Windsurfjournal.com : How and when did you get into windsurfing ?
Klaas Voget : My parents had an old Tencate windsurfer that my brothers and I tried when I was 12 or 13. After a couple of runs I was infected by the sport.

WJ : Why made you decide to only train and compete in waveriding ?
KV : Wave is the discipline that I love, and for sure I practice this the most. I was always fascinated by waves. In the beginning I did all the disciplines. But when they all got more and more specialised, I focused on what I like most. Slalom and Freestyle are fun too, but for Slalom I’m a bit light and for freestyle I’m too old now !

WJ : OK, but last year we saw you at Sylt event competing in Slalom 42… Was it just for fun or do you plan to do more Slalom 42 events in the future ?
KV : I did it this year again for Sylt. I’m only doing that for a few German events and the World Cup in Sylt. For most of the other Slalom stops on the world tour I’m just a bit too light at 71 kg. Sylt is light and choppy, also I know the place, so last year I managed to finish 15th.

WJ : Is the Red Bull Storm Chase the most extreme windsurfing you have experienced ?
KV : For sure one of the most extreme. The wind was blowing up to 156 km/h on that day on Norderney (a German island in the North Sea). I was very overpowered with my 3.5. Once I was out sailing for 15 minutes and there was still white water all over. The waves were breaking everywhere. It was cold and hailing. You don’t want to get lost in this conditions…

WJ : All year long you travel a lot, do you have a favourite place and why ?
KV : My favourite places are Klitmöller and Hanstholm in Denmark. It’s nice to travel and sail the best places on the planet, but driving up to Klitmöller with my friends and having a good day on the North Sea is still the best for me.

WJ : What are your plans for the next few months, and next few years ?
KV : Next month I finish university in Kiel, so I’ll be home for a while, just two weeks of testing in South Africa in December. In February/March I’ll go to Chile and in March/April to Maui. In the coming years I’ll be focussing on wave competitions on the one side and on developing the best boards possible for Fanatic on the other.