
Starboard has right of way over port

Example 2:

Vessel 2 has right of way...

Reason:
Vessel 1 is on port tack
Vessel 2 is on starboard tack
Starboard has right of way over port

Example 3:

Vessel 2 has right of way...

Reason:
Vessel 1 is the windward vessel
Vessel 2 is the leeward vessel
The vessels are overlapped.
When boats are on the same tack and overlapped, a windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat.

For clarification, when vessels are on the same tack and not overlapped, the vessel that is astern shall keep clear of the vessel ahead. i.e. Vessel 1 would have right of way.

Just brushing up on skills and education Mark! High traffic areas where the is kite-surfers and windsurfers seem to become chaos. I have the rec skippers ticket and thats what i was going off. alot of people like myself are self trained.


Jibing seems to be another problem where people down wind to not give way.

So if i heading out (right hand forward) on boom Starboard side I maintain course and let the person (port side (lefthand) forward adjust course.

Green is Starboard
Red is port.


So if you are traveling out with right hand forward you maintain course.
If your traveling left hand forward you giveaway?.
If your traveling out on port side (left hand forward) do you deviate upwind or downwind??

The person on starboard should change course Although has right of way)he/she will turn to starboard (upwind)



Reference. http://www.windsurfingperth.com.au/index.php/guides/right-of-way-rules


There is a few 1's listed above

I find on sailboats, and sometimes windsurfers, guys on port often try to get the upwind.
You're supposed to signal you're taking the leeside, or at least not force the up.

For those nice people, I always maintain the "collision course" when I'm in the ROW, you can tell that they're bluffing and they come back to the downwind. Annoying folks, but it's fun game to play on a 30-footer in 20 knots. (It still drives the wife crazy after all these years...)

Of course you also get the idiots that know the rule well, but think they're more important and take the upwind regardless of tack. I can spot those afar, whilst rigging up, they deserve to be given ** on water.

I know a guy who used to sail a 'ferrocrete' boat (made of steel and concrete).
During a race he was on a port tack and on a collision course with another boat, the skipper of the other boat was franticly yelling "starboard, starboard, starboard" (indicating he had right of way), this was met with the single word reply, "concrete!"

I don't see any "bullsh!t confusion" should ever exist.
Sailing ROW rules have been around for many many years (couple of hundred?) and anyone who learns to windsurf or kite has no excuse not to know them.

^^they usually have board shorts over their wetsuits

There are problems with sticking religiously to this rule when it involves a mix of windsurfer/ kitesurfer.
e.g.
Pelican point. the kitesurf area is on the downwind side of the windsurf area.
You often get a kite tracking out from the beach and edging up into the windsurf area.
If a windsurfer is coming back in on a reciprocal heading, according to the rules he has to turn downwind, preferably a sufficient distance to avoid the kite lines if they drops in front of you, which puts you right in the thick of the kite area.
If there are a number of kites also tracking out behind the first one you end up miles downwind and completely out of the windsurf area. So in this case I remain completely ignorant of the rule and try to out point the kiter, which is often a difficult job.

If it's between two windsurfers, the first priority is to NOT run into the other person regardless of whether you have right of way or not.
If it seems the other person is not going where you want, then take the initiative and go somewhere else yourself. Dont expect that everyone knows the rules and don't expect that those who know them will stick to them.

I just carve harder upwind if a polers heading straight at ya.
They cant get as good an angle to the wind as a kite can, so you will always avoid a head on.

Either the above, or I just give them heaps of room as a kite is more maneuverable than a sailor, and if a kiter loses a few meters down wind, its no big deal and is made back very easily.
While the sailor will have to do a few extra runs to make up the lost couple of meters.
Kinda like when you give up your seat on a bus to the elderly,its just being courteous.

Unless I am definitely upwind, with right of way I just go downwind of the poleys, I know how paranoid most of them are about kite lines and when kiting on a surfboard it is easy as to get up wind any way.
You just have to make it clear to them early that you are going downwind because if you do have right of way most poleys are courteous enough to give way, which results in you both turning downwind.