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WINDSURF NEWS BULLETIN: DEFI WIND, FIJI AND POZO!

Well…the weather has been uber hot lately here in the UK, so it has been a useful time to rest and catch up with normal life…you know, jobs, families, mowing the lawn etc. But fear not… the charts are finally starting to look spicy again and there’s a fresh batch of wind brewing for next week. Which is good news, because it’s about time we fired up a news bulletin as the windsurfing world definitely hasn’t been sitting still.

So, what’s coming up? We have some fun facts from absolutely nuclear Defi Wind and a first-hand report on what it is like to run the start boat in front of 1500 windsurfers. We also look ahead to Fiji and the legendary Cloudbreak where some of the sailors will be living the dream aboard their own personal catamaran. And just around the corner we have Pozo…the first major wave event in the Canary Islands which will no doubt be spectacular!

Photos: Jean Marc Cornu Defi Wind…WWT / Fish Bowl Diaries…PWA / Carter

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 INSANE DEFI WIND

After two years of relatively light winds the 2026 Defi wind made up for lost time with nuking winds for the windsurfing window. In the fin division, Nico Prien took the victory after a brutal week of high-speed racing, while Amado Vrieswijk absolutely stole the show on the foil!

And honestly, every time you watch those Defi starts, with 1,500 windsurfers charging flat-out towards the rabbit start you have to wonder how nobody gets completely steamrolled.

Which got us thinking… what is it actually like sitting in the start boat while an entire floating city of windsurfers comes directly at you at 30 knots?

We caught up with Race Director Frank Roguet to find out what goes through his mind during those legendary starts… and whether he’s secretly considering a career change every single timethe countdown is triggered.

FRANK ROGUET:

ONBOARD THE DEFI WIND RABBIT BOAT

“This year’s Defi was the 24th edition. Philippe Bru and I did all of them plus some special editions such as Defi Superstars (invitational with top athletes & big prize money in Japan, St Tropez and Gruissan). We also ran smaller versions as part of the Defi World Series (Bonaire, Miyako Island and more). We never missed a start!

A quarter of a century ago, when we first decided to run that crazy way of windsurfing mass start, we had less than a hundred participants. To be Frank, we were shitting in our pants! The pressure onboard the rabbit boat was immense. Some said we lost our head. We may have at that time, but it became a success that kept growing. If it does represent lots of excitement for the riders, it is also a unique feeling for the limited crew onboard the opening vessel, a mix of stress, pressure and adrenaline.

I remember feeling a massive pressure decades ago from the start of the 60 minutes countdown on stage, at the skipper’s meeting, until the full length of the starting line is open. We are now well experienced. The good thing is our event starts with 3 days of Defi Kite with a small fleet of 350 kitesurfers. The stakes are different, obviously the kite lines and the unpredictable power can be of a serious potential danger but the mass is ‘small’.

We follow with 650 wingers which means 650 riders on a foil all together! Who would have thought this would not be lethal some seasons ago? Running the Defi Wing is the easiest of all three disciplines: the fleet is slower, more compact with a great potential to catch up upwind if needed. Wingers don’t suffer wind shifts as much as windsurfers do. There again, opening the start-line shows a different equation: foilers can’t really stall their momentum perched over their gear.

Then comes the real Defi, the cherry on the cake, Defi WIND! Defi WIND reaches another level: 1350 windsurfers, pros, amateurs, teenagers, grandpas, mums, freeriders, wave-riders, slalom-sailors, foilers, windsurfer LT and vintage equipment to next year’s gear! That is a lot, that is noisy, flashy and that covers a non-stop stretch of 10 km of sails. With so many people together on the same starting line, the 1 hour opening briefing is key to success for a safe start. It is dangerous, we keep mentioning it, but it delivers a huge rush of adrenaline when things go right…

This year, with a solid forecast of three days of strong Tramontana, we somehow felt stressless. The packed crowd of racers in front of us at the opening skipper’s meeting showed a growing desire to compete while the wind broke the 35 knots barrier. Despite the challenges, our well experienced team was ready to handle what will be an epic weekend of racing. When the 60 minutes countdown began, racers started to run everywhere to get ready, Philippe and I were unusually in total relaxation. We had a drink, some time to chat with friends or with TV crews, before heading to our boat 20 minutes prior to the line opening.

The rabbit boat is 7 meters long rib powered by 2 x 250 horsepower engines. It is fast and manoeuvrable. Everybody has its position onboard. Philippe is behind the wheel, our mechanic Cyril who makes sures the engines run at their top stands on starboard tack, I am as Principle Race Officer on the left side of Philippe. We have one goal: to open the starting line sharp on time at zero at the pin end mark, going all the way upwind to the other side of a 900 meters start line.

If we take it easy in the last 15 minutes, we still have a professional eye on the conditions and on the fleet. We are focussed and confident. The last minute shows a shift in our concentration. No one is allowed to speak beside me. Eyes wide open, check: no one on the wrong side of the course, the racers are lining up on our right. 30 seconds, all clear, 20 seconds, the fleet of a thousand angry windsurfers approaches.

10 seconds. We are getting speed. The final countdown is on. 3, 2, 1, GO. We free the riders, the pros are the first to shoot out at the pin, it is rough but they are not late. Philippe is full gas at about 35 knots of speed, he aims at the top of the line. It takes approximately 45 seconds to cover the distance. No one speaks. We are in silence all the way up. Sails are passing by, dealing with our wake. Sometime very close. Philippe keeps his line from pin to top of the line, ready to move aside if a rider pushes too hard. Philippe is a player and well precise on his route. We may do a tiny zigzag to avoid collision. We reach the top, the line is wide open, the pressure goes down. Let’s enjoy the race and keep an eye on safety.

If this year’s rabbit starts were mostly clear out of the 5 races, with Amado Vrieswijk smashing the line on time, we’ve had to stop the rabbit course once over 24 editions. Halfway through the line, one amateur started blindly, realised he was early and pointed upwind. It was already too late. We drew a curve away to kiss his board with our hull. We stopped the engines in emergency mode and got covered by 500 sails eventually starting without seeing the rabbit boat! The guy water started without even understanding what just happened, sailed away… and never came back!

Another year, Pieter Bijl had the closest shave ever: the Dutch racer hit the tail end of the boat and catapulted into the wake! On a few occasions, a racer is way too early, some meters away from the pack. There’s no turning back. The rabbit boat will have to squeeze his way between that escaped sailor and the mass. It was the case this year. A quick look to identify the guilty person who is disqualified, and who’s going to have hard time at the following skipper’s meeting, having the choice of 25 push ups on stage or a round of beer for all participants!”

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SOME DEFI WIND FUN STATS

We have also put together a few fun Defi wind stats from these years epic event!

Total riders across three disciplines: 2500

Equipment from 62 brands competed!

Sailors from 50 countries and 5 continents competed!

WINDSURFING

Distance Covered

1,500 riders × 200km each (Not everyone completed every race!) 

= 300,000km sailed

That’s:

Around 7.5 times around the Earth

Nearly 80% of the distance to the Moon

Total Kit Value on the Beach (Conservative!)

If every sailor brought:

3 rigs minimum

Approximate value per rider: €5,000

Then:

1,500 sailors × €5,000

= €7.5 million worth of equipment

TOTAL GYBES

3 per rider per race! 1500 x 3 x 5 = 22,500 gybes! 

ENTRY FEES!

2500 x €200 (average) = €500,000

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FIJI SURF PRO UPGRADED TO 4-STAR CHALLENGER WORLD CUP ON THE WORLD WAVE TOUR

The WWT four-star event at Cloudbreak Fiji is just around the corner and some of the worlds best wave sailors have already arrived in Fiji to get dialled in. We heard Morgan Noireaux, Antoine Martin and Camille Juban are really living the dream this year and have even rented their own catamaran for the event duration. We asked Simeon Glasson, WWT Commissioner to give us the lowdown on what they have planned for the event window which will be the 6^th to the 14^th of June.

“Simeon: I can say it’s a joy to be bringing the tour back to Fiji, returning to Cloudbreak, having full access and use of the tower. We have incredible riders registered for a 4-Star event and it’s going to be a very high standard. Cloudbreak is one of the most iconic waves in the world, and Fiji has always held a special place in the history of professional wave sailing. Upgrading the Fiji Surf Pro to a 4-Star Challenger World Cup is another important step in building the global tour and giving athletes another world-class event where they can earn major ranking points. With the support of Fiji Surf Co, Tourism Fiji, our village partners, and the incredible local community, we’re excited to bring the World Wave Tour back to Cloudbreak.”

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FINN MELLON

Finn Mellon arrived a few days early to Fiji to get dialled into the conditions. Here are his first impressions and what he has been up to so far! (We are not jealous honest!) 

“We have been in Fiji 3 days now, So far I am enjoying my time here, it’s a super relaxing place so far, the Fijian’s are extremely friendly and always spreading good vibes. The place is place is beautiful, The water is turquoise blue and super warm. I think it’s possibly the warmest water I have been in, think it’s 28 degrees at the moment.

Today Takuma Sugi and I went on our first trip to Cloudbreak. It’s a pretty long ride in the boat from the mainland, from Nadi it takes about 40 minutes to get there, and costs about 200 euro per day for the boat. We collected Baptise Clorec and Cape Town Photographer Maleen on the way there. First impressions of Cloudbreak was that when its small there is zero room for getting stuck in front of the wave, its straight onto the reef which is full of uneven big coral heads.

The line up is actually smaller than I had expected from watching surf films and contests here. We had no wind today so we didn’t even bring our windsurf gear unfortunately. Looks like we have a nice bit of swell coming towards the mid point of the event window, the next few days look flat and wind wise It’s looking pretty windless looking ahead unfortunately, fingers crossed things improve, at the moment the end of the event forecast looks like we could have 3 days of wind and swell.

Irish Windsurfer Jony price who lives here now has said it’s been a slow start to the season for normal trade winds that you can usually windsurf. Fingers crossed the wind forecast improves a little bit but hey it’s hard to complain when we are living in a paradise like this, While its not windy Takuma, Baptise and I have planned to do some fishing, snorkelling and plenty of surfing!”

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Event Overview

Event: Fiji Surf Pro

Tour: World Wave Tour — 4-Star Challenger World Cup

Event Window: Saturday 6 – Sunday 14 June 2026

Competition Site: Cloudbreak, Fiji

Operations Base: Bayview Cove Resort

Guaranteed Athlete Revenue: USD $10,000

The event operates under a three-day exclusive permit at Cloudbreak, on the 3 best days win the window, with competition scheduled daily from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM — the hours when Fiji’s trade winds typically peak and Cloudbreak is at its most spectacular.

EVENT FORMAT

All competitors are on-call across the full nine-day window. When the forecast delivers, WWT activates its THREE-DAY exclusive permit at Cloudbreak, running HOUR LONG HEATS from 12pm to 6pm. Riders make their own travel bookings and plans – Bayview Cover Resort offers very competitive accommodation packages, and Fiji Surf Co offers competitive reef boat access options, but athletes are free to choose any accommodation and any means to get themselves out to the reef. Riders register online and pay a single simple Entry Fee of USD $300. Entries are UNLIMITED with ALL RIDERS WELCOME.

Fiji entry list: 4-STAR FIJI Surf Pro – Cloudbreak – World Wave Tour | Liveheats

DAY 1 — Qualifying Day

EVERY RIDER GETS ONE HOUR HEATS AT CLOUDBREAK ON DAY 1

Exclusive access to Cloudbreak. Media crews (drone, photography, press), jet ski safety, and break clearance teams on station. All riders welcome — no restrictions on numbers.

DAY 2 — Qualifying Day

EVERY RIDER GETS ONE HOUR HEATS AT CLOUDBREAK ON DAY 2

Exclusive access continues. All riders two sessions. Full media, jet ski safety, and break clearance in place. This session determines which surfers advance alongside the advance seeds into Finals Day. Masters, Junior U18, and Pro Junior U21 results are also scored from this day.

DAY 3 — FINALS DAY

BEST RIDERS FOR FINALS DAY

The elite field takes centre stage. Judges and full media on the WSL tower, jet ski safety on water. Finals Day draws:

• Men: 12 Advance Seeds (rolling world ranking) + 4 top Challenger riders = 16 Men
• Women: 6 Advance Seeds (rolling world ranking) + 2 top Challenger riders = 8 Women

Finals Day Heat Order: Men’s Quarters R1 (4 heats) → Women’s Semis R1 (2 heats) → Men’s Semis R1 (2 heats) → Women’s B-Final → Men’s B-Final → Women’s Final → Men’s Final

12 heats total. Plan A = 26 + 4 minute cycles. Single elimination with B-Final for both divisions. Head Judge has full discretion to adjust heat formats to suit conditions.

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GRAN CANARIA 2026

It sounds like Gran Canaria will be WWT event rather than a PWA event this year. We are not sure about all the behind-the-scenes politics of that but here is some of the PR from the WWT Hub Page: World Windsurf Tour – Official Rankings & Results

ON the WWT site it says:

Event: Gran Canaria GLORIA Windsurf World Cup

Dates: 4–12 July 2026

Location: Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria

Status: WWT 5-Star Major Event = 100% world ranking points

Here is the official information on the WWT Hub

The World Windsurf Tour (WWT) is thrilled to announce that registration is officially open for the Gran Canaria event. This is the first 5-Star Major of the European summer season. Athletes from around the globe can secure their spot now via WWT’s LiveHeats platform at

liveheats.com/events/490101

5-STAR GRAN CANARIA

Leading the charge as event organiser is none other than Björn Dunkerbeck…the legendary 42-times world champion and undisputed GOAT of the sport. Dunkerbeck’s involvement ensures the Gran Canaria event is run at the highest possible level, with the vision and standards that have defined his extraordinary career.

Björn Dunkerbeck, Event Organiser & 42x World Champion “Gran Canaria has everything, the wind, the waves, the atmosphere. We want every competitor to experience the best event of their season here.” 

This year, WWT is proud to deepen its partnership with the Girls On Tour initiative, the trailblazing programme led by pro rider Pauline Katz, dedicated to growing and elevating the women’s tour year on year. The collaboration reflects WWT’s ongoing commitment to making professional windsurfing bigger, more inclusive and more competitive for women at every level.

EVENT DETAILS

5-STAR GRAN CANARIA

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

https://www.liveheats.com/events/490101

Please note spots are strictly limited so enter now to secure your chance to shine.

Advance seed registration Closes Friday June 19 = two weeks before the event. Advance seeds are based on the world rolling ranking:

Top 28 men advance seeds.

Top 12 women advance seeds.

Challenger Registration

Open until Friday June 26th

Junior / Master Registration

Open until Friday June 26th

U13, U15, U18, U21

45+ and 55+

Event Head Judge

Pic Escribano

Lead Scoring Judge

Emi Galindo

Scoring Judges

Team from last 2 years

Athlete Rev-Share

WAVE Discipline

USD $40,000 – minimum

WWT Guaranteed distribution within 4 weeks of event end.

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 NO LUDERITZ IN 2026

The latest post from the Lüderitz Speed Challenge sadly states that there will be no event in 2026 but they should be back in 2027…disappointing news from the speedsters planning their annual pilgrimage to Namibia!

Pete Davis commented: “The official reason is Raffi the organiser since 2017 has had some difficulties locally and his license for the National Park where the event is held has run out and they are making him jump through a lot of hoops to get a new license. There is also another organisation from Walvis Bay in Namibia who are trying to organise something in the bay not using a canal.”