Season start in Korea is always a very special event. Luckily for us competitors the worldcup is really well organised. Without the help of a translator it would be extremely hard to make your way around Korea... It's been my third time on Jinha Beach and I knew already that this competition site has very challenging conditions. There is quite a bit of current that creates choppy water already when the wind is still light. Then the wind can pick up in seconds up to 20 knots but might just as fast drop down again. The only way to compete is to rig up absolutely everything and then make a last minute decision just before your heat. On day number one I was quite lucky with my choice. I won two of four races and was leading the competition by the evening. Then on the next day I made some fatal mistakes in equipment combinations. Too big sails, too big boards, too small fins and immediately I was struggling on the back of the fleet. And then the wind stopped and I never got a second chance to make up for my mistakes. A final second place in the first slalom world cup for the season is sure not a drama but I am ready for revenge in two weeks time at the next worldcup in Spain!

Live updates during contests can be found on the official website: www.pwaworldtour.com

The windsurfing season 2009 has started for quite a while already - time to finally update my webstie! The last six months have been very challenging for me. Usually European winter time is my "off season" - time to relax, rebuild and recharge. But this time it more felt like a never ending battle - from my work for F2, over a sail sponsor change to starting to build a house in Western Australia. What I will remember is a lot of drama, many experiences, and that everything always happens for a reason. And most importantly that true friends are the only real value in life. So I am more than ready for a great 2009 Windsurfing Season! Hope to see you all soon on the water somewhere!

Karin

After many years of marginal wind it was finally a "windy-Sylt" again. When we started it was still light wind. 3-times my first heat got started - just to get abandoned a few minutes later due to lack of wind. I felt quite good and was really prepared with my equipment - especially as my new Rave 78 was crossing the shorebreak so easily. Suddenly the wind picked up fast - I moved from 5.0 down to 4.5 and then even had to change further down to 4.0 during the heat. The next heat I started straight away on 3.4 - and even that was too big! I simply wasn't prepared for those windy conditions and lost... Only a fith place at the event and even worse: this result made me drop down to 5th in the yearly ranking as well.

What stays is a great competiton season in Slalom and Speed - two world titles - and a very disapointing result in Waves. Well, at least I get a real goal for next year: finally win in waves again!

Like every year I did a windsurfing camp for my sponsor SpinOut (TUI) in Dahab, Egypt. The wind wasn't as regular and as strong as in the past years but we still spent many hours on the water. Thanks to all my faithful cutomers. I had a great week and I hope to see many of you next year again!

It was the lastevent of the year for the women. Due to Valerie's mistake (two PMS) in Costa Brava I was well ahead in the yearly ranking. So my number one goal was to avoid doing something stupid. Therefore I started really carefully – never risking a PMS, avoiding crashes, etc – simply defensive. Valerie took full advantage of that and was leading the event after two days. Once we had enough races and enough discards I started attacking. By the end I missed two points to win the event – a little disappointing – especially because I had great board speed – but after all the successful defence of my Slalom World Title was my first goal and I am super happy to have succeeded! The event in Alacati was a great final: windy every single day! This place is a true windsurfing paradise for me. Nowhere else in the world I see so many beginners on the water – and this from sunrise to sunset”

It's been a very long and intense Canaries Tour 2008. The event in GC started windy as always. A 3rd place in waves is not a great result but considering that I wasn't training for months in waves due to my knee injury I am still satisfied with it. After a short break the action continued on Fuerte with the next slalom competition. My favourite event of the year! But somehow I had a terrible start to it. A last and a 5th place on the first day already destroyed my hopes of an event win. With nothing to loose anymore I continued a lot better throughout the week - and by the end I nearly managed to catch up. 2nd place - a little disappointing but sure far enough from a disaster. The Canaries tour finished with the traditional Speed World Championships. Valerie won two rounds straight in the beginning - but then I managed to win the next four and secured another World Champion Title - the 26th in my career. Super stoked about that!!!

What a first race! Only one day of wind - but great conditions that allowed 3 full slalom rounds on the smallest equipment I had registered for the event. Personally I was very lucky to win this event even with a "premature start" in the last final. With my strongest competitor only finishing in 7th place I already have a big lead in the world ranking. Defiitely a great start to the season for me!

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