Over the weekend of 22-24 May on Szale, a small lake close to Kalisz, the oldest town in Poland, the local club UJKS “Szturwal” Kalisz organised the 4th edition of the Major of Kalisz Cup. [more]
This annual event is the first big windsurfing event on the Polish calendar but it aims to be much more than that. The Organisers have created an event where racing in good old windsurfing tradition is just 50 percent of the show and the other 50 percent is a huge social event for the general public and tourists.
Despite the weak forecast for the weekend, 8 races were sailed and we had a great event both on and off the water. Believe it or not 20,000 people came to watch during Saturday, all thanks to the many other attractions that were part of the show.
Local police estimate that at its peak there was 10,000 people on the beach watching the 84 competitors racing in various classes on the lake and enjoying the attractions on the water, in the air and on the beach. There was an air show, concerts, a fire show, free attractions for the kids and, if you were lucky, you could even win a ride in a helicopter. The Party went on until late in the night.
All this would not have been possible without massive support from sponsors and local authorities. Major of Kalisz, patron of the event, was smiling at the closing ceremony when pronouncing the event closed. The reason was, as he declared, he knows everyone will meet there again next year.
event photo gallery : https://www.flickr.com/photos/svk1/sets/72157650941517894
event video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNydpzzPGBw
