1°C - Storm Bernd in Hohwacht

A winter day of windsurfing in Hohwacht Bay

January 11, 2025 - Frosted windows and frozen puddles greeted us on a chilly Saturday morning at our meeting point east of Kiel, where we set out together at dawn for Hohwacht Bay.

Storm Bernd had already reached the coast during the night, and the northwesterly wind had surely stirred up quite a bit of motion on the water. During the trip, the thermometer climbed from -1 to 1 degree Celsius - at least that’s something.

Morning atmosphere on a cold winter day at Hohwacht Beach

Park, turn on the auxiliary heater, put on my snowboard pants, and head down to the water’s edge. The conditions at the spot in front of the hotel in Hohwacht already looked pretty good in the rising sun. The north wind had caused the water level to rise, and the waves were crashing right up against the stone seawall.

When it's 1°C, you have to warm up with some jumping jacks; pushloop by Patrick

Waves about one and a half to two meters high were rolling onto the beach. Matze chose the 4.5, Klaus the 4.2 m², while others went with the 3.7. I grabbed my camera to capture the morning light and atmosphere of the storm as the sun hung low in the sky.

Windsurfing in the morning light, Stalled Forward by Klaus

The first walkers rubbed the sleep from their eyes in amazement at the commotion in the freezing cold - first five, and shortly after, twenty sails darted across the water.

Taking breaks to rotate our arms was part of the routine, to get the blood flowing again in our numb fingers. Windchill was -7°C according to Windfinder, and that’s pretty much how it felt.

Morning exercise on the Baltic Sea, Pushloop by Patrick

The wind blew fairly steadily in the early morning, but became gustier starting around 10:30. Those three hours at the spot were enough for us. With plenty of wave rides and jumps under our belts and a full memory card, we headed back toward Kiel.

Plenty of wind and sun, Gereon riding a wave and Tom in the air

Spot Tip:
The best place to park is right in Hohwacht, in the large parking lot next to the Edeka supermarket. From there, you can access the beach via a sandy shore. There are groynes in the water every 50 meters. Conditions along the beach are identical all the way up to the harbor in Lippe. The bay directly below the harbor entrance in Lippe offers slightly more shelter.

Here’s a video from this morning in Hohwacht Bay:

Windsurfing action on the Baltic Sea near Hohwacht

Windsurfers in Hohwacht Bay during Storm Bernd