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May 2026

- The Kiters of St. Peter-Ording -

Taking part in a craft market in St. Peter-Ording is always something of a gamble, because no one can know for certain how the weather will develop. Will it stay calm, as forecast, or will a storm roll in from the sea after all? The kiters are, of course, hoping for a stiff breeze – while we market traders tend to prefer windless days. For the very same energy that sends kites soaring into the sky also tugs fiercely at awnings and guy ropes. One can only hope no tent takes off, no pole snaps. The North Sea wind is not to be underestimated.

In May on the coast, you always need a little luck with the weather. Still, we set off, because over the Ascension Day weekend St. Peter-Ording fills with tourists, people on health retreats, and wind sports enthusiasts – if not on the beach, then at the popular handmade market. Only on Sunday evening, after all the craftspeople had packed up their stalls, did the storm arrive that many had already been expecting for hours. A night-time whistling and howling began, and even in the morning the trees were still bending while sand swept across the streets.

Now I was determined to seize the opportunity and paint the kiters of St. Peter-Ording. The beach is made for all wind sports: kilometres long, wide, and even accessible by car right down to the water’s edge. Flying kites rocked across the sky, and beach sailers raced over the firm sand with their sails fully billowed. Kiting – a sport that fascinates me, even though I would probably need to be a little younger, braver, and less afraid of water to try it myself. Instead of racing over the water on a board, being pulled into the air by taut lines and gliding across the sea, I sat wrapped in my warm jacket on the terrace of the beach café – protected only by a wide glass pane that at least kept wind and spray at bay from the front.

My husband Klaus had advised me against this rather precarious painting expedition, but now he watched from inside as the raw coastal weather took its toll on me. I had my hands full keeping my paintbox steady with stiff, cold fingers. The water pots must not spill, and again and again I had to protect my sketchbook from moisture and gusts with my shoulder scarf. It was not easy – but I thoroughly enjoyed following the kiters with both eye and brush. Their joy in movement was palpable and, in that moment, passed on to me as well.

As a plein-air painter, I felt especially challenged that day. It took strength and determination, a little courage and inner resolve. And indeed, that particular sense of happiness soon set in: being entirely with oneself, working in flow, at one with the moment. On that day, I had the feeling that I was not merely observing, but somehow sharing in their flight – if not physically, then at least in my thoughts.

> order magnetic bookmark motif  'The Kiters of St.Peter-Ording'

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