Æloha Surfers

It might be getting colder but it’s also getting windier. It’s actually one of the absolute best seasons for us surfers. Welcome to the October edition of the Helgoland Surfers newsletter. As always we have a lot to share with you and in this edition, you’ll find exciting news about our Vision 2025 project, new windsurf gear, and much more.

1. Vision 2025 - New clubhouse

As you may know from the general assembly in May, the board has been working hard on our “Vision 2025” project which includes an extension of our lease agreement and plans for a new clubhouse.

For those that weren’t present at the General Assembly, here’s a short recap. Our lease with Copenhagen Municipality (KK) is ending in 2025. If we don’t get an extension, it won’t be possible for Helgoland Surfers to remain on our current and prime spot in Amager Strandpark. As part of the lease extension, KK has made it very clear that the design of our current clubhouse (and containers) is not in accordance with the current local plan for Amager Strandpark. Therefore, we need to get both an extension of the current lease and also make plans for building and raising funds for a new clubhouse before 2025. At the General Assembly, all those present voted and approved a budget to kickstart this project and the board has been working hard since then to get our “Vision 2025” presentation ready.

Our plan is to get an extension of our lease agreement asap and to build a new clubhouse before the end of 2025. We have to do all this in line with the current local plan for Amager Strandpark and that means that we’re not allowed to build or expand beyond the area that we currently have. Consequently, the design of the new clubhouse will not be any bigger than the square footage of the current clubhouse. We do, however, have different options to maximize that space i.e. building to the maximum height and into the ground.

The board has made an extensive analysis of how much space we need for the different types of surf gear (windsurf, kitesurf, SUP, wing, foil, wind skate, etc.) and how much space we can realistically have for our different needs (clubhouse, changing area, club gear, private gearboxes, repair room, etc.). So, in case you’re wondering, we can already now let you know that the space (and funds for that matter) is so limited that the new clubhouse won’t have a rooftop, a sauna, hot showers, or any other amenities other than what we currently have.

To get the design process started, the board has for the past months worked closely with Zeso Architects. They have worked on a preliminary design and sketches of what the clubhouse could look like, so we have something to show KK as a basis for extending the lease. Right now the design primarily focuses on the exterior as this is what we need to get approved and from that, we can start the design and layout plan for the interior. We are hoping to get a thumbs up aka an “in-principle approval” of our project based on these sketches at our next meeting with KK in January 2022. As soon as we get the approval of our Vision 2025, we are looking so much forward to sharing the initial sketches of our clubhouse with you – so stay tuned… But since we really can’t wait, here’s a little preview.

After the approval, the next step in our timeline is to start raising funds for our clubhouse. We are hoping to get funds from some of the bigger funds like Realdania, Nordea Fonden, KK, etc. in order to keep the club expenses as low as possible. Getting funds is a huge and time-consuming task and we need all the help we can get. So, if you have any experience with fundraising or want to be a part of this very important task, please reach out to us now on helgolandsurfers@gmail.com to join our fundraising group.

2. New windsurfing club gear

The new windsurf club gear has finally arrived! Last week we got 6 RED and 3 DUO boards that are the absolute best within inflatable boards. You may already know these as they are the ones that Copenhagen Surf School has used on their beginner courses. As we wrote in the last newsletter, Copenhagen Surf School has become our official sponsor and that’s why we’ve been able to get these boards at a really great price for the club.

On light wind days, our new RED boards are perfect for a nice SUP trip, and the DUO boards are perfect if you’re transitioning from the club’s beginners boards to the intermediate boards. The advantage of the DUO boards is that the front part of the board is inflatable which means that it is more resilient if you make a catapult crash as your practicing using the trapeze or getting into the foot straps. While the front of the board is inflatable, the back of the board is hard. So when planning, the DUO boards have all the same qualities as the regular hard intermediate boards. Besides the 6 RED & 3 DUO boards, we also got SUP leashes, 3 masts, 2 booms, 2 sails, and 2 mast extenders. 

3. Use of our new inflatable boards

It’s our plan to keep the new inflatable boards (RED & DUO) in the containers inflated so they are always easily accessible. We do, however, currently not have any extra space for the boards and we’re planning a workday before the end of this year to rebuild the sail container and optimize the space. Until this rebuild, the 6 new inflatable boards are kept deflated in their travel bags in the board container. You’re welcome to use the RED SUP boards now - but after use, they must be deflated, packed in the travel bag, and placed in the board container as shown here.

The DUO boards need a bit more instruction in terms of correct placement of the mast foot and when packing them to avoid damages. For this reason, the DUO boards can’t be used until after our next workday.

Please note that new inflatable boards can only be inflated using the pumps that come with the board. Our compressor may not be used for the RED or DUO boards.

4. Fall & winter surfers

As it’s becoming colder and colder, some of you may choose to end the season soon but keep in mind that we have quite a lot of dedicated all-year surfers. If you want to join them just ask around the club to join one of the groups that surf during the cold months. Oh, and of course remember that we get great member deals at One Open Sky, Kajakhotellet, and Frozen Palm Tree, if you’re looking for a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hat, some gloves, or anything else to keep you warm.

If you’re using the clubhouse during the cold months and turn on the radiator – please always remember to turn off the radiator before you leave the clubhouse.

5. Important dates

December 11th: Helgoland Surfers Christmas Party

That’s it for now. See you at the club or on the water.

All the best
Helgoland Surfers