Sylt

Not really windy in Northern Germany but the Davidoff Cool Water Windsurf World Cup 2014 is taking place right now on Sylt. We took the opportunity and hopped on a train to Westerland, the island's biggest town, to check out the action. It was a classic Sylt day. The wind was straight onshore and seemed a lot stronger on the shore than it was on the water. Waves were quite chunky. So was the shorebreak. They run a slalom elimination after cancelling the freestyle. The atmosphere on the "beach", if you can still call it a real beach, was a bit too hectic for my taste. It was not easy to feel that "Sylt spirit", a state of mind defined by complete calmness in the middle of the rough elements. I could not even really feel it when going for a "sundowner surf session". (That expression is so full of kitsch!) I spent about 8 months of my life on Sylt and it was great to be back after more than three years. I also realised that I see things a lot differently now. Coming to Sylt for most people equals an escape from their ordinary lives. But that also means they get completely wasted at night, which is in itself not a big issue. However, I feel that there's a lack of party culture. I mean we are not in Berlin but why do we need institutions like an "Oktoberfest"-bar with people running around in fake traditional Bavarian clothes like 1000 kilometres away from Munich? I would also like to listen to some less mainstream-oriented music. But hey, it's Sylt, everyone is happy, you can talk to tons of people and you are close to the sea. It was still great!

Sylt Worldcup 2014 from Mathias Genkel on Vimeo.

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