Spectacular start to the season despite the cold

The official summer months may still be a long time coming on Sylt, but there was no shortage of wind at this year’s Summer Opening. After four intense days, the California Wingfoil Masters 2026 ended on Sunday on Brandenburg Beach – with spectacular races, challenging conditions and an impressive show from the German wingfoil elite.

Despite cool temperatures and challenging North Sea conditions, valid scores were achieved in all three disciplines – freestyle, wave and slalom. However, the weather played havoc at times: on Friday, high waves prevented a safe start on the water, while on Saturday it was necessary to wait for the evening low water phase before the competitions could continue.

“I have never experienced an event as cold as this year’s California Wingfoil Masters at the Summer Opening Sylt. That’s why I’m full of respect for the performances of the wingers, who once again put on a mega show on Brandenburg Beach. It really was a great start to the summer season on Sylt,” explained Matthias Regber from Choppy Water GmbH, which organizes the Summer Opening.

Jonte Boysen surprises in freestyle

The decision in the freestyle discipline was made on the opening day – and immediately attracted attention. The exceptional young rider Jonte Boysen prevailed in a strong field of participants and won the overall standings despite competing in the U15 category.

Boysen defeated the experienced Jared Wegner in the final. In the B final, Hubert Christahl from Preetz triumphed against U15 rider Lönne Jensen. Julian Furkmann completed the U15 podium.

There was also a close race in the U19 category: Wilhelm Christahl, Pit Hausberg and Piet Katenkamp shared third place.

Slalom on Sylt puts on a spectacular show

On the final Sunday, the conditions calmed down slightly and finally allowed the boats to be slipped. This meant that three slalom races could be held directly in front of the Brandenburg beach.

The rough conditions caused numerous crashes and spectacular scenes on the water – much to the delight of the spectators on the beach.

Pit Hausberg was in a class of his own. He clearly dominated the discipline with victories in all heats and won with the ideal score of 1.4.

He was followed by two strong U15 talents, Jonte Boysen and Emil Schacht, in second and third place. Quirin Olbrisch secured third place in the U15 classification. Pit Hausberg, Jared Wegner and Aaron Olbrisch finished on the podium in the Youth U19 category.

Klaas and Tebbe Voget dominate the wave contest

The wave competition took place over two days. While the men’s and U19 classes started on Saturday evening, the U15 juniors took to the water on the final Sunday.

The reigning German champion Klaas Voget lived up to his role as favorite and won both the men’s and the U19 category in commanding fashion against Hubert Christahl.

Wilhelm Christahl beat Jared Wegner in the B final.

A Voget also stood at the top of the podium in the U15 juniors: Tebbe Voget won a close decision against Theo Buchwald from Fehmarn. In the B final, Jonte Boysen secured third place with a win against Julian Furkmann.

California Wingfoil Masters return in August

After four days of wingfoil action, the athletes left the North Sea island satisfied. However, fans won’t have to wait long for the next highlight: the wingfoil elite will return to Sylt from August 4 to 8. The official German Wingfoil Wave and Wingfoil Slalom Championships are then on the program as part of the California Wingfoil Masters. Freestyle will also be held as a ranking list regatta.

Meanwhile, the Summer Opening Sylt continues straight away: the California Windsurf Cup will take over the Brandenburg beach on Thursday, when Germany’s best windsurfers are expected for the next tour stop in Westerland.