Mauritius Magic

Down-the-line heaven with Leon Jamaer in Mauritius

Leon Jamaer (Flikka / NeilPryde) has recently been spending some time out in Mauritius where he scored some memorable conditions - the highlights of which you can see @ https://youtu.be/0U4Q0zsLHaI. You can also read a little catchup with Leon below:

Why did you decide to head over to Mauritius?

I planned to get away with my girlfriend and seven month old daughter after the season and asked for parental leave at work. Initially we planned to go to Maui but the prices for cars, accommodation and so on just didn’t make any sense to us. At the same time, my friend David Jeschke convinced me to come to Mauritius. He has been going there the last six years and told me about the world class down-the-line conditions, warm weather and easy going lifestyle. It turned out to be the best decision as we could combine family life with some memorable windsurf sessions. 

Looks like you are riding consistent at the moment, what gear are you using?

I was using the Neilpryde Combat in 4.7 and 5.0 - two sizes were easily enough. I am really used to the Combat and don’t need to think about the sail on the wave. Flikka made me a bigger and slightly stretched version of the board I used in Pozo and Sylt. It has enough volume to float in almost zero wind, but is agile enough so I feel comfortable at the critical part of the wave. I played a lot with trim and fin setup to maximise the potential of the board. Mauritius with its laboratory-like conditions was perfect to feel the small differences.

How have you found to move to Flikka boards?

After 8 years on JP boards I felt I needed a new feeling under my feet. With Flikka I found new motivation in working with a brand that breathes windsurfing and builds really good boards that help me improve and be ready for the world cups. On top, their handmade construction really makes a difference when it comes to weight-strength-ratio and quality of all the details like boxes, inserts or footpads. I prefer to take only a few boards on trips and competitions, which I know well and I can really trust, rather than taking lots of sizes and backup boards. So far it has been really fun to test many different shapes and work on boards that work best for me. 

Do you have any plans for this winter?

I probably won’t escape the European winter too much. I hope I will get some good sessions in Denmark where I didn’t sail much this year. I will also have an eye on the Atlantic storms and can hopefully do some strike missions. I would love to go to Ireland at some point, but you never know at which place it comes together. If the PWA is going to resume in Cape Verde in February / March I want to be ready. The 2009 Cape Verde event was before I entered the tour and this years event our daughter was born the same time. It is a lifetime goal to compete in Ponta Preta with pumping conditions and the best riders in the world!

Thanks, Leon.