Defi WIND 2025

Starting a windsurfing race with 1399 others must be something! Does it feel like rush hour on the highway? Is it like skiing at peak season? Or is it a suicide mission? On a hot windless Saturday in Gruissan, Justine Lemeteyer (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) explains how to experience a good Defi from the start and how to extract yourself from the pack.

What is more impressive, a rabbit start at the Defi or a PWA Slalom Foil final with all the top guns?

Justine Lemeteyer: "The rabbit start, definitely! The boat goes up the line at 40 knots of speed and it’s hard to time your start with so many riders around. And that’s something you can’t really practice! To have a good start, you have to mark your position early in the run up and slow down on your foil as much as possible until it’s time to accelerate. If you are behind, there’s a thick curtain of sails with dirty wind and you get stuck. Once the boat is gone, be careful over the wake of its massive engine, give all the gas only then. So far, my tactic always paid off.

Once you gybe mark 1 you are now facing more than a thousand sails. How can you deal with that?

Justine Lemeteyer: "First thing, you are now port tack. You have to keep clear. A new kind of slalom starts toward the next mark, 10km away. The wind is also well disturbed by so many sails. Some of them are stopped, they formed a group, you have to pump to keep the flight on your foil. Afterward, the fleet stretches out and it becomes easier."

Do you see your opponents on the course or are you lost?

Justine Lemeteyer: "The last time we officially competed, i was fighting with Marion Mortefon (Patrik/Patrik) and Delphine Cousin. All in all, we approach the first mark in the same group of riders. Races after races, we somehow have each other in sight. And that applies to all level."

What is the best memory you can get form the Defi?

Justine Lemeteyer: "The Rabbit Start is by far the most exciting moment. You get a large rush of adrenaline when you are aiming for the boat end in a chaotic environment! Clearly something to experience in a windsurfer’s life!"

The wind didn't show up today, leaving time to the riders to visit the small town of Gruissan, enjoy a glimpse of summer on the beach, and release the lack of Tramontana’s frustration at the final live music party.