I couldn't add a reply to this --> www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26100&SearchTerms=right+of+way previous thread as it said "sorry too old for a reply" so I thought i'd start this one up again.
After getting verbally abused today at Gerroa for something, where by my own reasoning and the laws of common sense I figured I was not in the wrong I just thought I'd seek some other opinions. Now I read the above thread and most people seem to agree with my own assesment of the right of way 'rules'.
The incident: I was coming in on a wave, had been on said wave for probably 300m after jybing out the back sometime previous. Approaching the drop zone and working my way upwind on the wave, as everyone does at Gerroa another sailor catches the wave. This sailor had been 'stalling' near the drop zone. Being a curtious sailor, no problems I think i'll give him some room. Now a combination him wanting to head down the line and me waiting for it to form up bring us probably within 10m. A bit of a spray ensues from his quarter.
Now I waited on the beach and asked the bloke what the meaning of the abuse was. Reply: " I was just calling you off the wave mate". I questioned was there not a case for common courtesy in a situation where I was clearly already on the wave and had been for some time. "you weren't surfing the wave, the rider closer to the peak has right of way". At this point it became clear that there was some form of 'hardcore' etiquette at play here and I left it at that, somewhat astonished.
In my view and under the rules of common sense, particularly during free sailing does the rider who is obviously on the wave have some right of way? Now I hadn't shot out past the bloke, jybed on the wave and come back in. I caught this wave out the back and lined it up on the way in...as I always do. In the same situation, IE i'm stalling on the inside, I always give right of way as in my view the bloke has caught the wave, it's his fair and square. Am I wrong?
My favorite topic
MPO
You were on the wave 1min+ before him
End of argument
Your turn Decrep
yea h the wave was yours. so if you cant run him over wait for him 2 go 2 his car and when now ones looking belt him in the face with your mast extention. he wont be doing that again.
This is the old one, "depends where you are". There's no definite rule as far as I can work out, everywhere does something different.
For instance at Margaret River, which is usually crowded, and there's only one peak, they form a queue, every body takes their turn then sails out to the end of the queue again. Here right of way goes to the person at the head of the queue, as long as they haven't jumped it!!!
Here it's sort of a combination, and in your case, if the guy on the inside had been stalling there as before you picked up the wave, in my book, he has some claim on it.
If I was you in this situation, I'd have 2 choices check if there was an unoccupied wave behind me, if so drop back onto that, or stay on the same wave, but pull out in front of the wave allowing him to go behind me, then follow along behind him.
If the wave is conducive, cross overs can be a lot of fun, as long as you both understand what's going on.
If he gybed onto the wave after you'd picked it up, he's trying to snake you, and I'd give him no right of way.
So it's complicated, and every body's got their own ideas, but normally locals at a break sail the same way. It's good to ask a local how they do it.
Gerroa is a beach break at the top end of 7 mile beach so there's a lot of real estate to play with, however as is always the case everyone gathers where the best waves are which probably ends up at about 2-300m stretched down the beach. I sail at Gerroa a lot and typically you sail out from the beach a few hundred metres, jybe on a wave and come back in. A lot of the time there can be two riders on a wave, however, given the length of the break they are usually quite separated.
It's against the general 'flow' of the place to stall up on the inside and wait for nice waves (the wave in question wasn't even that good). It's not a practice I'm used to at that particular spot so it could be part of the reason I'm questioning it.
At the end of the day I think surfing rules, whilst they do apply to some extent, need to be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to windsurfing. I say this because in surfing you're almost always taking off at the same time, hence the 'closest to the peak' rule makes perfect sense. This is not the case with windsurfing where it's very rare you have two people catching a wave at the same time. With that in mind there has to be some weight given to the rider who was on the wave first, within reason. Now, of course there are exceptions but generally I think if you apply common sense and courteously you'll never have a problem...and I never have until today.
Given the definitive nature that this bloke stated that the only rule/courtesy in play was 'closest to the peak' I had questioned my take on right of way, should I now just park near the drop zone, upwind, wait for a good wave and then just expect people to get off because i'm 'closest to the peak'? Personally I think that sort of behavior only comes naturally to a something that starts with W and ends in ker.
Sounds like this guy was used to sailing somewhere else where people sail differently. Or he'd just invented his own rules.
I think decrepit is right in that following the local rules is probably the best way to stay out of trouble.
Stalling probably makes sense if theres lots of people like at margaret river, where from the sounds of it there are too many sailors for the amount of waves so a queue is necessary. But what happens if say you come in on a wave, and you see someone stalling upwind, so you get off the wave only to see them leave the wave anyway, because its not good enough for them? Seems like in most situations all stallers do is hold everyone else up.
But then again I have never sailed waves before 
rather than picking a wave out back and using your selection.
Think the etiquette is to take the wave that's there, if there's a long queue and you don't take your turn you should loose it!!! It's luck of the draw in those conditions.
"upwind" "already on the wave"
holler your guts out with the biggest "HOI" you can muster as you speed at them.
rude f*****n drop in.
never debate on the beach afterwards, only leads to tears.
CJW, I was at Gerroa yesterday too. You are right, the guy who has the wave from furthest out the back has right of way. This applies every where that I have ever sailed. The only time this can get confusing though is if you are slightly over the back of the wave and not actually in front of it. If you are over the back you can expect to have some one else take it.
I'm with you CJW. I don't leave the wave to stallers at Lancelin if I've picked it up out the back. I also don't leave it to people who tack on to the wave upwind of me even though they may be closer to the peak. To me that's snaking.
If I arrive at the break zone and the wave that I've picked fizzles out then I don't stall on to the next wave that already has a rider on it (unless maybe I'm way upwind and can easily stay clear). I stick with my bad choice and try to choose a better wave next time.
The other day I had a guy stall on to a wave 50 m downwind of me. I thought that's ok there's plenty of room as long as he makes sure he stays well out in front of me, but then he rode the wave backside straight upwind without even a turn - WTF ?
Can we make this a sticky Laurie ???
No need to question it CJW. you know the rules there and you're right. tell them to get phucked.
I used to sail Gerroa a lot before moving north and it can be a bit of a mixed bag there for riding rules, but generally you should have had right of way.
Most of the locals sail it that way in plaining conditions, first on gets the wave, two on a wave if you are far enough away from each other for it not to be a problem. And really there are always enough waves to go around at Gerroa anyways so normally not a problem.
The only time it is ever different is in sub plaining conditions, then you get into stalling and closest to the peak usually gets it. But in that case everyone is usually stalling so this would be less of an issue.
How's the shoulder qwerty :o ? You missed a couple of epic Gerroa days :( The bommie yesterday was awesome. After Whyner telling me how good it was last week I ventured out there. Was the only one there, half mast easy, forming perfectly...no wind hole on the inside either :D
I hope this southerly hit before dark tonight...looks huge.
If you're a better sailor than the others you can catch which ever waves you want. The drop in rule doesn't apply to people like me.
Shoulder's getting better. Should be back on the water during the Xmas week (next week!). Got the next 3 weeks off so I'll be out before that ends. Plus I want to watch eyeMhardcor sail. Sounds like he rips.
and thanks for telling me how good its been. Love hearing that (detect the sarcasm). 
think you are dead right, if your on the wave first it's yours, even if you are riding it up wind, from out the back to start to bear away with more wave to ride, you should have yelled something at him so he knows it's your wave, if he keeps sailing on it run him down, or act as if you are going to, wouldn't want to damage your gear, the local margaret rule the other fella's where talking about make sence, unless the guy at the start of the line up is waiting for a bigger wave, then it would get confusing.
But i think the most important rule of all is that the fella's sailing out have right of away all the time. think this is standard for wave sailing everywhere.
You're all right about who has right of way, but I agree with eyeM. If you're better than the guy on the wave already, its ok to "snake" the wave off them. You don't want to let good waves get wasted by people who can't sail and can't use it to its full potential. After all, the only reason we sail is to show off our skills to other sailors or people on the beach. If you are out with good sailors, you should just let them drop in. By doing this and watching, you will learn to be a better sailor.
do you know all the sheep in nz are called marty --- come marty --come marty sorry 555 i got the tassie jokes larst week
I was fully snaked at scarbs by the same kiter for a second time, so put my foot down and with his lines bent around my mast I beared off and dragged him off his board kicking and screaming, made my day. If your've got right of way, take it or they'll try it again, hard luvin is good luvin.
just my twenty cents worth to the debate:
someone was on the inside when you took the drop (when wave starts breaking), that gives them some rights to ride the wave,
parked or not. What would have happend if you sailed to the inside of this guy then taken the drop, before he took the drop and been further inside than him? You would then have right to ride the wave more than person on the shoulder.
you should have burnt him by sailing to the inside of him.
Look, some people think that I am arrogant and stuff, but I started at the bottom of the pecking order too. Like yousurf said, the quickest way to get good is let the best guys catch the waves and watch em. Its just that I got good real quick. Like in one season I was better than anyone so people sometimes get jealous when I am catching all the waves. But thats just the rules of the waves. You can be arrogant if your good. Once you get to my level, you can just drop in on anyone. Most people understand, you guys should take note.
