Surfing event in Rewa, Poland: “A crash course in management” – Maciek Rutkowski on “King of the Bay”
John Carter
· 26.06.2026
How did the idea for this whole event come about?
I think that, having been attending events for 20 years, it’s become second nature to me to simply take note of what I like and what I don’t. I’ve always been aware that it’s the little things that matter when you’re taking part in an event. Perhaps it’s a cosy chill-out zone, a few promotional giveaways or simply the overall atmosphere. I wanted to create an event that I myself would enjoy taking part in. A place where you can race, but also have fun with other activities … Testing gear, trying out new sports, taking part in fun competitions that aren’t too serious and are more about fun, creativity and enjoyment. Like this year’s Night Light Race, where we basically just told people: ‘Here are the lights, be creative and do whatever you like.’ The penis on the sail might not have been the height of creativity, but it showed that people were having fun! Fortunately, my sense of what’s fun seems to match up with what other people enjoy as well.
“I wanted to create an event that I myself would enjoy taking part in.”
Is Rewa your local spot?
Yes. When there’s no traffic, it’s about 25 minutes from where I live, and it’s the closest spot to Gdańsk that offers really decent conditions in the usual westerly winds – though unfortunately those haven’t materialised this year. I often come here, especially before flat-water events. When I’m training for an event like the one in Japan, I definitely spend time here.
So you chose this spot because it’s ideal for long-distance races and offers a sheltered bay?
Exactly. I’d already been thinking about organising an event like this back in 2020, but at the same time I was still busy with my Olympic campaign and the PWA. In 2023, we made a tentative first attempt and looked at various locations. The combination of enough space to set up an event village and a spot that works in all wind directions was the deciding factor in choosing this location. Then, when I wrapped up the iQFOiL campaign in 2024, I suddenly had the time and freedom to really start getting the event properly off the ground
What have you learnt from organising your own event?
You definitely develop a huge amount of respect for all event organisers, because you realise just how difficult it is and how long everything takes … Permits, funding and logistics, simply everything … There’s so much work behind it, especially when it gets this big! In the first year, I think I slept a total of maybe ten hours over four days because there were so many little problems to sort out. The portable toilets overflow, a fence breaks, the local council promises a certain amount of electricity but there’s actually less available, so you suddenly have to get hold of a generator yourself. The motorboat breaks down, there are problems with the race crew, someone takes the wrong course and you have to decide whether to disqualify them. There are just endless little problems cropping up all the time, and you have to sort them out on the spot. It’s definitely a crash course in management.
How many participants took part in the first year?
Our target was 100 participants, and we ended up with 230, which felt absolutely mad. In the second year, the weather forecast was brilliant, so loads of people signed up at the last minute and we reached 420 participants. This year, even though the forecast wasn’t particularly good, we were sold out with 550 participants. So I reckon next year we’ll be making over 600 Lycra shirts! Hopefully, the upward trend will continue. Poland already has a huge windsurfing, kitesurfing and water sports community, and more people are joining every year. This year we had more than 80 participants from abroad … there was a bloke from New Zealand, a rider from Jersey and 28 Lithuanians. To people from England or France, Lithuania sounds close, but it’s still about 1,000 km away. It’s really cool that people outside the Polish scene are also starting to appreciate the event.
“It’s really cool that people outside the Polish scene are also starting to appreciate the event.”
What about the professionals and ambassadors? Was inviting well-known sportspeople and public figures part of the plan from the outset?
That’s definitely a big chunk of the budget … they don’t come for free! But I promised myself we’d do it, because one of the best ways to promote an event is to bring influential people here and make sure they have a really good time. I’m also quite patriotic, and Poland has changed massively over the last 10 or 20 years. I love showing people how far we’ve come. If someone who’s been all over the world comes here and enjoys themselves, it means everyone else will too. I know how fussy I am myself … when I go somewhere and have a good experience, I come back and tell my friends about it. The fact is, people like Sam Esteve, Matteo Iachino, Blanca Alabau, Charles Brodel (World record holder in kite jumping) or Casper Steinfath have a few more friends than the average person, so the effect is amplified slightly!
In your opinion, how big should the event be?
I reckon there’s still room for more people on the beach and in the car parks. But the festival site itself was pretty much at full capacity this year. We had 28 exhibitors and it already felt very crowded. So we’ll just decide on the spot and see how things pan out.
Were you happy with this year’s edition of ‘King of the Bay’?
Very satisfied … especially with the community. The weather didn’t really play along. We only had two races in very light winds, it rained on and off, and to be honest, there are days on Sylt when I don’t even leave the house if it’s raining. But people stayed positive and appreciated the fact that, despite the conditions, we still tried to put on a great event. We held kite and wing pumping competitions in the marquee, where you could win an electric pump, and there were constant presentations, workshops and activities taking place. There was one rainy day in particular that really filled me with gratitude, because the Village was packed all day long, even though it rained almost non-stop. It was brilliant to see that.
At least everyone ended up on the water at some point.
Yes, almost everyone got out on the water, and I reckon about 300 people completed the races despite the conditions. We were definitely unlucky with the wind, as this is usually a good time of year for it. The week before, I’d been out in the waves for almost the whole week, and in 2025 we had over 40 knots on the first day – that was absolutely mad! But to be honest, this year was a really important test to see whether the event could hold its own even in less-than-perfect conditions. One thing that always frustrates me at events is when there’s no wind and absolutely nothing’s going on. Active people don’t want to just sit around all day. That’s why, right from the start, one of our goals was to never let that happen. Whether there’s wind or not – the programme stays packed. There’s always something going on, and everything is designed to be fun. We’re not trying to turn this into a ‘Défi Wind’ or some hardcore survival challenge. We simply want people to have fun. That’s the reason I go windsurfing in the first place… because it’s fun. So I’ve put together an event that I’d really love to take part in myself – more as a participant than as a competitor. The funny thing is, I can hardly enjoy any of it now because I’m so busy organising everything! I’d love to learn proper pump foiling, take part in the night race and join in with all the activities myself. In the first year, I thought I might be able to take part in the foil races, but that was absolutely impossible. I was just running around sorting out organisational tasks. Hopefully one day I’ll finally be able to get out on the water and join in properly.
Last year you had 40 knots on the first day … what was that like?
Last year, the first day was madness, absolute madness. We had gusts of up to 40 knots. I remember standing next to the stage with the Head Judge, receiving reports from out on the water, and the wind just seemed to get stronger and stronger. Someone said over the radio: “The average is 32 knots.” I said: “Maybe we should sail a shorter course. And for safety’s sake, just two laps.” And then came the message over the radio: “I’ve just measured a gust of 40 knots.” So I thought: “Hmm… maybe we should run a shorter course and just one lap.” It was pretty epic. Drones couldn’t fly, so I requested a helicopter. Everyone who took part in that race has great memories of it. We had 80 cm of chop; everyone was out on the smallest gear. I’d started on the foil myself, to save energy somehow, but in the end I just kept crashing left, right and in all directions. I came fifth, I think. So it really was as epic as it gets. But at this time of year, the spring high-pressure systems usually move on and the first big summer lows come in from the west. So I think it’s quite possible we’ll experience that again!
Do you think your experience as a professional has helped you learn what it takes to be an event organiser?
I think life as a professional windsurfer prepares you for just about any situation, because you have to be flexible and react to so many different things. There are so many stressful situations, whether it’s checking in at the airport, making split-second decisions on the water during a race, dealing with sponsors or conducting negotiations. As a professional windsurfer, you have to handle all of that yourself. In other sports, such as tennis, someone books your tickets, check-in is straightforward, someone else negotiates your contracts, someone else creates your content, and so on. But as a windsurfer, you have to do it all yourself. So an event like this really brings all these elements together. And, of course, there’s even more to it. I learn something new every day. But yes, it definitely helps!
Thank you very much, and I wish you continued success!
Find all the information at kingofthebay.pl
