Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt: World Cup snippets – what else was going on

BLACKROLL x surf magazine

BLACKROLL and *surf* magazine were both present in a large marquee at the World Cup on Sylt. The loungers with the recovery boots were hardly ever unoccupied for a minute, and many people took a pair home with them straight away after trying them out. The World Cup competitors were regulars too; in fact, you could almost always spot one of the PWA riders at the stand or have a natter with the surf magazine editors. The idea of creating a meeting place and offering the athletes a base following the closure of the former Riders Lounge was a complete success – and ideas for next year practically came of their own accord. In fact, for a whole week, the surf and BLACKROLL stand served as the windsurfing think tank, with plans being hatched and projects developed. The JAKLAR crew led by Harry Goeft also had their base here and produced the series “Between the Heats”.

The doctor who surfs

This year, Michael Offermann was awarded the wildcard for wave riding. The Cologne-based surgeon is part of the Surfmedizin crew and, together with the other medics, has been volunteering for several years to treat injuries – both major and minor – sustained by the pros. “I even got myself a sailing number especially for the occasion,” Michael explained. Like all the wave riders, he only managed a few fun sessions and a bit of foiling – and in between, he treated minor injuries whilst wearing his wetsuit and harness.

Olympic guests

Germany’s Olympic windsurfer Theresa Steinlein popped over to Sylt on the second weekend. The new Citroën brand ambassador was impressed by the event and the PWA circuit: as well as taking part in a photo shoot and giving interviews, she also popped over to ‘surf’: “I hadn’t expected the event to be so huge. You can really see just how big windsurfing still is!” Paralympian Lise Petersen was already a guest on the first weekend. The javelin thrower showed Henri Kolberg and Laurin Schmuth her sport and then went e-foiling with the pair.

JAKLAR Film Night

In keeping with the tradition of major film premieres on Sylt, Harry Goeft had organised a film evening for a small group of invited guests on the second weekend. The screening featured a short portrait of Harry’s good friend and BLACKROLL co-founder Marius Keckeisen, which the JAKLAR lads produced in May at the Surf Festival. There was also snow action from Project X to watch, featuring Balz Müller and Thomas Traversa snow-surfing, amongst others. And by the end, one thing was clear: the film night has to be a must-attend event on Sylt again next year!

​Pumpfoil Contest

To provide spectators with some action on those windless late-summer days, the organisers announced a spontaneous pump foil contest. Balz Müller, Yentel Caers, Steven van Broeckhoven and Sam Esteve set off either from a homemade pump table or directly from the beach into the small shorebreak, and then had to pump their way round a buoy. Unsurprisingly, the winner in the end was the all-round talent Balz Müller.

Shorebreak victims

Speaking of the shorebreak: Sylt’s infamous ‘washing machine’ was running on a gentle cycle this year; the offshore easterly wind made the entry noticeably easier. The only casualty was Jordy Vonk: the Dutchman made a quick pit stop on shore and was about to change his rig on the first sandbank, but despite the intervention of Scotty Stallman and Gabriele Prosperi, the sail – now without its board – ended up in the wash – a total write-off!

​Industry meet-up

As the world’s biggest windsurfing event, Sylt is always a hub for the industry: team managers, developers and shapers dropped by to meet their team riders and set the course for the new season. Among those in attendance were John Skye from Patrik, Duotone’s Felix Nollmann, former JP manager Martin Brandner, WWT boss Simeon Glasson, North Sails division manager Vincent Langer and Choppy Water boss Matthias Regber.

Saltwater Party

The World Cup party at the Saltwater Shop on Friedrichstrasse was back for its second edition following last year’s debut. As it was clear that the wave riders wouldn’t be able to get out on the water the following day, plenty of World Cup competitors turned up for the party. Sponsor Salitos provided a generous selection of drinks, whilst a young DJ from Sylt ensured there was great music. We’d love to do it again next year!

Z instead of Patrik

As the first Foil World Cup of the season, Sylt also provided the first reliable indication of performance levels. What’s striking is that, whilst the Patrik Aeon foil was the only option for many years if you wanted to be even remotely competitive, Z-Foils now offer an alternative that is at least on a par with it. Matteo Iachino, Amado Vrieswijk, Maciek Rutkowski, Bruno Martini and Nico Prien have already made the switch.

surf-car on stage

A grand stage for the *surf* editorial team’s car: the Citroën C5 Aircross took centre stage for a few days at the title sponsor’s premises. To mark the occasion, it was given a thorough wash and polish so that it could gleam appropriately in the sunset.

Drone judging

Thanks to drones, the freestyle single-elimination round was able to go ahead even with an offshore wind. The drones not only transmitted the footage to the live stream and the video wall, but also to the judges’ container. Each rider was tracked continuously by a drone. Only the breaks between heats had to be slightly longer to allow time to change the batteries.