Grumblers will say,"that the wind direction for the Schönberg spot was not particularly good ". Events with most other water sports would probably have gone down the drain in south-westerly winds on Schönberg beach, but the advantage of wingsurfing was particularly evident in these offshore and sometimes gusty conditions: take off once, position the wing in a relaxed neutral position in the 25-tonne gust and simply foil through the wind hole - presumably this is precisely the reason why wingsurfing is currently going like gangbusters, especially on gusty inland spots. And so the action on the water was constant, and because the organisers had set themselves the goal of holding many different classifications and age groups as part of the "Racing" and "Freestyle" contest disciplines, the spectators on the pier were treated to almost constant action.
The fact that the action turned out to be official was also thanks to the top international stars of the scene who travelled to the event. In addition to the 9-times freestyle world champion in windsurfing Gollito Estredo (3rd place), the Italian Francesco Capuzzo (2nd place) and perhaps the best wingsurfer in the world at the moment, Balz Müller, also made the trip.
But the locals also put on a good show - above all Klaas Voget, who came in 4th place as the best German and was crowned the first German Wingfoiling Champion. Stylemaster Henning Nockel and Linus Pünder also showed what is currently possible with the wing. Jelene Duwe won the women's event ahead of Alina Kornelli and Bettina Bertram.
But Balz "Radiculo" Müller was no match for him - the Swiss foiling talent reeled off 360s, backflips and even a cork 720 like clockwork.
But the women and especially the young guns also showed in the competitions that wingsurfing is a sport for everyone - here are all the rankings again:
Test operation with restrictions
More than 30 brands had put on a good show at the Foil Festival, and in times when it's sometimes hard to get material in the shops, the festival was actually a good opportunity to get an overview of the various offers.
However, at least on the first three days of the event, testing was only possible to a limited extent for complete wingfoil beginners due to the weather conditions with offshore winds of up to 30 knots: "We can currently only hand out things to people who already have some experience with the wing. That's a shame, but safety comes first" - we heard this statement again and again at the exhibitors' tents. At least on the last day, however, a moderate westerly wind of 10-15 knots ensured good conditions in which the testers who had travelled to the event got their money's worth.
All in all, the first edition of the Foil Festival was definitely a success. Anyone who missed it can hope for a sequel next year - hopefully without the conditions of a pandemic but with similarly windy weather, great action and a party or two!
Further information about the Foil Festival HERE
