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This weekend, the German SEAT Kitesurf Trophy is heading to Lake Silvaplana / Switzerland. In the beautiful scenery in the middle of the Alps, we expect a good competition where the recent winners of the SEAT Kitesurf Worldcup Sylt, Mario Rodwald and Stefan Permien (both SKBue), will continue their battle for this year's crown in the men's freestyle competition. Southern German locals Sebastian Bubmann and Florian Gruber will work hard to get on the podium in the course racing event, as well as Sünne Elbel who is fighting for the first place in the women's freestyle competition.

Windfinder offers both Wind Forecast for Lake Silvaplana as well as a Superforecast for Lake Silvaplana. As the wind conditions also depend on thermal winds, it is always good to ask the locals or to check out the webcams for Lake Silvaplana in our webcam directory.

The German Windsurf Cup is heading to Dranske on the island Rügen in the Baltic Sea in northeast Germany for their next tour stop on this weekend. After the great competition on the island Norderney in the last weeks, all riders are ready to give their best on the water again.

Again we expect a battle between the top rider Bernd Flessner and the competitors Vincent Langer, Helge Wilkens and Windfinder Windsurf Team riders Denis Standhardt and Gunnar Asmussen. Of course there will also be a lot of side action off the water.

Both Wind forecast for the Rügen area as well as the Superforecast for Rügen unfortuntately is not looking good, but maybe some thermal winds will kick in and at least some competitions can be started.You can check the current wind conditions there using the wind reports for Varnkewitz or Cape Arkona.

After launching the Japanese version of Windfinder.com, we can now welcome the Chinese version of the website at zh.windfinder.com! This is the 10th language supported on Windfinder.com, if you think there is still one language missing and you want to help us to translate, please send a mail to info -- at -- windfinder.com.



Not all parts have been translated yet but our translator Tokuko Yatani will continue with the translation. Many thanks to Tokuko! We are also upating our website with a lot of new wind reports and forecasts for places in China, so keep an eye on that!

The PKRA Kitesurfing World Tour stop at Portimao / Portugal was held in light wind conditions, but nevertheless the crowd on the beach saw a thrilling event with a lot of action both on and off the water.

Unfortunately, the freestyle competition could not be finished, but during the contests we saw thrilling action by Sebastian Garat, Kevin Langeree and Abel Lago as well as Karolina Winkowska, Steph Bridge, Jalou Langeree and Pauline Boussard.



The main part of the event was the course racing championship. With eleven races completed, there was really much action on the water. Best racer was Bruno Sroka, who won nearly every race. There was a hard fight for the next places between Charles Deleau, Renaud Madier and Sylvan Hoceini. The women's competition was dominated by Steph Bridge who won every single race, finishing ahead of Fabienne D'Ortoli and Nacara Licariao.

 

Congratulations to all winners of this event! The next PKRA tour stop will be at Fuerteventura from July 17th to July 22th.

The Canary Islands events are one of the most eagerly anticipated legs of the PWA World Tour; offering a fantastic combination of challenging, extreme and spectacular windsurfing. The variety of the conditions coupled with the consistency of the trade winds has made this Hispanic hideaway a world famous Mecca for windsurfing, and an integral part of the Tour.

Lanzarote has, in the past, played host to a variety of disciplines, however this year it returns as the first leg of the highly competitive PWA Freestyle circuit. Between the 30th June and 4th of July, the fleet heads back to Costa Teguise on Lanzarote's Eastern coast - a perfect arena for the explosive amalgamation of wave and freestyle action. This exposed sailing ground throws together a wonderful opportunity for Windsurfing's elite, thanks to the combination of powerful swells, relentless wind, and flat water. These conditions are the strong foundations upon which freestyle has been built and has flourished, allowing sailors to mix breathtaking, aerial skill and complex, planing maneuverability into their repertoires.

Chasing part of the €45K prize purse, the men's fleet shows the return of last year's winner, and 2008 PWA Freestyle World Champion, Jose 'Gollito' Estredo (Fanatic/North/MFC) - one of a handful of favourites for the event and the World Title. After a very impressive result in the waves at Cabo Verde, last year's runner up and 2007 World Champion Marcillo 'Brawzinho' Browne (Fanatic/North) returns to the island, looking to reclaim his crown. The event also signals the start of the Women's Freestyle tour, where the incredibly talented Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde) looks to reassert her dominance over the fleet. 2008 saw a huge push in the women's event, taking freestyle to a breathtaking new level. With women's freestyle continuing to reach new and exciting heights, all expectation is on the 2009 season to flourish.

Best of all, the wind seems to play along! Wind forecast for Lanzarote really looks good with wind kicking in tomorrow with 15 to 20 knots and staying for the next few days with consistent 20 to 25 knots from northerly directions. Keep an eye on the wind forecast map for the Canary Islands to see possible changes first. You may get an impression of the local conditions by watching the wind reports from Lanzarote Airport or by watching the Lanzarote webcam near the event site from our webcam directory. Also the PWA World Tour website features a live ticker about the latest contest results.

Source: PWA / Andrew Buchanan, Windfinder.com

We have teamed up with the folks at Bluemapia to give you another opportunity to check the wind conditions on your mobile. If you don't know Bluemapia, this is a web and mobile social mapping site for boaters and sailors. Everyone can share placemarks, points of interest and photos and upload them directly to the site. The best part is that you can also do this directly from your mobile phone using Bluemapia Mobile for Windows Mobile based smartphones.

Now it is also possible to view all Windfinder weather stations in Bluemapia Mobile. Just like our Wind and Weather Google Maps, you see the location of the weather stations on a map. When you click on a station, you are directed to our windfinder.mobi page optimized for mobile devices where you can see the current wind and weather reports as well als wind and weather forecasts for the next days. Marcello Ferrero has done the work on the Bluemapia Side and has also uploaded a video of this new feature:



So go ahead, grab your copy of Bluemapia Mobile and try it out for yourself! Thanks Marcello for making this possible!

We interviewed German Kiteboarder Stefan Permien from Kiel. Stefan joined the SKBUe kitesurf team recently and just finished 2nd in the freestyle competition at the kitesurf world cup in Sylt. Stefan has won the German kiteboarding tour Kitesurf Trophy last year. Stefan is sponsored by Kite Factory, Flyboards, Triggernaut, NPX, Roadsign and Boost Kiteboarding.


Oliver: You study chemistry in Kiel and try to go kiteboarding as much as possible in your free time. What do you want to do when you graduate from university? Get a job, be a pro kiteboarder, retire, chill all day long?
Stefan: I want to retire and sit in my rocking chair! No, seriously, When I finish college I want to get a real job and earn some money. I will not give up kitesurfing but take it a bit more relaxed. But before I get my diploma and my doctor's degree a few years will still pass.


Oliver: You finsihed 2nd twice at the German championship. Will you ever become German champion? And how do you want to beat your toughest rival Mario Rodwald?
Stefan: I would be really happy to make it to the top this year. I will only be able to beat Mario with my own personal style which is more radical and more powerful. But in order to perform this style I need strong wind which does not always occur at the contest.


Oliver: How important is it for you to do well in competition? How much do you value winning a contest versus having a soul session with a nice sunset in perfect conditions?
Stefan: Doing well in competition is important for the sponsors because that is the only way to finance kiteboarding and to earn some money with it. Winning a contest is also nice for your ego. Everyone enjoys winning! But I also enjoy a great soul session, lading a new move, or having fun with my buddies on the water.


Oliver: How it the relationship with your opponents? Companionable? Neutral? Hostile? How do you guys get along?
Stefan: We are quite close and companionable. We help each other and we party together. The Kitesurf-Trophy is like a big family. At the events we all get together and have fun. On Sylt I partied with Mario 3 nights in a row!


Oliver: Do you have role models or idols in kiteboarding or other sports? If so, who are they and why?
Stefan: No, I don't really have any!


Oliver: Which goals do you pursue this saison? And which moves do you want to learn?
Stefan: Well, the saison is already underway. I ended up 2nd at several events: the German snowkite championships, the Sticked event, the Kitesurf Trophy tour stop in Dahme, the Kiteboard open and the SEAT kitesurf world cup in Sylt.So far it has been a pretty good saison. I would like to have some awesome foto shootings this season and produce some neat kiteboarding videos. I want to make my moves more radical and land a few combinations like front mobe 5, KGB to blind and blind judge 5 more safely.

The PKRA Kite World Tour is heading to their next stop in Portimao / Portugal during the Kite Masters event which starts today, June 24th and runs until June 28th. The flat and warm waters of Alvor Beach will welcome both the best freestyle kiters in an invitational event. Last year's winners Kevin Langeree (Netherlands) and Susi Mai (Germany - also see the interview we did with her some weeks ago) will have a hard battle against the other riders in the unique group-based competition format.

In addition to that, there will also be a course race competition, where last year's winner Charles Delau (France) will give everything to defend his title. We also expect a hard competition there.

Wind forecast for Portimao looks promising for the first few days of the competition with winds up to 16 knots from northwesterly directions. You may also keep an eye on the Superforecast maps for Portugal Algarve to check the general conditions on Portugal's south coast. There are also some webcams in the Portimao area listed in our webcam directory to give you a look at the conditions if you have to stay at home.

The SEAT Kitesurf World Cup in at Brandenburger Strand in Westerland/Sylt ends today. There was not enough wind for competition today but the World Cup has seen great kitesurf action, nice beachlife and intense parties and several thousand spectators during the last 6 days.

After 2 elimination rounds in the freestyle discipline Mario Rodwald (SKBUe/Germany) emerged as the winner ahead of Stefan Permien (SKBUe/Germany) and Peter Tyushkevich (Russia). Sebastian Bubmann (SKBUe) and Nils Wesch from Germany finished both in 7th position. It is Mario's first world cup win. In the women's freestyle 5 x world champion Gisela Pulido (Spain) beat Kristin Boese (Germany).

During this week 6 courses were held and Bruno Sroka (France) came in 1st, ahead of Abel Lago (Spain) in 2nd, and Sean Farley (Mexico) in 3rd. Sebastian Bubmann finished as the best German competitor in 6th.

The wave riding competition was won by Mito Monteiro from Cape Verde beating his opponent Jan Marcos Riveras Mosque from the Dominican Republic. Jesse Richman (USA) finished 3rd, Abel Lago ended up as 4th. The best German participant was Armin Loose, who finished as 5th.

From Saturday on, the sailing world is watching the Kiel Week 2009 at the Baltic Sea in northern Germany. The Kiel Week is the world's largest sailing regatta, which has attracted sailors and visitors for 127 years. This year, over 4,500 competitors from 50 nations will sail around 2,000 boats, yachts, dinghies and surfboards. In addition to that, over 1700 cultural, musical, political and social events on land are also expected to attract more than three million visitors.

Image credits: www.kieler-woche.de/C.Beeck

The sailing competition is held in the waters in front of the Olympic Sailing Center in Schilksee near Kiel. The competitions are split into two parts: at first, the olympic sailing classes (470, 49er, Laser Radial W, Laser M, Finn-Dinghy, Neil Pryde RS:X, Star, Tornado, 2.4mR, Yingling, Elliot 6m) will compete from June 20th to 24th. This year, this is also a "Grade 1 Event" by the International Sailing Federation ISAF on the road to the Olympic sailing races 2012. From June 25th to the end of the week the national and international classes (420, 505, Contender, Dragon, Europe, Flying-Dutchman, Hobie 16, H-Boat, J24, Laser Radial, Nordic Folkboat, OK Dinghy, Pirat, Beneteau 25, 29er, Formula 18) will then race in the waters of the Kiel fjord. There will also be the SAP 505 European Championships and races for X-35 and X-41 classes as well as a "virtual sailing" cup with high-class sailing simulation on computers.

Windfinder has three weather stations in the Kiel area - the best of it would be Kiel-Leuchtturm, a lighthouse in the middle of the competition area which updates very frequently. To check the nearby weather conditions, use the weather stations at Kiel-HoltenauInnenförde Kiel. Wind and weather forecast looks good with winds from westerly directions during saturday. After that, the wind turns to northern and north-easterly directions during the rest of the week. Keep an eye on the forecast for changes of the weather situation during the week. Also check the Superforecast map for the Baltic Sea which should give you a precise wind forecast for the competition area. If you use our webcam directory for the Kiel area, you will for sure see a lot of action both on and off the water.

Windfinder wishes all competitors and visitors much fun and always enough wind during the Kiel Week!