MG Windsurfing

Spontaneous trip to the Marseille area… Nostalgic feelings - this is where I used to work as a language assistant about 5 years ago. What can I say about the trip? It was simply amazing. The sun was out most of the time. We scored great conditions, mostly for 4.0 and the 90 litre freestyle board. We did some sightseeing in Marseille and had some great French food. I also rediscovered my love for French culture and the French language. Even listening to the traffic report on the radio makes me happy when it's in French. We did a lot of filming and got some interesting shots. So a Happy New Year 2014 to all of you. Watch this space for the new clip.

Super windy in Bavaria over the Christmas. Snow blowing off the mountain tops, water flying, really gusty but all worth it. Now off to Southern France for a couple of days. Hoping to meet some old friends… Photos by Oliver Brecht Nägele and Egbert Kraus. shaka by myself ponch by Quirin jump by Quirin Achensee

The burner is a move that everybody can learn! You should go for it, too. Here is some advice on how to do it: 1. Sail at full speed 2. Go switch stance 3. Duck the sail 4. Keep the speed. 5. Carve a bit upwind 6. Throw your sail around (but not too hard towards the water) 7. Now, everything happens really fast and automatically. 8. You land and sail on… Thanks to Roger for the pictures! You can add some more style by letting one or both hands go. Here is a short clip of a burner I did in Pozo. A longer video will follow. Burner from Mathias Genkel on Vimeo .

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 ...

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...

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...

Colours and numbers in a windforecast often make our brains imagine impeccable conditions - clean waves, sun and wind. Colourful trees and leaves falling remind us that the year is slowly coming to an end. But this is also the best season for wind in Germany. I recently did a trip to Ruegen and also had a couple of nice days windsurfing in Bavaria. Conditions very varied, far from perfect but still fun. I have had a lot of fun sailing in waves again. I even competed at the Red Bull Big Days, since the contest took place at the beach where I wanted to sail anyway. But I could also find perfect freestyle conditions - at the Baltic but also in the south. I now sail with Xcel Wetsuits as they offer great warmth and protection as well as comfort and quality. Check out the photos: