Hey,
Yesterday, about 3:30, doing usual DW from Flozza to Trigg, passing through Brighton area, transit through the poley-section.
Only three wind-surfers out, and not many kites. I was on port-tack, heading NW, poley was starboard, incoming SE about 50m away. I signalled with my arm I was going to drop down wind, dived my kite and tacked away, down wind from poley's line. He then turned and set a line directly on collision course with me. I had to loop hard to shoot downwind and only just got out the way. The dude then jibed hard just after he passed me, obviously about to try another run at me (we were nowhere near the waves, so no other reason for him to jibe at that time), but screwed his jibe and fell in - kook.....
Just trying to enjoy the ocean, and I'm always as courteous as I can during transit through that section, yet he still wanted to have a go......
I've heard of this sort of **** before from poleys down there - any suggestions on how this has been addressed in the past?
Have not posted on the poley's section of this website to not antagonise it just yet.
Cheers.

I find sneaking up behind them the grabbing their boom and pulling at it... that really gets them going :-)

Give the guy a break, can you imagine how boring windsurfing would be? He was just after a distraction from mowing the lawn.

I like to grab there boom after they give me **** for jumping over them :-) I knock great banter from one of the locals. probably just got a grumpy old ****er

Mainbreak you di*khead keyboard warrior

I was about 300 - 400m offshore - well outside the 200m zone you're on about. I was going around the back - this guy was way offshore, not near the waves at all. Some of the poleys mow the lawn halfway to Rotto - no ****ing way to go around them all without starting a port tack from the dog-beach.

I did follow the right of way rules, if you read my post - I dropped downwind as I was on port tack....

Been kiting about 10 years, been kiting near pole-dancers for years, know what the **** I'm talking about and this was definitely something intentional, different from any other close pass I've ever been involved in, hence wouldn't have posted it otherwise.

danno said..
Mainbreak you di*khead keyboard warrior

I was about 300 - 400m offshore - well outside the 200m zone you're on about. I was going around the back - this guy was way offshore, not near the waves at all. Some of the poleys mow the lawn halfway to Rotto - no ****ing way to go around them all without starting a port tack from the dog-beach.

I did follow the right of way rules, if you read my post - I dropped downwind as I was on port tack....

Been kiting about 10 years, been kiting near pole-dancers for years, know what the **** I'm talking about and this was definitely something intentional, different from any other close pass I've ever been involved in, hence wouldn't have posted it otherwise.

Sounds like the guy was a dick and/or had enough of moronic kiters. You sound like you know what you're doing, but for every competent kiter, you have 2 that have NFI. And it eventually it f*cks you off hence the reason I rarely sail where there are kiters and the spots I do sail, the kiting ability is pretty good, as opposed to the metro area which is a complete clusterf*ck. No excuse for his behaviour though. If he's getting that irate on the water, he needs to find somewhere else to sail or another hobby. Also hand signals problem don't work, good idea, but I'd imagine 90% of people wouldn't see or understand. If I saw a poley acting like that, I'd have a word and I'd expect you guys to reciprocate. A dick is a dick whether he's on a windsurfer, kite, surfboard etc etc