What is the German Wave Tour?
The German Wave Tour was launched by Lars Bubelach, Sebastian Bail and Nick Spangenberg just under two months ago. "It all started at the dinner table in Gran Canaria last year," says Spangenberg, "when we were thinking about organising wave competitions in Germany." Without further ado, a WhatsApp group was set up and the system explained. "We orientate ourselves a bit on the format of the German Freestyle Battles, so the riders judge each other. By running the tour in the form of a stand-by phase, we can spontaneously call out a wave alert ("green flag") for the best spots on the Baltic and North Sea to have fun on the water together," explains co-founder Nick Spangenberg.
"On the German Wave Tour, we have just under ten spots spread across the Baltic and North Sea that we have a shortlist of. If we are in a stand-by phase and see strong winds in the forecast for a weekend, we call out a warning and give a day's notice," says Spangenberg, describing the organisers' plans. "It's difficult to say how many events we want to organise, as we are of course tied to the wind. But I think we will organise 3-5 events a year."
After the German Freestyle Battles and the Racer of the Sea, there is now also a contest series in the wave sector that is aimed at surfers interested in competition with a low-threshold programme and focuses on a minimal setup with maximum fun on the water. However, there is also a wave alarm in the German Windsurf Cup, the highest regatta series in Germany.
The highlights of the German Wave Tour Kellenhusen in the video
First wave event parallel to the Racer of the Sea
Within 24 hours of the first "green flag alarm", the almost 40 participants met at the surf school in Kellenhusen for the skippers' meeting. The Racer Of The Sea racing series also took place in Kellenhusen at the weekend, which meant that the German Wave Tour was able to use the infrastructure and Racer Of The Seas participants were also able to take part in the wave contest. "We were overwhelmed by the number of participants and very happy to even have nine women at the start," reports Lars Bubelach. The conditions on site were ideal for the Baltic Sea, with winds of 4.2 to 4.7 and waves that allowed the participants to realise their full potential.
The heats started punctually at 3 p.m. and all riders showed solid tricks and wave rides. "We probably saw everything on the water today. From radical wave rides and violent crashes to spectacular jumps, it was all there and the spectators were rewarded with a real show in a class of its own," said the organisers jubilantly.
After almost four hours on the water, it was time for the final heats. Sybille Bode and Diana Lohoff faced each other in the women's small final, with Lohoff taking 3rd place with radical wave rides and a backside air. In the final, Maria Behrens and Caroline Weber went toe-to-toe until the very last minute. Weber had already been able to show a forward loop and a table top early on in the heat, whereas Behrens still needed a second jump despite some nice waves. Behrens performed this in the final minute and thus narrowly won ahead of Caroline Weber.
Henri Kolberg and Niclas Nebelung tied on points in the final
In the Open category, where both men and women can take part, Lars Gobisch and Raphael Schwinger battled it out for third place at around 8.00 p.m. Schwinger started the heat with a stalled forward and Gobisch performed a high backloop a few seconds later. Once again, it was an exciting race. However, Gobisch was able to take a narrow lead thanks to his radical wave kicks and scored the highest wave score of the day with a stylish taka.
Henri Kolberg and Niclas Nebelung faced off in the grand final. Nebelung was able to show off his jumps early on in the heat and had plenty of time to focus on the wave rides thanks to high backloops and push loops. Kolberg, on the other hand, had very nice waves with radial backside turns and stylish cutbacks in the bag early on. At the end of the heat, the judges had awarded both riders the same number of points, so the heat had to be repeated. In the re-sailing heat, Henri Kolberg narrowly prevailed and won the premiere of the German Wave Tour in Kellenhusen ahead of Niclas Nebelung.
The organisers were completely satisfied with the start of the German Wave Tour. "Our goal of having fun together on the water worked out. We were more than happy to see the smiling faces of the participants at the award ceremony," said Sebastian Bail.
Results German Wave Tour Kellenhusen
Juniors
- Anton Richter (Neilpryde, JP Australia)
- Hannes Gobisch (Duotone, Fanatic) & Lars Bubelach (GA SAils, Tabou)
Ladies
- Maria Behrens (Duotone, Fanatic)
- Caroline Weber (Sailloft, Bruch Boards)
- Diana Lohoff (GA Sails, Tabou)
- Sybille Bode (S2 Maui, Goya Boards)
Open
- Henri Kolberg (Naish)
- Niclas Nebelung (Duotone, Fanatic)
- Lars Gobsich (Duotone, Fanatic)
- Raphael Schwinger (Sailloft, Puls Boards)
