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Talk to us about the Sealion
Wings concept. It’s pretty much
one of the first multi-discipline
boards out there. Where did the
idea come from?
The idea came about ten years ago.
I believe (like in the UK) we have
many good spots here in Brittany
with perfect waves but with
predominantly ultra-light, side
offshore breeze. I am in love with
windsurfing and I try to sail as soon
as the wind allows. The Sealion is a
surfboard that sails and allows riders
to get on the water super early.
Stand up paddling and foiling arrived
at that ‘meeting point’ around the
same time. I guess it was destiny.
Was it key that you could SUP
and wind foil the Wings from the
start?
I started foiling my Sealion in
2009. When we developed our first
foil (the AFS-1) we realised it
worked at really slow speed (5/6
knots). When you know you can
comfortably fly in 10/11 knots on a
wave you understand something is
possible. I am really proud and
happy to have proven the concept.
Do you see this kind of multi-
discipline equipment as the
future?
DEFINITELY! Life is evolving day by
day. People do the maximum things
they can with work and family
responsibilities allowing. We are all
multi-discipline individuals inside,
even if we don’t know it yet. I
believe a particular tool like the
Sealion that can be used in
different ways, and shared with
friends and family, is key to
maximising water time and
increasing those smiles. There’s
nothing worse than turning up to a
beach on a good forecast and it
not delivering. With the Sealion
Wings (or even standard non-foiling
Sealion) you can still get out there
and enjoy a session.
And what about foiling in general
– where do you see this going?
Are we going to end up with
foilers at every location soon?
Competitors are pushing the
discipline to the extreme in slalom,
speed and even manoeuvre
orientated sailing. I believe foiling is
the solution to fly with small and
light equipment in low winds. But
10m and big boards are needed
now to perform in races. We might
see two distinct pathways to wind
foiling: racing and free foiling – the
latter being what most riders will do.
Is there a limit on foiling do you
think – in terms of wind strength
and what you can and can’t
achieve?
We must look at it like any other
new sport. The new generation will
make it ‘science fiction’ for our older
minds – much like freestyle and
wavesailing is now. I was one of the
first pushing freestyle at the
beginning. Five years later I did not
understand the moves younger guys
were creating! Foiling will go the
same crazy way – at least the upper
echelons. For most of us though it’ll
be about free foiling and increasing
time of the water in light winds.
Any new projects you can give a
sneak peek about?
The idea is to keep developing and
make foiling as accessible as it can
be. And sometimes during that
R&D phase something amazing
happens and changes the game.
What about your foiling plans for
the rest of the year – got
anything in the diary?
We will keep working and searching
to make the foil disciplines always
more exciting with more
performance and accessibility. I will
keep enjoying my rides whilst
sharing and promoting wind foil
and SUP foil. I believe every
windsurfer will foil in the future. You
can't miss that. It is a new breath
for the windsurfing. It’s the modern
way and a new spark that will
rekindle a long smouldering fire.
Thanks and praise?
Thanks to my AHD boards crew
who believed in the Sealion and foil
concept so early in the day before
anybody else really did. Being
innovative, when you are a smaller
brand isn’t easy. And respect to the
pioneers who tried foiling a long
time ago. Thanks to all the guys
who made what we’re doing today
possible.
uk
WIND
SURFING