Hawaiian Sports Festival

In her first official race in this class of boat, our Christiane Pape became German runner-up long-distance champion in the single outrigger, women. At this year's Hawaiian Sports Festival too, with a downwind race and the 7th German Ocean Racing Championships, the elite of German ocean sport meets to compete in surfski and outrigger sport.

For one weekend, the Baltic Sea near Rerik becomes a hotspot for Hawaiian lifestyle and exotic classes of boat in lifesaving and canoe sport. From 28–30 June we got to see thrilling races. We competed there with 4 athletes. Our races in the single outrigger and surfski were held on Friday afternoon.

In mild and slightly cloudy, not quite so windy conditions, our outrigger and surfski paddlers started at the Rerik pier on the Baltic Sea. The course took us out, a little away from the shore, and then, with the wind and wave conditions prevailing at the time, to paddle about 23 km from west to east. Unfortunately the conditions on the way to Börgerende weren't quite so good, so we couldn't make use of the desired downwind effects over the whole route.

Downwind means that, in the outrigger or surfski, you paddle in the same direction as the wind and waves so that, ideally, you can surf along with the waves and the wind pushes you forward. The speed can rise, and in optimal conditions you don't have to exert yourself so much to cover the distance.

In the end, every metre was more or less hard won. Good that it wasn't quite so hot. With many new experiences and insights, we all ultimately reached the finish well, which not every competitor managed. Fortunately everyone stayed unharmed.

We're of course especially delighted that our race debutante could perform straight away in this such important race and so quickly earned her place among the elite of German female outrigger paddlers. Keep it up, Christiane – we look forward to more races, soon at the German outrigger sprint championship in Munich.