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The attached image showcases the short tack brilliantly. The rider at the back has taken his turn and has gone back for another run.
The rider in the foreground has just crashed his kite rode back 20M and has 'short tacked' the other rider essentially skipping the queue, dropping in.
If this was a wave you are snaking.
What are your experiences with this? I assume it affects freestyle, wave riders and just about all disciplines.
not give a ****e and keep riding, avoiding any potential collisions, and keeping in mind this is a freestyle watersport not a main highway?
It shows either ignorance, lack of situational awareness, or they just think their own tricks are so much more important than any one else's. Either way its just rude.
most people just dont know and aren't aware of it but some people do it on purpose which is really annoying.
Its part of a good attitude/etiquette not to short tack or charge at people.
Try kiting in a small lagoon with aprox 30 other kiters, people running lessons, world champs throwing it around, and the rest of us just enjoying some flat warm shallow water, short tack what ever, its amazing how even with all the traffic we all enjoyed ourselves and didnt have kite nazis going off about "dropping in", get over it dude and be thankfull you have a place to kite anyway! SEE and AVOID.
Crickey - I dont understand what you guys are talking about - I was out this arvo , turns out the two of us had to share the lake - mind you the lake is 10km X 15 km so we had to be careful !!!!!!!!!!!
Ok so this didnt add anything to the thread but maybe one day when I join the crowd I will understand the "issues" and be able to blend in. - thanks for the heads upon crowed space.
People that think short tacking, or cutting in doesn't matter are total kooks.
I'd like to see those same people that don't care, stand in a line for an ATM or a food store and get constantly cut in-front of, then when they get angry just be told "it doesn't matter, chill out"... I'm sure they would love it.
Lets be honest, the two biggest instigators at the pond this season are 2 french guys (one pictured) flying North. They obviously don't give a flying f#ck about others because they have been told several times by different people to pick up their game. Not only do they constantly short tack everyone, but they follow stupidly close behind others, effectively blocking them from doing a trick when they aren't even in-front... the point is, this behaviour is stupid, inconsiderate and dangerous to other riders. I have no tolerance for this.
I told one of these guys politely to F@#k off, after watching him repeatedly cut people off and nearly cause a serious accident the other day. If you witness some stupid behaviour like this I suggest you do the same thing.
It's sad that it's come to the point where riders almost need to "police" the place... but if you don't say anything no one will change or know the rules.
p.s.
I just feel bad for the few locals that are still left there, sorry if I got in your way at all!
Would be interesting to relate this tack with driving a car.
I recon how you drive a car, that's how you kite as well. Or sail, or ski or whatever.
After spending a while in Aus, I can safely conclude that kiters are without doubt the biggest whingers of anywhere else I've ever kited. Seriously. And this is from a "whinging", Pom(E)
"Noob", this and "Euro", that.....
e.g. Cape Town gets waaaaay more kiting traffic than anywhere in Aus, and I've rarely seen or heard of any of the locals take to the forums to wave their c0ck about or lambast the learners/ tourists. They'll just get on with it, sort out any differences on the water and leave the forums for the egotistic tools to have a cry.
If you're a decent enough kiter in the first place, you'll recognize and stay away from the hazards whether they be human, natural or man-made or at least be able to deal with them without bleating on a web forum.
Nor have I ever heard anyone bemoan a rider using his or her continental disposition for any reason 
Sounds like we need to bring back BLOKEY's old trick with the two man tack. worked a treat last time we had a bunch of blow in ****s who continually ignored the rules and ignored our suggestions to follow the circuit.
two people tack together, one goes in front, flat out speed kite on the water. forces any on coming traffic to go down wind and gives a clear window for the rear rider to do their trick. turn around swap places and come back in. if annoyance is behind you then simply rear kiter drops kite to water level and slow right down. boom blocked out the short tacking ball bag
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I really dont see how this bothers you guys. The short tacker should ride in perform his trick and ride away long before the rider out the back gets there. How does that affect anybody. He is not cutting any queue - a queue suggests a bottle neck whereby the arrival rate is higher than the departure rate - this guy is going to an empty counter buying his goods and leaving well before any new customers arrives.
If he does prevent the rider out the back from doing a trick then I agree with all of you- but from the photo I just dont see it.
Similar to Surfing, Kitesurfing etiquette and rules are pretty loose and generally championed by those individuals that consider some of the following values:
Respect - Respecting your fellow rider regardless of their talent but of course respect begets respect right?
Awareness - Generally after surveying the spot, other riders and general flow of a spot you can join the 'flow' and do you part to keep things moving and communicate with others on the water. A nod of the head, a raise of the hand...
Attitude - This is where a lot of people fall down especially our main protagonist. This is fundamental on the water. With the wrong attitude you introduce stress, danger to others, anger and more...
Now i am not saying we should be the kite police or anything BUT a let people do what ever they like attitude will just not cut it.
Same in every sport! Without some mutual respect, awareness and a good attitude on the water we will digress and behave like animals. (Like our protagonist!) For those of you misinterpreting this post it is a discussion about kiting behaviour and how it affects other.
Consider the popular surf spots of the world...
If you consistently (or even just a couple of times) snake or drop in at places like J Bay, Kuta, Kirra, Sunset, etc, expect the locals to get punchy.
Not advocating violence but maybe kiting in WA just needs a healthy dose of localism.
.... drop in on a local at Pipeline, and the Wolfpack start a whistling, then it gets ugly. Result, not many locals get dropped in on at Pipeline.
Whooooaaa.
I can't wait until KingofthePoint reads this. With Australia day long weekend coming he will be on the grog just about now. Give it 6 stubbies and the fun will begin.
When a poley moans about kiters short tacking in the waves / surf / lineup / whatever you want to call it, you all squabble on about poleys taking ages to jibe, that alls fair in war and games, thats there are no rulz in the surf, that the poley was too slow, that wave was rightfully yours, that KOTP is a baldy or some other crappy excuse.
But - now you are doing it to each other suddenly it isn't right.
Maybe he ain't short tacking, maybe you are just kiting out to the shipping channel before you jibe ?????????
Paybacks a bitch right ??
Love all these backseat enthusiasts that haven't even riden the spot to even understand what is going on... Makes for great entertainment though .
