INTERVIEW: LIGHT-WIND ENTHUSIAST SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE

A year-round wing foiler on inland waters, Aurélien has turned light wind into his playground.

Used to riding in light winds and covering long distances, Aurélien, GONG ambassador, has made light wind a true discipline in its own right, where technique, finesse and equipment choices make all the difference.

From his setup to his take-off tips, he shares experience built over thousands of kilometres on the water, with one obsession: making the most of the slightest breath of wind.

In this interview, he shares his tips for getting the most out of it.

Wing foiler: Aurélien, GONG ambassador, on a HIPE Cruzader, Droid Light, HM100 mast and Veloce V3 Atmo front wing and stab.

What conditions do you encounter most often?

I mostly ride on Lake Geneva, sometimes on Lake Annecy to chase thermal breezes when there's nothing anywhere else, and for a month in summer not far from La Baule, with the occasional session on a small lake in Corrèze surrounded by trees. So I'd say around that famous worldwide average of 8 knots!

But Lake Geneva has plenty of surprises in store, with Joran, Vent Blanc and Bise winds, as well as violent storms. Since I do long-distance runs (upwind and downwind over 100 km round trips), I sometimes encounter very different and turbulent conditions, with everything that comes with them: chop that has travelled 30 km into wind-shadowed areas, pure flat water, and sometimes some good, steep, tightly spaced waves that Lake Geneva sailors know well!

What does a typical session look like for you?

As I ride all year round, covering between 2,000 and 2,500 km on the water each year, I encounter quite a range of conditions. First of all, water temperatures vary between 6°C and 26°C... We also get strong winds sometimes. Above an average of 25 knots, excluding gusts, I don't go foiling because I don't have the right gear and I don't think I have the level of commitment or technique to make the most of those conditions. Although I do enjoy sessions at sea in a steadier 25 knots.

Over the year, I'd say an average of 5 knots with very short gusts up to 9 knots are the conditions I encounter most regularly.

Wing foiler: Aurélien, GONG ambassador, on a HIPE Cruzader, Droid Light, HM100 mast and Veloce V3 Atmo front wing and stab.

What do you like about light wind?

Great question, it really makes you think! I see it as a discipline in its own right. But first you have to define what light wind actually is. And depending on the region and everyone's own criteria, opinions vary massively! For me, light wind is about making the most of the little nature gives us and creating your own apparent wind, like in land sailing. Above 20 knots, pretty much anything planes, flies or takes off... What I love about light wind is going 2 to 3 times faster than the wind, the physical commitment, optimising every movement, feeling the slightest change in the angle of attack of your wings, and having the right equipment.

What gear do you use?

For the board, I've got the one that makes the guys standing by their cars with their gear still in the boot, arms crossed waiting for the wind to pick up, say when I arrive fully rigged, "Oh, an inflatable... That sticks to the water, mate!". So yes, I ride a strapless HIPE Cruzader 7'0, but NO, it doesn't stick to the water, and I've tested hard boards too. I can flat start on Sirus 2XL and 3XL without any problem. I really don't see where it's supposed to stick to the water!! The volume distribution is actually very even, and I like that. Touchdowns? The lack of rails could cause some braking at speed, but since I ride an HM100 with 1.5° of rake, when I do touch down it's usually more towards the tail of the board and I bounce back up.

For the foil, I ride a Veloce FF V3 Atmo XL Team Series. I don't have an L. I go straight down to M and S because, in my opinion, conditions are never really "average". It's either light or it's blowing. I also have a Ypra Slalom M V3 for when I want to really send it on a beam reach.

I use a Veloce L monobloc stab for light wind and Slalom M and S stabs for everything else.

I chose the FF rather than the LW because take-off isn't the issue for me. If I can't take off, I can't manoeuvre. So glide comes first.

I chose an HM100 mast. I know that's unconventional with an XL. But I weigh 67 kg without gear and I don't jump. I've never felt any kind of lag under my feet. Bear in mind that in displacement mode, your foil is pointing down at 1.5°. But I love it and couldn't do without it. I already used my shim with the HM92. Probably the best investment-to-performance ratio (€ / result) you can get!

My rail setting is 8.5 to 9. Never less for me, even if others are at 6 or 7. I like having that front-foot pressure, a bit like skiing with pressure on the tongues of your boots. And it's so much better in jibes!

For the wing, I recently got to test the Droid Light 5.5 m². I'll be straight with you. When it came out, I thought it was just another kind of gimmick, only useful in light wind. It's simple, after 3 weeks, I don't want to give it back. It's a back-to-basics approach that I love. No unnecessary extras, no inertia, no flapping in the gusts... I take it when I want to stay local and just ride in a bucket hat or cap without overthinking things.

Riding upwind one-handed reminds me of my winter weekends in the mountains: I take the ski lift up, nice and easy. Then it's time for the descent. Combined with the Veloce Atmo, I have fun carving around and hunting for energy in the little bumps, with one or two hands. In 8 knots of light wind, holding the wing one-handed by the front of the boom is enough to make me feel maneuverable and free. Everything becomes simple and natural with this gear, it's crazy!

What's your technique for taking off?

My technique is all about being dynamic. You see too many riders holding their wings statically and just waiting for a gust.

I watch my GPS speed. Downwind or on a broad reach, I want to see 2.9 or 3 knots on the display. From there, I start a cyclic movement to feel the air load up in my wing. As soon as I feel some resistance, I start pumping with my legs. I push down on that front foot to almost sink the nose (remember the HIPE and its even volume distribution from nose to tail 😊), then as I release, it comes back up and boom, a little pressure on the back foot. When I push the nose down, I pump the wing from back to front, then raise the wing as the nose comes back up, as if the two were connected by a fishing line. And I keep going. Your heart rate climbs, it's hard, but you have to keep going throughout the unweighting phase and as you build speed. Just like an aircraft, you have to get through that threshold to accelerate. As I take off, I move my back foot forward to load the front a little more. Then you keep accelerating while continuing to pump, but more efficiently.

Do you have any tips to share for riding in light wind?

For manoeuvres, I do a Heineken jibe, but I adapt it depending on the wind strength. If it's ultra light, I lift my front hand high as my back hand passes behind me, so the wing loops and dives down during the rotation, giving it speed and therefore generating power as quickly as possible.

I attach a Dyneema leash to my harness. There's nothing worse in light wind than a coiled wrist leash hitting you in the face, wrapping itself around things, etc... I say that, but it took me 3 years to finally get rid of mine!

For Ultra Light Wind training: flat start! Get the 70 Alu in 19 mm if you're on a tight budget and pair it with the biggest Sirus. You'll improve your explosiveness, front-foot pressure, balance, cardio, endurance, etc... Basically, better than a CrossFit gym!

And let's be honest, sometimes I don't manage to take off in ultra light wind. So what? Never forget how lucky we are and how much fun it is simply to be out on the water, whatever your speed, budget or gear.

Wing foiler: Aurélien, GONG ambassador, on a HIPE Cruzader, Droid Light, HM100 mast and Veloce V3 Atmo front wing and stab.

What's your best memory from a light-wind session?

Pen Bé Bay at the beginning of August. Alone at 08:45 in a fading 7-8 knot north-easterly. I hear these really high-pitched squeals. Two bottlenose dolphins less than 10 metres behind me. Then around ten more all around me for 5 minutes. It was completely insane. The wind drops off dramatically. I know that if I touch down, taking off again will be difficult. I don't have my GoPro with me. Doesn't matter, I touch down and pull out my phone to film the last one in the pod.

I simply made my own luck by getting out on the water and flying in light wind!