A report by Leo Richter:
Although some families had already left for their school summer holidays, 19 participants took part in the second edition of theWinger of the Sea powered by Vayu. The 15 men and four women, including two U16 riders, competed with their wing foils in the races.
On the first Saturday, the wind played into the hands of the foilers. A moderate westerly wind allowed slalom racing in glorious weather. For a change, two different, simple course formats were organised to give the newcomers to the regatta an insight into different course options. A total of six slalom races were organised.
There was no freestyle contest this time due to the weather conditions. In addition to the equipment from title sponsor Vayu, there were also test contingents from partners GA, Tabou, Sabfoil, Duotone and Fanatic.
These were put to good use by one or two of them to better adjust to the initially mild wind. The day was rounded off with a BBQ together at the Grönwohld campsite. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was exuberant.
Unfortunately, Sunday did not offer any racing conditions as there was no wind. However, as a fun alternative programme, a fun pump foil contest was held in the warm temperatures. The aim was to see who could stay on the foil the longest by pumping with their legs only.
It's great to see how the WOTS brings all generations together and is so well received by the wide range of participants.
Jan Stähr won the Pump Foil Contest with a phenomenal time of 03:05 minutes, ahead of Marnie Bertram, who also came second in the women's slalom and in the U16 category. Prizes were then handed out to everyone at the awards ceremony as part of a raffle and the top 3 in each category were honoured. There were prizes to be won from the partners already mentioned, as well as Salty Elements, XCEL Wetsuits and Surla. Jelena Duwe was best lady and third overall with a great performance. Rokko Schneider won the U16 classification. Frank Rosin took the overall winner's trophy.
The Winger of the Sea III is already being planned. Here is an overview of the results:
Overall winner:
- Frank Rosin
- Lukas Thelen
- Jelena Duwe
Winner ladies:
- Jelena Duwe
- Marnie Bertram
- Nele Fischenbeck
Youth winner:
- Rokko Schneider
- Marnie Bertram
Information about the event is also available HERE .
Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
Manuel Vogel, born in 1981, lives in Kiel and learned to windsurf at the age of six at his father's surf school. In 1997, he completed his training as a windsurfing instructor and worked for over 15 years as a windsurfing instructor in various centers, at Kiel University sports and in the coaching team of the “Young Guns” freestyle camps. He has been part of the surf test team since 2003. After completing his teaching degree in 2013, he followed his heart and started as editor of surf magazine for the test and riding technique sections. Since 2021, he has also been active in wingfoiling - mainly at his home spots on the Baltic Sea or in the waves of Denmark.
