When the HWC celebrates, the sun shines . And it was exactly the same when the Hilden Windsurfing Club HWC celebrated its 50th anniversary, when windsurfing was invented in America in the 1960s and quickly spread all over the world. Many young people also wanted to glide along on the water on a board with a sail. And eleven young people from Hilden near Düsseldorf had the same goal. They met on 4 December 1974 in the "Meider Hof" restaurant to found a windsurfing club. Word spread quickly in Hilden, and by 1978 the club already had 60 members. Of course, a windsurfing club also needs a club water. Unfortunately, despite great efforts by the board and the town of Hilden, nothing could be found in the immediate vicinity. For sporting activities, the windsurfers - still called stand-up sailors at the time - had to go travelling. Their favourite destinations were the lakes of other clubs in the Hilden area and on the Lower Rhine. Or they travelled to Holland, e.g. to the Ijsselmeer. The search for a nearby body of water continued and in 1982 they actually found one. They discovered Lake Laach in Leverkusen-Hitdorf, a former gravel pit. The name comes from the neighbouring Laach Castle, not to be confused with the volcanic lake of the same name in the Eifel. The first season opened on Good Friday 1982 in a snowstorm. It was finally possible to surf on our own waters. A lively sporting club life developed and the number of members quickly rose to 200. At regattas on their own lake and at other clubs throughout NRW, the HWC surfers were able to emulate their great role model "Robby Naish" and achieve a number of successes. A fishing section was also founded. But a lake was still missing in Hilden.
Windsurfers, sailors, canoeists and DLRG share the club grounds
In 2004, the dream finally came true. After the gravel was removed, water sports were allowed on the 89-hectare Elbsee and a water sports centre was created, which is used by the HWC alongside three other clubs - sailing, canoeing and DLRG. A beautiful clubhouse was built and a lively club life developed. Members can now commute between two lakes with clubhouses. In addition to windsurfing, stand-up paddling is very popular with members, as are catamaran sailing, beach volleyball and athletics. Some members showed in the marathon that surfers can also run. There is even a group that does yoga on the SUP board. There is also the club's own windsurfing school on Lake Laach. Young people and adults can learn to windsurf there and obtain an official windsurfing licence. There were sporting successes at the DEFI long-distance race in Gruissan in the south of France, where Christoph Krenzel took 3rd place in his age group (over 60) over 3 x 40 km in 2023. The annual club trip to Workum on the Ijsselmeer and weekend trips to the Brouwersdam in the Netherlands are a hit for all members. The sociable life of the club is cultivated at weekly club evenings, summer parties, surfing in and out, midnight and St Nicholas' Day surfing.
In glorious weather, the 2nd Chairman - Jens Bederke - was able to look back on the last 50 years with pride and joy in front of the cheerful members at the anniversary celebration. The HWC now has 500 members and is looking forward to beautiful windy days on the two lakes.
It was a lovely afternoon and evening with activities on the water and dancing in the clubhouse and, of course, a marvellous sunset on the beautiful Elbsee with anticipation of the next 50 years. Here you can find more information about the Hilden Windsurfing Club
