First windsurfer around Guadeloupe!
During January of 2020 Caribbean Severne rider Tristan Algret was plotting something which hadn’t been done before. A windsurfing tour around the island of Guadeloupe. Severne got in touch with him to get his account of the experience.
The first windsurfer to round the island. In Tristan’s own words
I am the first windsurfer doing the round of Guadeloupe nonstop… there are a few guys in the past who tried and someone did it step by step. I have had this idea for many years even before the upcoming of the foil, but it was simply impossible to achieve this long-distance on regular windsurfing gear.
The project came before the winter of 2020 as now foiling is fully included and mixed in with slalom racing in the PWA world tour. And for me, the only solution to get better was to be in the water and practice. Between all of the training and this challenge around the island, I have done almost 1000km in two months in Guadeloupe.
We managed to reach the last and hardest point (southwest Guadeloupe) after 6 hours in total. This was a good performance. Once we passed this point, we knew that the tour around Guadeloupe was almost done.
The luck was on our side for the last part of the journey with the wind switching from east to southeast… a huge gift from mother nature to us which allowed to get to the finish in one reach.
In total, it took us 8 hours 37 minutes to cover a distance of 243 kilometers.
A challenge to remember
This was indeed a challenge for us as it was something no one had done before. And also, I’m not sure if anyone has ever been foiling for more than 8 hours non stop.
I did the rounding with a friend who’s one of the best kite foilers in Guadeloupe, he is the first guy who started super long distances on the island. His name is Fabien Delporte, and he had the same idea of using the foil to do this famous rounding of Guadeloupe.
The plan was to do the project together first of all because we share the same vibes, but also to show people how windsurfing and kitesurfing can function perfectly together.
Next on the schedule
At the time of writing this story, I am in Barcelona waiting for the plane to Tenerife. where I will spend the next three weeks at the TWS Pro slalom training. Tenerife is still the best place for training in real racing conditions with the PWA boys/girls.
After this, I will organize all of my life around La Ciotat (near to Marseille) where I will live and stay all year. I have a new sailing club that supports me and helps me to train and work on promotional events during the season.
You can stay up to date with the latest from Tristans’ world by following his social media accounts:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tristanalgret/
More from the world of Severne
Cedric Bordes is French windfoil champion, second in fin slalom
After three events, Severne rider Cedric Bordes is overall French champion in the windfoil discipline and finished second overall in the fin slalom discipline. Cedric used the Hyper foil racing sails along with the Hydro 85 foil racing board for the foil discipline and used the Mach 7 for fin slalom.
Liam Dunkerbeck goes to the Podium in Maui
Lina Erpenstein is Vice-World Champion, and Liam Dunkerbeck snaps pro podium Team SEVERNE brought the goods to Maui, firmly representing in the top end of the rankings. A special mention goes to Lina Erpenstein who now is the Vice-World Champion, Pauline Katz making...
Balz Müller gives us the nitty-gritty after Sylt
Balz “Radiculo” Müller came off a spectacular performance in windy Fuerteventura and showed no intention of giving up his fourth place in the World rankings. On the contrary, Balz was on a mission to claim a podium spot and stormed through the first rounds of the single elimination on his Foilstyle gear.
Scoring a magic session in Topocalma, Chile
There’s something magical about rocking up to a place for the first time, especially when it’s as legendary pumping wave around the coastline of Chile.
Pre-orders open for 025 Mach 8 and Hyper 8
The 025 SEVERNE Mach 8 and Hyper 8 sails are now available for pre-order.
The fastest on fin, the fastest on foil. Join the fasters racers in the world that choose SEVERNE as their go-to sails for gold level performance.
Plastic soup surfer completes London to Paris journey
Merijn Tijnga aka Plastic Soup Surfer kicked off his latest expedition on June 22nd, an 850 km windsurfing and SUP journey from London to Paris.
After completing his Oslo to London campaign in 2023, he was now headed to the French capital, were he arrived on July 11th, just weeks before the Olympics.
Windsurf University clinic with Oda JOhanne
This summer Severne’s team rider Oda Johanne has given it all during her Windsurf Univesity clinics in collaboration with Sarah Quita. Oda takes us through her recent tripple stint coaching windsurfing camps in the windswept paradise of Karpathos, Greece.
Lina Erpenstein’s winning gear
Fresh off her elite performance at the Tenerife 2024 comp, current world #1 Lina Erpenstein has shared insights into the gear choice that rocketed her to the top of the podium.
Lina Erpenstein clinches victory at Tenerife World Cup – team Severne dominates
Severne’s elite roster, led by Lina Erpenstein, showcased serious wave sailing skills at the Tenerife PWA World Cup 2024. Lina claimed the top spot in Women’s Wave, solidifying her status as the female wave sailor to beat at the moment. Team Severne’s success continued with Iballa Moreno’s second place, Pauline Katz’s fifth, and impressive performances in youth divisions.