The German Speedsurfing Association hosted the championships in Orth on Fehmarn, where 50 speedsurfers gathered at the Seglerheim on 29 August 2026 to register. The international field promised competitions of the highest standard. Alongside Anders Björkqvist from Sweden, the reigning world champion Jenna Gibson and Simon Pettifer from England travelled to the event to challenge the national champions Tatiana Dianova and Gunnar Asmussen for their titles. There were many new faces, particularly among the women and juniors. To the delight of all participants, Manfred Fuchs – a veteran of speed surfing, developer of GPS-based speed measurement in the sport and timekeeper for the Lüderitz Speed Challenge, take an active part in the competition once again.
Conditions were favourable right from the opening day. With winds of around 20 knots from the south-west, the first race got underway at 1.00 pm, lasting 90 minutes on a 250-metre course in Orther Westbucht. On Sunday, following the passage of a rain front, south-westerly winds brought gusts of up to just under 30 knots. Between 10.00 and 16.00, a total of three races were held, each lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. By the end of this second day of competition, Jenna Gibson and Gunnar Asmussen had already established a clear lead at the top of the women’s and men’s standings respectively. Asmussen made a strong statement with a top speed of over 38 knots and clear victories in all heats. Simon Pettifer, Manfred Krückeberg, Anders Björkqvist and Michael Brozio were locked in a fierce battle for the remaining podium places. On Monday, with initially changeable winds of barely 15 knots and thunderstorm warnings for the second half of the day, there was no opportunity for racing, leaving time for recovery and boat maintenance.
Change of course into the Eastern Bay
The forecast for Tuesday predicted westerly winds of over 20 knots, which, for course-setting reasons, necessitated a change of venue to Orther Ostbucht. Although the wind did not quite maintain the predicted consistency throughout the day, another 90-minute race was still held around midday before changeable weather conditions prevented any further races. The favourites, Gibson and Asmussen, consolidated their positions at the top of the standings, whilst the battle for crucial points continued among the teams further down the order.
The following days were characterised by changeable conditions; on Thursday, two further races were held. Due to a technical fault, Gunnar Asmussen was unable to submit any valid data for that day’s competition, but remained comfortably in the lead. During the night leading up to Saturday, the wind picked up to as much as 40 knots, and the final day of the event began amid excitement and hopes for a spectacular finale. After the wind had died down significantly on Saturday morning and shifted to the south-west, the final race got underway at around 11.00 am as conditions temporarily stabilised, albeit in much milder conditions than forecast. Dark clouds were already gathering by the end of the 90-minute race. Ultimately, with thunderstorms approaching and storm-like gusts, racing had to be called off after a total of eight valid races.
Results of the 2026 International German Speed Surfing Championships
Overall standings
- Gunnar Asmussen (GER-2)
- Simon Pettifer (GBR-67)
- Manfred Krückeberg (GER-82)
Women
- Jenna Gibson (GBR-96)
- Tatiana Dianova (GER-71)
- Gila Steinbacher (GER-570)
U17 standings
- Bo Henri Erdmann (GER-526)
- Nils Haacke (GER-11)
Under-21 standings
- Denis Goncharov (GER-808)
- Sarah Weiken (GER-2001)
All results at manage2sail.com
