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Showing posts from November, 2013

Croatia

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This trip brought me to places I have never been to before. Weather forecasts announced good Bora winds mixed with clouds and rain. This so called "Black Bora" is not as perfect for windsurfing as the so called "White Bora" , where the bad weather - clouds and rain or snow - stays in the Alps. On the way to Premantura we had to cross the Alps. It was the second time in my life that I crossed the Alps without taking the Brenner route. On my way to the EFPT event in Six-Fours/ France last year, I decided to give the San Bernadino pass a try which was fine on the way there but kind of an adrenaline rush on the way back home with lots of snow and icy roads. The way to Croatia is quite different. You have to cross not only Austria but also Slovenia. You have to cross several tunnels: Tauern and Karawanken Tunnel, you have to buy a toll sticker for Austria and Slovenia and you have to pay a toll for the new motorway leading to Istria in Croatia. When you take a look ...

From Bavaria to the Adria

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Many water sport enthusiasts seem to escape from Northern Europe these days. With winter kicking in, they are looking for warmer places to train and improve. Some windsurfers, however, will stay and battle the cold to find perfect conditions and empty spots, as you can read, for example, in a recent interview with Steve Thorp on boards.co.uk For me, this winter is going to involve a lot of work. But I will also try to get a decent session in, every once in a while. The warm water of the Northern Adria is only 4 hours away from Bavaria. A weekend trip is a good option to escape the cold and enjoy some Mediterranian culture. I went to Sottomarina last weekend. Friday was really strong with a lot of rain - so no photos. The spot was packed with kite- and windsurfers and I did not enjoy it in the beginning. I went for another session just before it got dark. Eventually, it was just me on the water catching wave after wave in some pouring rain and stacked on 3.6. Saturday started very lig...

Home after a week on the road

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A week off work seems a perfect occasion for a roadtrip. I visited my sister who works near London and took the opportunity to check out the local beaches. After 8 great days on the water in very different conditions I hopped on the ferry to Calais, scored another session at Wimereux and then drove straight back home in order to get some rest. But when I woke up the next morning and checked the local webcams, as usual, I could see white caps on the lake nearby- Kochelsee. I went there immediately but the wind dropped after a short session with only four moves. People were not sure about were to go as nowhere seemed really windy. But since the wind had already turned west I kind of felt that this day had some more to offer. So we went for another session on the Starnberger See which was really nice with 4.8 nicely powered up in the gusts and the sun out. Today started rainy and cold. I didn't feel too great either cause I had had too much to eat in an Italian restaurant the evenin...