Professional Windsurfers World Cup Sylt

Ok, I made it to Sylt, and have been amazed at the number of people who come each year to this cold and windy resort town. It is a bit like Whistler, but the attraction here is the beach. There are huge tents with beer and seafood being served, and a real party feeling. At night it is hard to walk through the tents due to the dancing/singing crowds, it has a Octoberfest party vibe going on!

The day I arrived, the wind shut down, so they had a tow-in windsurfing session. It was clear that the freestyle sailors were thrilled to show off in front of the hundreds of fans lining the beach. Check out the second half of this PWA video to see how tow-in windsurfing works.

Over the last two days I've bumped into a lot of the major names in windsurfing, some of whom I've met over the years.

Tonky Frans from Bonaire always has a huge smile for his Canadian friends.

Tonky all smiles!

We also have a Canadian on the world windsurfing tour, Philip Soltysiak is ranked #5 in the world right now. I met him on the beach, and he is very nice. It sounds like I am the only Canadian fan here.

PWA Website link to Philip Soltysiak

I met Bjorn Dunkerbeck and got an autograph from the 15 times world champion. He is a great ambassador for the sport and seems to continue to enjoy competing (and winning) every time he goes out. I found the last copy of his book "The Search" in a bookstore in town, and had him sign it.

Me with Windsurfing Legend Bjorn Dunkerbeck

I also bumped into a very nice young Danish sailor we met on the HiHo in 2009. A nice small windsurfing world.  Hopefully there is wind tomorrow and some racing to watch.

Interesting windsurfing retail observation.  There are no shops in Sylt that sell gear anymore.  The German websites (and Deutsche Post) are so good that the one local shop only sells wetsuits and clothing.  Quite different from the number of good shops in southern France.