"I'm going out on the water in Schleswig this afternoon, are you coming?" Gunnar Asmussen, one of the fastest surfers on a slalom board, is actively trying to make the Schlei appealing to us. It's a deal!
We meet Gunnar in Fahrdorf, south of Schleswig, and immediately realise that he is already quite well connected here on the Schlei: Rick, from "Rick's Imbiss", comes by in his car, stops and the two of them exchange news about the spot and the scene. Meanwhile, Christian Carstens, a Danish regatta colleague, pulls up in his VW bus with his slalom equipment. That evening, the wind was blowing from the east-north-east, i.e. sideshore from the right, at around 12 to 15 knots, and the balmy late summer evening also boasted plenty of sunshine and a cloudless sky.
The two of them quickly set up their slalom equipment with sails measuring around nine square metres and they're off. "Hey, we wanted to take photos," we call after them. But it soon becomes clear that this has probably been forgotten quite quickly on the water. Gunnar and Christian match each other on different courses and when you consider the two-kilometre "small width" of the Schlei, it's clear why waving or even shouting seems completely pointless. On the other side of the river, the Schleswig end, only two dots are recognisable. Gottorf Castle and Schleswig Cathedral can be seen behind them. Sailing boats frequently come down the Schlei and form welcome jibing buoys for the two racers. What feels like an eternity later, the pair finally make their way back to the beach. Finns are swapped and the last strokes are discussed, i.e. who has had which experiences with which settings. And so it goes on for the next two hours.
We ask them why they always like to organise these slalom sessions here on the Schlei: "Fahrdorf near Schleswig is the best spot for me. You can park perfectly here, there's a large meadow to set up on and you can get into the water very easily," says Gunnar enthusiastically and continues: "It's best here with south-westerly and east-north-easterly winds, but it's also okay with winds from the north. There is also no seaweed here in late summer and autumn!" The 2013 IFCA Slalom World Champion also often has good training partners here in the form of other regatta cracks such as Uwe Sülter, Sasche Jöge and Christian Carstens, so that he can test equipment settings and not have to race across the Schlei alone. "But on good days with six-strong winds, it can get really crowded here and you can also see surfers with waveboards under their feet. But you should always be aware of the somewhat gustier wind on the Schlei, the wide Baltic Sea offers comparatively freer winds," adds Patrik/North team rider. And Gunnar wouldn't be Gunnar if the local snack bar didn't play a role. "Rick's Imbiss makes cool, tasty things that everyone likes!"
You can find these spots in the PDF download below:
1. Fahrdorf 2. Cityspot Luisenbad Schleswig 3. Füsing / Winningmay 4. Burg 5. Weseby 6. Fleckeby 7. Karschau 8. Boknis 9. Ulsnis 10. Rieseby
