MG Windsurfing

A nice and sunny late afternoon in Meldorf which provided a perfect playground for different freestyle moves. I am really getting used to the 4.8 Sailloft Quad, which works so well in very different conditions. Spring is on its way in northern Germany. This weekend is going to be quite mild and they announce some south easterlies. I have quite some video footage from the last days as well and hope to find the time to put together a short clip. I was in southern France, too for a couple of weeks and also have some footage. Check this space for more soon. Here are a couple of shots from today's session:

Today we checked a new spot near Eckernförde which showed some potential. The forecast was average but the conditions were actually quite good, albeit more onshore than expected. The small windswell was rolling sidewards into the bay and the chop was thus coming from the side when going out. Funny enough, it was better for jumping on the way in. My windsurf buddy Valentin joined us later and we had a nice session together. Here are some pictures:

Clouds got chased away by a clear northwesterly breeze. The sun was out most of the time. The spot we chose was popular with watersport enthusiast of all different kinds but mainly windsurfers and surfers. I was out on 4.0 and my 85 litre board. Good fun…

I have lived in quite a few different places by now. A decent place for windsurfing is usually one where you can get in a good after-work wave session. Hamburg is such a place and yesterday the sailing was just awesome. When we arrived at the spot, it was really chilly and the water turned out to be warmer than the air. After sailing for about half an hour in a flatwater lagoon, we headed for the wave spot. The sun came out, the waves were small but there were some solid ramps to be had - pure fun. My friend Valentin Böckler tried to capture the action and I was very keen on getting a backloop on camera. It turned out to be very difficult to do a half decent backloop close enough to the camera since the current was strong and with the changing tide, the spots where waves were actually breaking high enough to provide a steep ramp seemed to change all the time. However, Valentin did not only handle the cold but also the current quite well. We have had loads of fun and the new 85l Patrik...

After a very stormy week where 3.3 or 3.6 were the most used sails, I could get in a very relaxed day of racing at the local lake yesterday. I especially liked the clear weather which allowed for some nice moments on the water. The view was amazing and so was the calm out there. It's moments like this that remind me how versatile our sport of windsurfing is. You can battle some fierce winds and gloomy skies on one day and cruise around in a calm setting on another. I can also strongly recommend to frequently change the spots you sail at. Not only will it help you to sail well in different conditions but it will also give you a good impression of what the area you live in has to offer. Doing different windsurfing disciplines will also make you a stronger sailor who can fully appreciate windsurfing's potential.

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...