On a good day the spot is busy. It helps enormously when everyone knows the same rules, because out on the water there are no traffic lights. The right-of-way rules in kiting sound complicated at first, but they are quickly understood. Whoever knows them rides more relaxed and more safely, for themselves and for everyone else.
Leeward before windward, the most important rule
The basic rule is: leeward before windward. Leeward is the side away from the wind, windward the side facing the wind. When two kiters meet, the one who is further leeward has the right of way. The windward kiter gives way. Sounds abstract, but on the water you get the feel for it fast: whoever has the wind at the back of someone else is the one who has to react.
Who flies high, who flies low
So the lines do not get in each other’s way, there is a second rule: when two kiters meet, the one to leeward flies the kite low, the one to windward holds it high. That way one rides under the other’s lines without anything getting tangled. On a direct head-on course, right before left also applies: right of way goes to whoever leads with the right hand at the front of the bar.
Overtaking, launching, giving way
A few more rules for getting along: whoever overtakes gives way, because the person ahead does not see you. Whoever is just launching or coming in to land has priority over those already riding, so the riders keep their distance from the shore. And on the German Baltic coast, kite and windsurfers always give way to all other craft, from the swimmer to the sailing boat.
When in doubt, the simplest rule of all always applies: better to give way once more than to insist on your own right. A friendly glance, a bit of distance and these few rules in your head, and the day runs smoothly for everyone. In the course we practise this right from the start.