A Scandinavian Experience

Looking back on it now, it has to be seen as one's vain attempt to escape the winter blues. But with temperatures gradually falling, thanks to a constant flux of cold air arriving from eastern Europe, this had to be one of the last occasions to get on the water for the next couple of days. They announced winds from the south east, which is usually a good call for Dierhagen, a flat water spot on the Bodden nearby. However, the forecast dropped a lot when day X was approaching so we started looking for alternatives. It didn't take long to convince Markus to join me on a ferry trip over to the other side of our little Baltic sea, where the wind would be stronger and more consistent. It's always kind of crazy to get there. Since taking the car on the ferry costs a fortune, we used a small trailer for the gear and then walked the distance from the port to the spot. This is not a big deal in summer, but doing so in January was a very special experience. Luckily, we already got in our wetsuits whilst still on the ferry and even more luckily, nobody saw us while getting changed. It's actually quite surprising that, if you wear a wetsuit underneath your clothes, nobody notices, at least as long as you wear a scarf.
Conditions looked nice from the ferry but the wind did not seem very strong. It actually looked like a summer's day because the sun was out. When we finally arrived at the beach after crossing a construction site and having to carry the trailer over some pipes and other stuff, we were amazed at the sight we were offered - the sun was coming very much from the side, giving a very Scandinavian feel to the whole landscape. A landscape bare of people! I rigged my 4.6, Markus his 4.7 which he soon swapped for a 4.2. I was happy on the 4.6 even though I was slightly overpowered. We had a nice session in the setting sun. Getting out of the wetsuit in the dark with ice building on the sails was probably one of the little downsides of the trip. But when I think of the whole thing now, I can but smile. Another great memory - thanks to the best sport in the world!

The spot at sunset - if you look closely you can figure out smoke rising from Rostock's coal-burning power plant.
Our trailer set to a very industrial background. We must have looked like homeless people carrying all their stuff.
The port - looked at through a bush.
The ferry is leaving - please come back soon! 
4.6 ready to go! There are patches of frost on the right because the sun never got there.
The divine Patrik Freestyle 90l!
In the bus - people thought we were crazy but it all fit in perfectly.

As you might have noticed, there are no action shots from that session. We actually filmed quite a bit but I tell you it's not an easy thing to do, when it's that cold. I hope to be using one or two clips in wintersurf 2.0 which won't be out before long. For now, you can watch wintersurf 1.0 right here: http://vimeo.com/33495541

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lightwind Session at Salzhaff

Image
The forecast for today was on the light side. I packed the 5.6 and headed to Salzhaff. Once at the spot, it didn't look windy enough. The water level was also really low. I could catch some very light gusts and pump myself onto the plane every once in a while. I captured some of the moves on camera. It was good to be out there, in nature, in the fresh air, even seeing some glimpses of the sun.  I felt light and a bit cold. Especially my feet were freezing because the water here has already cooled down quite a bit. I am not so happy with what the moves look like on film but have to remember that this is 5.6 in very marginal conditions and that the water was really shallow. I still felt kind of in tune with everything. The water was crystal clear, the sunlight, filtered through the grey clouds, danced over the hilly landscape to the southwest - like a spotlight. When the sky could be seen through the thick layers of clouds, it shimmered in a light blue color reminiscent of warmer day...
Read more

Kurzer Nordwindsurf nach Feierabend auf dem Darß

Image
Die Vorhersage für den heutigen Donnerstag war schon seit einigen Tagen vielversprechend. Ein starker Nordwind drückte viel Wasser in die Mecklenburger Bucht, so dass im Prinzip alle Spots mit Buhnen durch das Raster fielen. Es war ein grauer Tag mit viel Regen.  Wir versuchten es auf dem Darß und wurden fündig. Die Wellen wurden von einem Wellenbrecher geordnet, blieben oft lange rund und brachen dann schnell und manchmal auch kraftvoll.  Der Ultimate Wave 75 von JP hat mir auch in den heutigen, anspruchsvollen Bedingungen mit viel Strömung sehr gut gefallen.  Gerne würde ich öfters in Starboardtack-Bedingungen, also mit Wind von rechts Surfen. Leider sind solche Stürme wie heute sehr selten an der mecklenburgischen Ostseeküste. Dabei ist es doch ein wahres Geschenk, dass man nach der Arbeit noch eine gute Stunde vor der Dunkelheit ein paar schöne Wellen abreiten kann und so die Kraft der Naturgewalten spürt. Die Energie des Wassers und des Windes überträgt sich auf das ...
Read more

Bella Italia

Image
It was at the time before Christmas when I felt that leaving the daily routine behind and going on a windsurf trip in a van was something that my soul needed. I cannot really explain that feeling. It’s like when you watch the cars on a nearby motorway driving south and you feel an inner voice telling you to go on a journey. I knew that I wanted to go south because northern Germany and the nearby Scandinavian countries can be quite bleak and cold in the winter time. Windsurfing here between November and February can still be a great adventure and you can get that cosy “hygge“ feeling when renting a house and sitting by the fire place after a cold session - But what I needed was something to warm my heart. So the plan was to drive south straight after school and to make it to Lago di Garda on the same day. Afer a couple of hours on the road I suddenly realised that the sky was changing. Its grey colour, its standard setup in the winter time in northern Germany, started to give way to s...
Read more