CONTRACT TIME
If they don’t renew my contracts, I stop! If nobody wants me what would I do? I guess I would just go sailing for fun. If I am only fighting just to stay in the top ten this year then maybe I will stop, I don’t know. I really want to develop the foil movement. I want to push to go as fast as possible. The guys from F4 are very motivated as well and they are putting in a lot of effort to move foiling forwards. You never know, maybe this will be a new direction for me. Foiling is amazing! The other day I was in the harbour in Maui trying to go up and downwind and it was incredible how it was working. The conditions were very light with a few stronger gusts. I was on my 7.8 and I was flying! It is totally different to windsurfing. It is like 3D! You can go left, right, up or down! It can be hard as well. If you want to push you work your arms very hard. You really need to be strong to foil full power in light wind. Everybody does foiling now, even the optimist sailing boats. Slalom has a lot of impact on your legs in the chop. The foil is so good for your legs. You don’t get tired since you are just gliding! I think a lot of people want to try it, even the kiters.
WINNING
If I do the tour I am there to win! That is why I compete! It is about winning and also the financial rewards of course. People ask me why I don’t stop competing. There is not so much money in windsurfing as in the golden years. Sports like football and tennis they get paid a fortune at the top. I have contracts to windsurf and that is how I pay my bills. Windsurfing is how I make my money. If I stop now I still need to pay for my house so I would have to find a job and work! It is the same for everybody that is why it is so competitive these days. I am still there at the top right now so let’s see what happens this season. The business is tough and it is difficult to keep your sponsors. I am lucky because I have a solid reputation in France. Even if I don’t win again it will not erase all my world titles. Every time I go sailing I realize I am the oldest guy! Matteo Iachino and Pierre Mortefon are both 27 and I am nearly twenty years older! I am still competitive with them and this is great! For them it is hard to keep up with the older guy!
