Defi windsurfing race starts tomorrow

Back when my wife suggested we take a one year sabbatical in France, I had already started hatching a plan to try and experience the Defi wind 1,000 person windsurfing race. Now the first day of racing is only 18 hours away.

I got up this morning, checked out the wind online in Gruissan and it was blowing 30-50 knots. Wow. I loaded up the car with my rented slalom gear and started the 3 hour drive to Gruissan, site of the 11th annual Defi wind race. The signs on the highway were actually warning about Vent Violent!

Today was a windy day in France
(not my picture though, I was driving alone)

With my late start, a good but longish French lunch, and heavy traffic on the roads in advance of a 4 day long weekend, I arrived at the registration desk late in the afternoon. I got my lycra with my favourite number 810 on it. But I didn't decide to rig up for another test session.

I'm registered, I've got my Lycra and
I am looking forward to tomorrow!

There were around 80 people out practicing in the gusty offshore winds. And many more were in the parking lot rigging gear and setting up their campers and tents for the weekend. Wisely or lazily, I am going to save my energy for tomorrow and the following 3 days of possible racing. (Well, maybe the cold, rain and a lack of sleep after enjoying red wine at my French cooking class the night before were contributing factors too.)

Arriving in Gruissan feels like the first time that I arrived in the Gorge or Maui. You don't feel so alone as a windsurfing enthusiast. There are cars with boards stacked on their roofs, campers with windsurfing stickers on the back, and a huge variety of gear trailers. There also seem to be a lot of sponsored team riders here. License plates are from all over Europe, and apparently over 20 countries are represented including Peru! I'm looking forward to seeing if there are other Canadians.

The town of Gruissan is a beautiful French resort town, with nearby vineyards, marinas, a small convention centre, a huge beach-front, and plenty of flowers. It is listed as one of the Villes Fleuris because of the care taken to add flora and fauna to the streetscapes. Gruissan also has the ruins of a 13th century château/fort nearby. This weekend it is all about the windsurfing though, even the big screen municipal announcement board was showing video footage of last year's Defi as I drove into town.

I hope to be able to report about a completed 40k race tomorrow.

The Gruissan beach and Race central in the background