What a weekend it was!!! đ€©Â
Rewa welcomed us royally! For four days, we enjoyed beautiful sunshine and conditions that allowed us to not only hold the planned races but also to carry out all other activities. The turnout exceeded our wildest expectations. Over 240 competitors registered for the event, and in addition to the participants, crowds of water sports fans flocked to Rewa.
Everyone came with one goal: to spread passion and love for windsurfing, kitesurfing, wing foiling, SUP, and pump foiling! Iâm still not fully recovered from this magical water sports festival, but the boost of positive energy and motivation we received, both myself and our entire EASY-surfshop team⊠Itâs simply indescribable!
So much happened during these four days, and the event itself could be divided into two parts: racing and the festival-market, which Iâd like to briefly present to you.
King of the Bay â A Long-Distance Challenge with a Festival Atmosphere
King of the Bay was designed to be a long-distance regatta, bridging the gap between professional and recreational water sports. And letâs not beat around the bush â despite the less-than-ideal wind, it turned out brilliantly! The organizers managed to hold:
- One wind race
- One main race
- All non-wind-dependent competitions
The atmosphere was fantastic, blending the spirit of competition with a shared passion for water sports.
EASY-surfshop Team in Action!
Our EASY-surfshop team didnât just watch from the sidelines â we took part in the wind races! Hereâs a rundown of our company representatives and their gear:
- Bartek (Boss) â Wing: NeilPryde FL SL 7.0 | Board: JP-Australia X-WINGER PRO 111l | Foil: NeilPryde Glide Swift 10
- MichaĆ (Bartekâs Son) â Wing: NeilPryde FireFly 5.0 | Board: JP-Australia F-WINGER 77l | Foil: NeilPryde Glide Swift 10
- Adam âSurferâ â Wing: NeilPryde FLY II PRO 5.5 | Board: JP-Australia X-WINGER PRO 88l | Foil: NeilPryde Glide Swift 10
- Bartek âKozaâ â Sail: NeilPryde Speedster 7.2 | Board: JP-Australia Slalom PRO 72
- Ćukasz â Sail: GA-SAILS Matrix 6.7 | Board: Tabou Rocket LTD 135
Special congratulations to MichaĆ, who secured 2nd place in the U20 wing foil category! đ„
Our team riders also made an appearance:
- Maciek Rutkowski (windsurfing)
- Piotr Myszkowski (3rd place in wing)
- Jacek Garncarz (windsurfing)
For all participants, this was a great opportunity to race alongside professionals and test their own skills on the water.
SUP Long Distance â 12 km of Determination
The event was not only about wind sports! On the first day, we had the SUP Long Distance race from Jastarnia to Rewa (12 km), featuring 37 competitors.
Our very own Krycha represented EASY-surfshop, racing on the inflatable JP-Australia SportsAir 12â6 x 30â SE3DS with a JP-Australia Carbon paddle (size 83).
The conditions were difficult â a northwesterly wind and choppy bay made things tough for racers using traditional race boards. But Krychaâs wider JP SportsAir board turned out to be a game-changer, helping him maintain balance and focus.
Result: 11th place overall â but the first inflatable board to cross the finish line! Krycha officially earned the title âKing of the Bay SUP Freerideâ after leaving 12 competitors on rigid SUPs behind. Massive congratulations, Krycha!!!Â
The Crowd-Favourite: EASY-surfshop MonstAir SUP Race!
We wouldnât be ourselves if we didnât add some extra fun to the event, so we organized the EASY-surfshop MonstAir SUP Race!
The concept?
Teams of six people battled it out on giant JP-Australia MonstAir SUP boards.
The twist?
Teams could earn extra points for creative costumes!
The engagement and enthusiasm were off the charts! Every team gave it their all, blending intense competition with loads of fun. Check out the photos from the race below!
Festival-Market-Test Village â A Watersports Paradise
Races aside, that wasn’t all that awaited those who decided to visit Rewa last weekend. The second face of King of the Bay was the festival-market-test village, where you could visit booths of the biggest water sports brands and partners. This included ours, dedicated to the latest collections from JP-Australia, NeilPryde, Loftsails, Exocet, Unifiber, and Ensis.
Additionally, at the organizers’ invitation, “stars” from our industry appeared: Sarah-Quita Offringa, Amado Vrieswijk, Taty Frans, Ben Proffitt, Arnon Dagan, Mario Kumpel, Wojtek Brzozowski, PrzemysĆaw MiarczyĆski, and the organizer of this whole event, Maciek Rutkowski!
Workshops, Demos & Testing â Something for Everyone!
On top of all this, there were windsurfing tow-in freestyle shows by Sarah and Tomek Wyrzykowski, NeilPryde RS sail rigging workshops with Maciek Rutkowski, SUP board tests, pump foil, and efoil races. In short, there was something for everyone. During the event, there were presentations of wind, wing, kite, SUP, and efoil equipment from the 2024 collections. I was very impressed with how many people attended my presentations.Â
In the first one, you could hear about the 2024 freeride gear from JP-Australia and NeilPryde. The second presentation was dedicated to the latest Exocet board collection and Loftsails sails, which have become one company this year. The third presentation was an absolute hit, the previously mentioned rigging workshops, where together with Maciek Rutkowski, I had the pleasure to show you how to prepare and trim the sail before the competition.
Sunday Test Sessions â The Perfect Ending
The cherry on top? Sundayâs testing sessions with JP-Australia & NeilPryde windsurfing and wing foil gear.
The wind fluctuated between 10-20 knots, allowing for nearly all our gear to hit the water! Our team also allowed me for some time on the water with brand new wing FIREFLY with which I’m in love now!
Most tested gear included:
- NeilPryde FLY II, FLY II PRO, FLY SL 7.0 & FIREFLY
- NeilPryde Speedster, V8, and slalom RS:RACING EVO XV sails
- JP-Australia X-Winger, R-Winger, F-Winger, Magic Ride, Super Ride, Super Sport, Super Lightwind, Slalom PRO, and Magic Move boards.
A Huge Thank You & See You Next Year!
None of this would have been possible without two people who dreamed of bringing Defi Wind to Poland:
Maciek Rutkowski & Ania Sokolenko! Chapeau bas!
This first King of the Bay edition is just the beginning! I am convinced that next year will be even bigger and better.
If you missed out, be sure to join us next time! In the meantime, check out our full gallery on Facebook and the album on the official event website: www.kingofthebay.pl/media.
