After a brief spell of autumn on Saturday with 12 degrees and heavy rain, the summer returned to Bavaria right in time for the 2nd Nordbad SUP Contest in Tutzing, Lake Starnberg. Over 60 riders were greeted with cloudless sky and zero wind, this meant the lake which can be really mean and choppy was flat and peaceful – perfect conditions for the racers but also the general public who could try out SUPs from leading brands for free.
After the registration and the skipper’s meeting the event kicked off with the sprint race in knock out format. 4 racers were competing against each other, with the winners advancing to the next round.
Spanish Fanatic Rider Ramon Blanco Sainz-Rosas came all the way from North Spain made it to the final on the 12’6 Fly Race Carbon (the 14’ Flatwater was not yet available), but ultimately Moritz Martin (Starboard, Frankfurt) and Stefan Gölnitz (Naish, Munich) on 14’ were faster.
The winner of the Ladies Final was German Champion Sonja Duschek, closely followed by locals Andrea Moracova (Bavarian Waters), both on 14′. and Petra Offermanns (Fanatic Fly Race Carbon 12’6). Kimberly Crellin from the UK (Fanatic Fly Race Carbon 12’6) came in 4th.
Sprint Race Results:
Men
1 Moritz Martin (Starboard Custom 14′)
2 Stefan Gölnitz (Naish Javelin 14′)
3 Guido Meier (Imagine Carbon Sprinter 2010 14′)
4 Ramon Blanco (Spain, Fanatic Fly Race 12’6 Carbon)
Ladies
1 Sonja Duschek (Starboard 14′)
2 Andrea Moracova (Imagine 2011 Carbon Sprinter 14′)
3 Petra Offermanns (Fanatic 12’6 Fly Race Carbon)
4 Kimberly Crellin (UK, Fanatic 12’6 Fly Race Carbon)
The finalists of the Sprint Race only had a 15 Minute break to quickly eat and drink something, before the start of the long distance Race, this time all the racers started at the same time, the course was a round course around 2 bouys parallel to the shore, with the start and finish being right in front of the Nordbad, so it was great action to watch for the spectators, especially the mass start, which got quite chaotic. Again, nobody could beat former Windsurf Champion Moritz Martin (3rd German SUP Championships, 9th Hamburg SUP World Cup) but Fanatic Rider Ramon Blanco finished 2nd on the Fly Race 14’. Stefan Gölnitz came in 3rd.
Kimberly Crellin from the UK won the Ladies’ Long Distance Race on her Fanatic Fly Race Carbon 12’6, an amazing achievement beating Andrea (Bavarian Waters, Munich) and Sonja (Starboard) on 14. Petra Offermanns had chosen the 14’ Downwind board for that distance, which turned out to be supoptimal for the flat conditions, but had some fun catching a wave when a motorboat passed by.
“Long” Distance Race Results (ca. 4km):
Men
1) Moritz Martin (Starboard Custom 14′)
2) Ramon Blanco (Spain, Fanatic Fly Race 14’ Downwind)
3) Stefan Gölnitz (Naish Javelin 14′)
4) Guido Meier (Imagine Carbon Sprinter 2010 14′)
Ladies
1) Kimberly Crellin (UK, Fanatic 12’6)
2) Andrea Moracova (Imagine 2011 Carbon Sprinter 14′)
3) Sonja Duschek (Starboard 14′)
4) Petra Offermanns (Fanatic Fly Race 14’ Downwind)
There also was a kid’s race, it was amazing to see so many kids get on a SUP and have fun, each developing their very own technique on how to handle the SUP. Of note is also the oldest participant of the race, who was 74 years. SUP really is for everybody!
The day ended with the price giving in front of a gorgeous sunset, tinting the mountains behind the lake in spectacular orange plus some great food from the fabulous Nordbad Crew and a party with live music.
The fun did not end here for Fanatic Riders Ramon, Kimberly and Petra, they headed further South into the Bavarian mountains for a spectacular paddle on Walchensee, but that’s antoher story for another day.
We hope to see everybody again at the 2012 Race, the date will most likely be September 23d. More info on the 2012 event:
