Altercation at OB

[surfdog]

:roll: And now.... for the rest of the story. There were only 2 kiters on the water at the time Piotrp came out. As stated by others in this post, there are over 4 miles of empty beach, however Piotrp decided he needed to ride right behind (following) or right underneath the other rider. There was no altercation until Piotrp ran up and started yelling. The other rider attempted to calm the situation but Piotrp was flailing his arms, over reacting and not interested in discussing the situation rationally. It was obvious to everyone there that day that Piotrp (regardless of how long he's been riding anything/anywhere) was not able ride without getting in someones way. 4 miles of empty beach !!! Spread out for God's sake !!
Don't ride underneath other riders, especially when the wind is onshore. With miles of empty beach there is no reason to follow close behind. If you are not competent enough to ride with others, find a little piece of that 4 miles of emptiness and have fun.

[Bulldog]

Huh? At most kite launches in Norcal, riders launch in the same spot, and then generally ride the same line -- assuming they have similar skills -- for a few tacks.

Further south on the coast, this is called "the lineup". Even if there are only four riders out, assuming they are all skilled, you can assume that there is going to be someone directly behind you and someone directly in front of you in the same line. You need to leave the person in front enough room and so on down the line. But you shouldn't expect to not have company on your tack.

OB is an onshore site and everyone is fighting hard to hold their ground against the wind and waves. On any windy day there, you will see the line of kiters, especially on the outgoing tack.

If you (surfdog) don't want to have anyone kiting near you, then you should self- launch a mile or so south of the normal kiting area. Otherwise, get used to having people ride the same line as you and learn how to deal with it.

[surfdog]

Huh, Huh, Pablito ???
Why does everybody launch in the same spot when there are 4 miles of empty beach ?? Loneliness? Inability to ride alone? Homosexuality ? What ?
Why should I have to move when I'm the first one out? If I show up and others are out I always find another spot at OB to ride. It's a no brainer. When I travel to other spots I always do my best to not piss off the locals. The rider that began this post fucked up. Period. He's been here before and has been unable to ride without fucking up.
Lineup ?? You don't have a clue about OB. Please keep that so-cal shit down where it belongs.

[kitecrazy]

This garbage gets us nowhere.

Shut up and go kite.

Hopefully you'll "all" come back in a better mood.

(word in quotation added in edit)

[OliverG]

Down in the water, vessel in distress...that's pretty funny. Yesterday at Waddell I was retrieving my board (riding strapless) and a longtime local made a point of spraying me with a big roostertail from about 5 feet away.

He was smiling the whole time, but it's not like he's my bud or anything.

Yeah, I would only do that with close friends, and even then , it might not always be appreciated depending on their mood or situation. Would never do that to an acquaintance or someone I don't know well... bad etiquette bordering on uncool...

[OliverG]

I've never had any problems at OB. Had plenty of tacks on opposing directions where we are both trying to keep our ground and make way upwind, then it's a simple matter of best judgment, upwind kite high, downwind kite low and make it work. Most people at OB will launch at Beach Chalet or farther up toward Cliff House toward the end of the lot, so most riders will be concentrated more or less in one area, but OB is not the place to battle it out (is anywhere?). Hold your course, upwind kite high, downwind kite low, if someone is insisting on being a jerk and visibly digging in and trying to pinch you off, let them have it if it makes them feel macho. You can be cool, let them be an ass...

[yojimbo]

I had a similar situation out at SI once. I was having diffiiculty with my kite and was having trouble getting going. Some guy comes flying by yelling at me to get out of his way.

These guys are everywhere. It must be some sort of oblivious/selfish gene inherent in their make up.

[baypirate]

You don't have to know any rules of way, in the waves or in the bathtub: if a kiter is disconnected from his board and you are not giving him plenty of room, you are a jerk.

And you are also WRONG, as said kiter is "capsized" under sailing rules, so you have to stay clear. Just checking here, but what would you want a kiter bobbing in the water to do: pull in his lines instantly as Spyderman's web and eat the kite? He's gonna take some air space on the water and he can't do much about it until he gets on the board.

That said (that way), this thread is starting to read like SoCal... Especially the "stay out of the way of locals" stuff.

[whitecap]

that was a pretty fun day at ob....was this happening at the beach chalet, or up by kelly's? I did not notice anything hanging around kelly's after 5...

regardless of rules, nobody likes to be crowded, and things are a bunch more relaxed if we all just give some space....