Since foiling was banned on Saxony's lakes in 2022, many water sports enthusiasts in the state have been left out in the cold. Neither the resistance of the surfing scene nor attempts at mediation by associations such as the VDWS water sports association or "round tables" have been able to change anything so far. The Saxon Ministry of Transport justifies the ban with the alleged "dangerous tendency" of the foils. This would allow high speeds and pose a danger to other water sports enthusiasts and bathers.
What the authorities consistently ignore, however, is that foils do not necessarily increase speed compared to normal windsurfing or kitesurfing. That foil surfing is only possible at an appropriate distance from the beach anyway due to the required water depth? Not an argument! The fact that no accidents involving foils have been documented in Saxony to date also seems to roll off the radar of those responsible.
Against this backdrop, the news that, according to plans by the Saxony State Directorate, motorboats will soon be allowed to sail on Lake Cospuden without restriction sounds like a bad joke. As the magazine Blick.de reported that the conversion of Lake Cospuden from "bathing water" to "navigable water" is planned. This would mean that motorboats would be allowed to navigate the lake without restriction. New opposition to this is now forming on the part of the Leipzig Environmental AssociationEco-lion.Background: Lake Cospuden is not only a meeting point for the surfing scene, but also part of the landscape conservation areaLeipzig alluvial forest.
For Philip Kümpel, who is currently taking legal action against the foil ban on behalf of the water sports scene, the new plans of the regional authorities once again demonstrate the arbitrariness of the authorities. "It's absurd, but the new plans are actually helpful in our arguments for our lawsuit." So let's hope that in future, instead of the noise of engines, the soft hissing of foils will once again be heard on "Cossi" & Co.
Foilers face penalties
At the beginning of September, the first wingfoiler was caught on Lake Störmthal. The water police took him off the water, recorded his personal details and announced a fine of 50 to 60 euros. "If we go back on the water now, it would be 100 euros, and other measures could also follow," reports Philipp Kümpel, who witnessed the situation and is also one of the initiators of the petition against the only general foil ban in Saxony. "The police officer knew the exact paragraph and said that a wingfoil board was a Formula 1 car and belonged on a special race track. He shrugged his shoulders at my objection that there was no such racing lake in the whole of Saxony and that it was otherwise permitted throughout Germany."
A wingfoil board is a Formula 1 car and belongs on a special race track.
At the same time, a number of motorboats were sailing on Lake Störmthal, which can be operated with up to 15 hp without a licence. Our sister magazine "boote" has already tested such boats several times and found that speeds of up to 40 km/h are possible without any problems. Wingfoilers and normal windsurfing foilers can only dream of such speeds.
Lawsuit filed against the foil ban
Philipp Kümpel and his fellow campaigners are using a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to take legal action against the foil ban in Saxony. The 10,000 euro mark was exceeded shortly before Christmas. "An amount that we can definitely work with," initiator Philipp Kümpel told surf. However, donations are still needed in order to successfully sue against the ban: "We are expecting 14,000 euros in the first round," says Kümpel.
With the donations so far behind them, he and three fellow campaigners filed a lawsuit against the ban at the Dresden Administrative Court on 23 December with the help of a Cologne-based lawyer. "The aim of the lawsuit is to overturn the foil ban as a whole, regardless of whether the foil is used for wind foiling, wing foiling, kite foiling or under a SUP." As, according to the initiative, the Saxon authorities are suggesting that a nationwide ban be initiated, success in the proceedings is important for all foilers in Germany!
Donations can still be made via PayPal on the website of the Surf and Kite Club Leipzig (SKVL).
Alternatively, you can use the SKVL account:
- Recipient: Surf and Kite Club Leipzig e.V.
- BIC: GENODEF1LVB
- IBAN: DE73 8609 5604 0308 0345 93
- Subject: Donation for lawsuit against foil ban
