Home after a week on the road

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 evening before. My plan had been to refill my energy level after all this time on the road. Also the food was so delicious after a week of English food, which had mainly consisted of baked beans, sausages and some more fast food. But, well, ... Anyway, I took it easy and only went to the Ammersee after lunch. My timing was perfect as the sun came out and the wind increased just as I arrived. I had a great session in some monster chop and strong winds. However, this was one of those sessions where I really missed being on my 90l Patrik freestyle. The 99l really proved to be too big in these conditions. I could still do some moves but it wasn't perfect. And when you do freestyle on a high level you really need the right kit - one that suits your weight and the conditions perfectly. Here are some pictures: 


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