Everyone knows that the French language is becoming anglicized and the lexique of sport and leisure is no exception to the rule. Today, nobody uses the French term “planche à voile” anymore, hence everybody speaks about “windsurf”. For the past few years, “modernization” has applied not only to its name but to its equipment and techniques as well.

Goodbye long and heavy boards…Welcome small, wide, light and handy boards ! Here we go ! Nicolas Zavala, the manager of the only workshop and shop of Reunion Island explains: “This revolution goes back to four or five years.The new boards are destined to please beginners. They are easy to use; they are stable. Above all, one quickly gets sensation. Before that, a period of six months to one year was necessary to have access to funboard and do planning.” Twenty years ago, one started to practise windsurfing with a standard board. A few months later, one was able to move on water by bouncing on the waves. A technique called “planning”. After that, if one was adventurous, one could try a smaller and wider board equipped with footsraps to slip one’s feet in and bounce on the waves: a funboard. Many would become discouraged long before.

What are girls waiting for?

Today, one who has a gift for windsurfing can do planning after a week of practice and discover funboard after a few months. But one needs to be very fit and to be in good spirits. Sophie, who has been practicing for fifteen years, explains: “At first, it’s the will that matters. Obviously, one needs to be a bit athletic but to me, the mental state is more important. The few times I happened to get hurt, I wasn’t really into it. In Reunion Island, one of the most common practice consists in putting your bottom in the water and waiting for a gust of wind to lift you up. It’s called waterstart.”

In Reunion Island, there are about five hundreds people who practice windsurfing of whom at least 90% are men. Only one quarter of them seem to practice on the open sea. A few enthusiasts among which Nicolas Zavala and photographer Charly Bell, are fighting in order that windsurfing on the open sea becomes more democratic. For the own pleasure of those who surf, for the respect of the lagoon. And in order that watersports addicts don’t find themselves packed together like sardines. Windsurfing by Nicolas: “The feeling of freedom, the feeling to be alone in the world. Speed and the illusory pleasure that one can master the elements, like the sea and the wind. It’s damned awesome!”

For your equipment : Ze shop and Haïze-Egoa workshop at the same place::
79 rue Archambaud in St Pierre
Tel : 02 62 25 74 08
http://www.zeshop-reunion.com

Dom Voiles : in Pierrefond au 06 92 82 91 38

Fred Clavel’s itinerant windsurfing school "association écume de mer"
Tel: 06 92 76 60 60. Organizes many training sessions for children during school holidays. For adults as well. 130 Euros for a week (5 half-days).

St-Pierre and la Saline windsurfing schools

Service + : Charly Bell, a local windsurfer & a photographer takes pictures of you when you are sailing. The very evening look at yourself in the heat of the moment on the blog
(http://windsurf-reunion.sportblog.fr) or the website(www.watershot.fr)

>> take a look at our article on the kitesurf