Among the participants in Workum were also some German windsurfer LT pilots. Herbert Weynar from Cologne sent us his report from the championship:
"It was an all-round successful event with varied conditions - little and a lot of wind. 45 participants competed in three weight categories (light/medium/heavy), including three German participants and two Australian surfers. On Friday afternoon there was a fun slalom for all those who had registered in advance.
Saturday morning started with the skippers meeting at 10.30am and the first start was scheduled for 11.30am. The five-minute signal was given on the start boat at 11.25 am on the dot. Unfortunately, the entire field had a premature start on the first attempt. So the start process began again.
Two heats were sailed in a light breeze of around five to six knots. Here, Stephan van den Berg, the 1984 Olympic champion in Los Angeles, was already indicating that the title would only go to him, which he confirmed with seven race wins in the seven races. Jan Schombara from WSeV Berlin got off to a good start with a seventh place, finishing ninth in the end, tied on points with two Dutchmen ahead of him. Afterwards there was a break ashore, all participants were wonderfully catered for.
The next start was announced for 3.30 p.m. and the race continued on time. Unfortunately, the last race of the day was sailed in only three to four knots, which was a challenge for everyone.
By the evening, all the weather portals had already announced strong winds of over twelve knots for Sunday, which caused a lot of anticipation. On Sunday morning, the skippers meeting started punctually at 9.15 am and the first race was set for 10.30 am. This time the start went perfectly and all 45 participants were sent on their way at around 14 knots. In the end it was enough for four races, with Tim Ratzlaff from Berlin managing a 13th place with a strong final spurt (4/5/7), while Holland expert Herbert Weynand from Cologne was not satisfied with 19th place overall.
In these conditions, the fun factor finally returned, gliding and gliding again on the Windsurfer LT. The friends from Holland concluded this national championship with a successful award ceremony, but would be delighted to see even more German participants in the future, especially as the regatta also counted towards the DWSV rankings with a high factor of 1.2."
