‘DéfiWind de Gruissan’, is the original ‘DéfiWind’ event and doing a ‘Défi’ has become a must do on windsurfing bucket lists. Seasoned ‘Défi’ dude John Skye and first timer, Karo van Tonder take us behind the scenes of the world’s largest windsurfing race with their ‘DéfiDiaries’!
JOHN SKYE
I opted for a relaxed start to my Défi2019 with a mid-morning flight. It’s always fun checking in with gear and this time I had a few extras to deal with - proto sails for the team, including some massive foil sails, that rolled up were around 3 meters. I somehow persuaded the check-in staff that what I had was 1 windsurfer and that each bag was around 25 kg. Thankfully as they rolled down the oversize baggage belt she didn’t notice that they were both closer to 50 kg!
At the other end, I was hoping for a smooth exit, but that was not to be. I have had the same experience in Barcelona before, that windsurf gear (especially big race stuff) doesn’t come up the standard oversize belt. Instead, they send it up a special lift. The problem is that most of the staff don't actually know this. So after waiting nearly an hour, I took matters into my own hands and went to investigate, only to find 2 lift engineers working on the broken lift. They confirmed they had seen my bags at the bottom but had no idea how long it would take to fix. I wandered off to try to find help, but then eventually saw a lost looking airport worker trying to find out what to do with 2 x 50 kg bags that he couldn’t move. I quickly grabbed them and got on my way.
This story is from the Issue 388 - August 2019 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 388 - August 2019 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
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THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
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Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
