Red Letter Day: Pump City

Rider & Words: Benjamin May
Photos: Klass Voget
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Date: Friday May 24th, 2024

City Tours are a hot ticket if you’re visiting and want to get a good look around a place in a relatively short amount of time. Benjamin May decided to do just this on one sunny day in Hamburg. But on his own terms…

I’ve always wanted to explore a city by foil, and what better place than the bustling metropolis of Hamburg? With more bridges than Amsterdam, Venice, and London combined, the city offers the perfect playground for pumpfoiling. The canals wind through the city center, vast parks, and past grand villas, all leading to the Outer Alster, the birthplace of rowing in Hamburg.

A few days after the Foil Festival on Fehmarn and just before my return to southern Germany, the forecast promised a full day of sunshine – perfect for my pump-city tour in Hamburg. Although challenging, a hearty breakfast and plenty of fruit kept my legs go-ing. I packed a foil, a board, and a wetsuit, then headed to the city center. Navigating the narrow streets by car wasn’t fun, so I opted for a relaxing S-Bahn ride, meeting the film and photo crew at Klos-terstern, near the starting point. After a short walk, we reached the first dock at SUP Club Hamburg, where the crew also got a paddle-boat to accompany me.

“UNDER BRIDGES AND TREES, I FINALLY REACHED HAMBURG’S FA-MOUS PUMP DOCK NEAR CAFÉ ALSTERCLIFF. HERE, THE LOCAL PUMPFOILING SCENE THRIVES, DESPITE STRICT BANS ON WIND AND WATER SPORTS…”

Suited up and on the board, I was off. Just a few hundred meters and two bridges passed, with many more to come. Starting with the first pumps towards Rondeelteich, I made a large loop past ad-jacent villas and into the next Alster canal. The scenery shifted from luxurious estates to a small, lush canal that felt almost jungle-like in the heart of the city. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating a shimmering scene. Amid SUPs and paddleboats, I heard languages from Dutch to Australian English. However, tree debris in the water made this section challenging. After about a kilometer, the scenery changed again to rustic graffiti-covered walls, a small burger joint, and an ice cream parlor – perfect for a quick break.

After lunch and a visit from a swan eager for our food, I pumped past paddleboats towards the Outer Alster. Under bridges and trees, I finally reached Hamburg’s famous pump dock near Café AlsterCliff. Here, the local pumpfoiling scene thrives, despite strict bans on wind and water sports, except sailing. On good days, up to twenty pumpfoilers gather here. We took advantage of the large dock for some freestyle shots before heading downtown. Finding a good launch spot on the Inner Alster was tough, with only a small wall about a meter high surrounding it. Experienced pumpers can manage, but getting out with a foil board can be tricky. Fortunately, my long arms and a protruding rock helped. Under the giant water fountain of the Inner Alster and with the Alsterhaus in the back-ground, I pumped past Jungfernstieg, completing a large loop with tired legs but a full heart.

We then moved from the lake-like Alster to the salty Elbe with its strong currents. Pumping beside the ten-story buildings of Hafenci-ty, close to the iconic Elbphilharmonie building, was special. Next to Hafencity is the unique Speicherstadt, built on 3.5 million oak piles supporting massive buildings above the soft mud. Gliding through this historic district was a memorable moment. After a long day, I was thrilled to have gained a unique perspective on Hamburg and its landmarks. It was a definite challenge, with my muscles on the brink of cramping by afternoon. But it was worth the effort – this city tour is one I won’t soon forget!