Surf Today Windsurfing

Antoine Albeau accelerated to victory at the 2017 Catalunya PWA World Cup, in Spain.

The French rocket, 44, proved he will not be distracted from his world title goals by putting out a commanding performance in the warm waters of the Mediterranea Sea.

This time, the winds allowed eight races, and Albeau won three. In the foil division, he took three out of five bullets.

Jono Dunnett plans to be the first windsurfer to sail down Europe's Atlantic coastline.

The British windsurfer believes it will take him two years to complete the 9,320-mile (15,000 kilometers) adventure in European waters. His planned route includes around 20 different countries.

Dunnett, 43, kicked off his solo and unsupported journey at Grense Jacobselv, in Norway's Barents Sea, on May 16, 2017. He expects to conclude his "Windsurf Round Europe" project near the Russia/Ukraine border, on the Black Sea, by May 2019.

Paul Hengstebeck is a windsurfing veteran. Back in the 1970s, he was one of the first filmmakers to capture the early days of the Original Windsurfer.

"The Wonderful Wacky World of Windsurfing" is a hidden gem that should be watched by sailors of all generations. You'll laugh and be amazed at what you'll witness.

The 17-minute movie produced by Hengstebeck invites us to take a trip into the good old days when gear was something you built, not something you bought.

Julien Quentel and Sarah-Quita Offringa have taken out the Fly! ANA PWA World Cup, in Japan.

The world's best slalom windsurfers returned to the Land of the Rising Sun for the first time in 24 years, and the fans were there to cheer them up.

This time, the hydrofoils were the weapon of choice in light wind conditions. Quentel, 30, pushed harder in the starts was aggressive around the marks - the strategy paid off.

Boujmaa Guilloul has taken out the 2017 Morocco Spot X, at Moulay, in Morocco.

The second stop on the International Windsurfing Tour saw some of the world's best wave sailors competing in the waves of Morocco's Atlantic coastline.

Moulay is a famous windsurfing reef break located 30 minutes north of Essaouira. The spot gets a side-shore wind that blows almost all year-round.

Louis Giard and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka have been crowned the 2017 RS:X European Windsurfing champions, in Marseille, France.

The event attracted 265 senior and youth sailors, and the final day of races saw the new competition format take over - 12 windsurfers in the quarters, six riders in the semis, and three windsurfers in the final.

In the Senior Women's division, the ultimate six-minute race put Klepacka against Stefania Elfutina and Hei Man Chan.

Amado Vrieswijk and Vincent Langer have taken out the first of stage of the 2017 IFCA Grand Prix Series, in Neusiedl am See, Austria.

The International Funboard Class Association (IFCA) has revamped its game and is attracting new riders with a four-stage pro/am format and stops in Austria, Italy, Croatia, and Mauritius.

The first event had shifting wind conditions, but sailors were able to compete in the necessary heats to crown champions. It was also the first stage of the season for the European Freestyle Pro Tour.

A group of Japanese windsurfers and scientists have teamed up to develop a gadget that will track and analyze sail handling.

The Japan Windsurfing Association, Fujitsu, and Lapis Semiconductor Co are testing an Internet of Things (IoT) based device equipped with an accelerometer, gyrometer, and geomagnetic unit that can simultaneously record GPS and data across nine-axes.

Project Windsurfing Lab attaches the sensor to a windsurfing sail and transforms the sailor's behavior in the water into visual 3D models and graphs of the movements of the sail.

Levi Siver has become the first ever person to go snow windsurfing in a mountain.

The sailor from Maui, Hawaii, went windsurfing in the snowy slopes of Rishiri, a volcanic island located off the coast of Hokkaido, in Japan.

"The concept came from an imagination of taking the windsurfing feeling out of its element and bringing it to the mountains, and significantly recreate the same sensation in the snow," reveals Levi Siver.

Despite the tricky wind conditions, the Aruban windsurfer was able to raise the women's trophy at the Ulsan PWA World Cup 2017, in Jinha Beach, South Korea.

The gods of the wind decided they wouldn't cooperate with the opening event of the PWA World Tour season. After five days of waiting, the men's event was canceled, and only the women were able to race for podium positions.

"I'm feeling more relieved that happy, actually. Jinha is a tough place because you never really know what you're going to get. Today, the wind unexpectedly picked up really strong and then kept going up and down," explained Offringa.

Louis Giard and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka have taken out the gold medals at Sailing's World Cup Series in Hyères, France.

The French RS:X windsurfer continues his winning streak with another solid performance in home waters. Despite a shaky start, Giard kept his composure and improved his results throughout the regatta.

"It's another win for me after Miami. It was a tough week with difficult conditions, but I'm super happy to win this classic Olympic sailing event for the first time," explained Giard.

Louis Giard and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka have taken out the gold medals at Sailing's World Cup Series in Hyères, France.

The French RS:X windsurfer continues his winning streak with another solid performance in home waters. Despite a shaky start, Giard kept his composure and improved his results throughout the regatta.

"It's another win for me after Miami. It was a tough week with difficult conditions, but I'm super happy to win this classic Olympic sailing event for the first time," explained Giard.

Windsurfing offers multiple sailing opportunities. You can go free riding in a flat water lake or hit the ocean for a wave sailing session. As with everything in water sports, there's a specific rig for each kind of windsurfing discipline.

Sails are made of mylar, mono-film or dacron, and feature battens. If you're buying a new rig, make sure you get a sail that suits your needs.

Most often, windsurfers use sail between 5 and 8 square meters, depending on the wind conditions. Whether you're going for speed records or jumping high in the air, you should be lightly powered.

Windsurfing offers multiple sailing opportunities. You can go free riding in a flat water lake or hit the ocean for a wave sailing session. As with everything in water sports, there's a specific rig for each kind of windsurfing discipline.

Sails are made of mylar, mono-film or dacron, and feature battens. If you're buying a new rig, make sure you get a sail that suits your needs.

Most often, windsurfers use sail between 5 and 8 square meters, depending on the wind conditions. Whether you're going for speed records or jumping high in the air, you should be lightly powered.

Squalls are extremely recurrent wind events with unpredictable consequences. They frequently occur in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

A squall is a sudden, sharp, and violent increase in wind speed that is commonly associated with torrential rains showers, snow, or thunderstorms.

Squalls are accompanied by drastic and substantial changes in the cloud patterns, cold fronts, and severe weather events. They can last for several minutes and may produce large waves.

Squalls are extremely recurrent wind events with unpredictable consequences. They frequently occur in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

A squall is a sudden, sharp, and violent increase in wind speed that is commonly associated with torrential rains showers, snow, or thunderstorms.

Squalls are accompanied by drastic and substantial changes in the cloud patterns, cold fronts, and severe weather events. They can last for several minutes and may produce large waves.

Tyson Poor stormed the 2017 Makani Fins Long Distance Race, in North Carolina.

The OBX Windsurfing Festival welcomed sailors of all skill levels and ages for a grueling endurance race. Athletes were spoiled with warm weather and southwest winds in the 20-25 knots range.

No less than 178 windsurfers battled it out in two 20-kilometer long distance races, in near perfect conditions on the glassy Pamlico Sound.

Tyson Poor stormed the 2017 Makani Fins Long Distance Race, in North Carolina.

The OBX Windsurfing Festival welcomed sailors of all skill levels and ages for a grueling endurance race. Athletes were spoiled with warm weather and southwest winds in the 20-25 knots range.

No less than 178 windsurfers battled it out in two 20-kilometer long distance races, in near perfect conditions on the glassy Pamlico Sound.

If you're a dedicated wave windsurfer, Tahiti will change your life. Charles Vandemeulebroucke is already living the dream at Teahupoo, Vairao and Maoti.

He was born and raised in Dunkerque, France, close to Wissant, a famous windsurfing spot. Vandemeulebroucke started windsurfing at 13 on a lake, and then to ocean waves. He moved to Tahiti five years ago. Initially, he planned to stay for a month, but he never got back to Europe.

"Living at Teahupoo, I work as physiotherapist and osteopathic practitioner and have my own business not far from here for three years. Since then, life is about not working too much, and enjoying minutes on the water," says Vandemeulebroucke, also known as Charlieboy.

If you're a dedicated wave windsurfer, Tahiti will change your life. Charles Vandemeulebroucke is already living the dream at Teahupoo, Vairao and Maoti.

He was born and raised in Dunkerque, France, close to Wissant, a famous windsurfing spot. Vandemeulebroucke started windsurfing at 13 on a lake, and then to ocean waves. He moved to Tahiti five years ago. Initially, he planned to stay for a month, but he never got back to Europe.

"Living at Teahupoo, I work as physiotherapist and osteopathic practitioner and have my own business not far from here for three years. Since then, life is about not working too much, and enjoying minutes on the water," says Vandemeulebroucke, also known as Charlieboy.