NUCLEAR TRAMONTANA, NO COMPLAINTS

Gruissan. Four days. Tramontana winds ranging from 25 to 45 knots. Over 200 kilometres covered on the water. 1,400 competitors on the starting line. Here is what the podium photo didn’t show.

The building on the beach

The 2026 edition of the Defi Wind left all participants sore and motivated for more tramontana in 2027. Team SEVERNE and Revolution HQ were on site all four days, and it was nothing but a full-on frenzy of windsurfing and socialising from start to finish.

SEVERNE’s 026 range was out. Sails rigged. Boards in the stand. Team riders on deck. The kind of access that doesn’t happen at a standard booth: pick up a Monster speed sail, stand next to a Fury, ask the person who designed it a question because he is right there. The event organisation recognised it; Revolution HQ was voted best stand of the event.

Four days is different to a weekend. It means the crowd comes back. The same sailor who stopped on Thursday shows up Friday with a friend. By Saturday the HQ was a reference point for many sailors of the event.

Speed Night

SEVERNE revealed its first-ever full speed combo to the public at this year’s Defi Wind. The Monster speed sail was on display for all four days, fully rigged for anyone to take a close look. The Fury speed board was at the booth in multiple sizes throughout.

On Friday evening, the speed R&D team came to the HQ to answer questions on the speed programme. That team is Antoine Albeau, 27x World Champion, and Cedric Bordes, Open Ocean Speed World Record holder. As the early evening progressed, hundreds of visitors joined to see the latest SEVERNE gear and a long line formed for an autograph from Antoine and team.

On what it takes to make a speed sail that actually will function at the limit:

“A good speed sail needs to make the conditions feel easier than what they really are.”
Antoine Albeau

“For record speeds, you need something which is easy to go, good acceleration, and when you’re full speed you can push and you believe in the gear.”
Cedric Bordes

On the water

Defi Wind is an open-fleet race. The 1,400-strong starting line mixes world champions with amateur windsurfers, slalom specialists with foil converts, veterans who have done this fifteen times with first-timers.

Blanca Alabau was back at the HQ re-rigging at the end of the event, silver medal sorted. Hundreds of kilometres covered over four days, racing both fin and foil in the nuclear tramontana winds, and a second place to show for it. In her words:

“Back to podium 🥈🤩!! What an amazing event, more than 1400 windsurfer at the starting line. Racing on fin and foil powered by the tramontana!”

Blanca rode the Hyper 9 4.0 and Mach 9 5.0 throughout.

Femke Van der Veen finished fifth overall; another solid result for the up-and-coming Dutch rider.

Antoine Albeau was in reach of the podium throughout. He just missed it on the last race, but his own account of the event is more instructive than any result line:

“Le Defi Wind 2026 se termine. Une super 4ème place pour moi en foil unlimited. Je rate le podium mais la bataille a été féroce dans des vents de 25 à 45 nds et plus de 200 kms parcouru.”

A great fourth in Foil Unlimited. I missed the podium but the battle was fierce; 25 to 45 knots, over 200 km covered.

Antoine rode the Hyper 9 foil race sail and the Hydro foil race board for foiling, and the Mach 9 Pro slalom sail and the Mega Freerace board for the fin races.

Five-time World Champion Philip Köster decided to take a break from wavesailing and join the 1,400-strong fleet. Riding the Mach 9 and Mega combo, he made his presence felt, consistently finishing in the top 40-60, having not touched race gear for years.

Full team SEVERNE results:

• Blanca Alabau: 2nd overall
• Femke Van der Veen: 5th overall / 5th fin
• Benoit Merceur: 16th fin / 22nd overall
• Antoine Albeau: 4th Foil Unlimited
• Cedric Bordes: 17th
• Philip Köster: 68th

The four days, off the water

The autograph line for the team formed quickly as visitors started trickling into the booth on Friday. SEVERNE offered cold drinks and time with Antoine Albeau, Philip Köster, Blanca Alabau, Cedric Bordes, and the crew. Visitors were able to catch a detailed glimpse of the Monster speed sail and the Fury speed board, alongside all other current products within the range, including the Mach 9 and Hyper 9 that team SEVERNE uses on the racecourse.

By day two the crowd had found its rhythm. The same faces came back. Questions got more specific. The conversations moved from “what is this” to “how does it compare to what I’m on.”

Closing

This year’s Defi Wind delivered four days that Revolution HQ was built for. Speed Night was the first public read on what comes next. Attention is already on it.

Team SEVERNE equipment at Defi Wind 2026:
Blanca Alabau: Hyper 9 4.0 / Mach 9 5.0
Femke Van der Veen: Mach 9 5.0
Benoit Merceur: Mach 9 5.5
Antoine Albeau: Hyper 9 5.0 / Hydro for foil. Mach 9 5.5 / Mega 63 for fin
Cedric Bordes: Hyper 9 5.0 & 4.0 / Hydro for foil. Mach 9 5.5 / Mega 63 for fin
Philip Köster: Mach 9 / Mega 63

Photos: Severne Windsurfing and Defi Wind (JM. Cornu / Louis Mchugh)

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