1000 Windsurfers Racing at the same time Defi is thursday!

bil7y · Joined: 17 Dec 2002 Posts: 349

In South of France, we used to say the wind drives people mad... and it is obviously true as 1000 windsurfers will be there in Gruissan, from may the 13th to the 16th , to defy the local Tramontana and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Défi Wind, the most popular race in the world.

Gruissan showed up thanks to Luc Besson, who realized in 1988 describing the amazing atmosphere on the chalets beach. Surrounded by mountains and shores, this nice village is ready to welcome you on site and make you spend an unforgettable windsurfing moment. In this quiet town we can find some quite strange people, completely mad about windsurfing. These riders, who till have long hair and their large pants on, – even though time is running out and they are not all that young anymore! - are members of a kind of sect called “Gruissan Windsurf” and play for ages with the famous Tramontana on the water. They used to organize lots of important windsurfing events in Gruissan such as the French Windsurf Championships and now their life is regulated each year since 2001 by the Defi Wind, the biggest windsurfing meeting ever, organized by some few windsurfers... for lots of windsurfers!

They come from all over the globe, they meet at the same place, at the same time, on the same starting line to commune together and share their passion. In 2001, birthday of the Defi Wind in Gruissan, no one could imagine the importance that this event was going to have. In fact nobody thought at this time that their fun meeting between passionate windsurfers would become the most popular windsurfing event in the world! 6 editions out of nine have been largely blessed by Eole as the wind conditions were perfect and, during each edition of this event;the greatest windsurfing stars came and joined us. The Defi Wind helped at the same time to re-activate the sport and the windsurfing market, giving birth to a new discipline in this sport: the Long Distance.

More info and photos - http://bit.ly/aAAKq7

DanWeiss · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA

AWESOME!!!

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

I want to do this so bad I can taste it.

Gotta go buy a lottery ticket.

3-phase · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 481

Speenie you know like 100 guys we have like 150 in Cabrillo Beach and region there are for sure 200 more in Socal some where so lets do a Cabrillo Beach run with 300 + Windsurfers, who would join and when would it work for you?
Send me an e-mail at gear@windsurfdeal.com
we make it informal so no permit haha just a lot of Windsurfers on one day.

Jurg
www.kasail.com
www.a-h-d.com
www.windsurfdeal.com

pirireis · Joined: 18 Jul 2009 Posts: 177

Awesome. Totally awesome. I wonder if we have 1000 windsurfers left here in the States ?

Wind-NC.com · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 6:39 am Post subject:

Pick that chin up, Pirireis! There have been thousandS here in Hatteras over the last two months... And I'm seeing more and more converts from kiting back to windsurfing again, too- Seems to be about a 6 year love affair with the strings... before returning to the one and only true love...

Great idea, Jurg!! Just a simple out and back, like the Defi?

mrgybe · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 5180

You know, Andy, with the wide open sounds and shallow water, Hatteras would be a great place to run an event like that........the Dixie Defi?

cgoudie1 · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:38 am Post subject:

There are more than that on a good Gorge Day between 3Mile and
Stevenson. Probably a lot more.

-Craig

dogalone · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 113

yeah, some gal from ABK stopped here last Sunday to say they were thinking about doing a clinic here (on top of the 300 folks you have corralled for Cabrillo), i think we could get at least 500 (10 times the usual) for a session here come MemorialDay, heck with a little publicity, maybe go for the full 1,000!!!