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TIREE 2026: THE BEN PROFFITT MASTERCLASS!

The voice of windsurfing does his talking on the water!

Ben Proffitt arrived at the 2026 Tiree Wave Classic with one main objective: collect some valuable Masters World Title points. What followed was rather more than he bargained for. From winning the masters, to battling savage 50-knot winds against the world’s best and taking fourth in the WWT / PWA 4 star event, Ben showed he still has plenty of firepower when the commentary mic is switched off. And just when he thought his week was done, he faced a new generation of British talent, eventually overcoming 16-year-old Eddie Maclean in a gripping super final to claim the UK title. We caught up with the voice of windsurfing to get the inside story on a remarkable week in Tiree.

Photos: John Carter…Click any image to enlarge or scroll!

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WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Tiree 2026. Were you planning to come all along, or was it a last-minute decision?

BEN PROFFITT: “I was actually planning to come last year, but then the forecast didn’t pan out. I thought, “Oh, f**k it, I can’t come for that forecast!”

This year, when Rhosneigr didn’t happen, I thought, “Yeah, OK, I’ve got to go to Tiree.” I had to break it to the Mrs. that I was going to be away even longer after Sylt! And then Jayne from O’Shea also said, “Look, we’ll pay.” That was enough for me! O’Shea wanted to get Marc Paré and me to Tiree, so they chipped in towards the expenses, which made it an easier decision!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Did you plan to come to compete in all three events?

BEN PROFFITT: “I didn’t realise there was going to be a separate British competition. I thought it was just going to be the Tiree Wave Classic, a four-star event. I’ve always had a good history here and liked competing on Tiree. The conditions suit me: you don’t know what you’re going to get, and you often get a lot of down-the-line sailing. I like being on the island anyway.

This year, I’d also said to myself, “OK, maybe you should try to win the Masters World Title.” There were Masters points available at this four-star event. I don’t particularly want to be in the Masters and take it away from the guys who normally compete in it, but I thought the points might be useful. To be honest, I don’t really know how the World Title works, even though I’m now going to Chile to compete in the masters!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: How easy was it to organise the trip?

BEN PROFFITT: “This has been the most Hollywood trip I’ve ever done! O’Shea supplied some wetsuits and clothes, and Simmer brought all the production gear: my Flywaves and all the sails I use at home. I literally flew in like a Hollywood movie star with one bag, although my flight was cancelled, which is another story!

It was pretty mad. It felt weird being on the island without my own car or gear, though. Getting dropped off at beaches and then having Paré leave me there for the whole day wasn’t ideal!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: So not having your independence, and not having your gear wherever and whenever you wanted it, was a pain?

BEN PROFFITT: “Don’t get me wrong, I had everything. I’ve used every board: the 78L, 84L, 90L and 98L Flywaves. I’ve used pretty much every sail size, from 5.3m down to 3.7m… We’ve had a crazy week!

But it felt weird not having my own van. On Tiree, it’s nice to share and it’s fun, but I definitely like having my independence.”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: You were staying with Marc Paré and Marino Gil, weren’t you?

BEN PROFFITT: “O’Shea paid for the hire car, so Mark flew into Edinburgh, hired a van and gave Marino Gil and Vicente, the Chilean guy, a lift. I was sharing with them, but we kicked Marino out, even though he had his gear, and he went to share with Dieter. Then Vicente, Mark and I had a house together.”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: What was it like living with Paré?

BEN PROFFITT: “It was pretty funny, actually. Vicente’s a good cook and doesn’t mind cooking. I don’t mind cooking either. Paré’s all right, let’s put it that way, but he’s got his routines! In the morning, he has to have his coffee, eggs and bacon. That’s it. Non-negotiable!

One day, I had to be at the beach pretty early for the Masters. Mark dropped me off and then had to go back to the house to get his routine going again. I’ve stayed with Mark a lot over the years. I’m like the dad character!”

WARMING UP FOR BATTLE

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: It’s hard to remember exactly what happened each day, but we started with two warm-up days. The first day was Crossapol and then Balevullin in the evening, where Mark was going off. Talk us through that…

BEN PROFFITT: “I think we had two warm-up days. The first was Balevullin, a north-westerly day. It was pretty good at times, but I hadn’t really sailed much. We haven’t had a great season in Portugal recently and in the Canaries I’d mostly been commentating and only going out for my heats. I was a bit rusty.

I went out for the first run and everything felt wrong. I couldn’t bottom turn. After about 20 minutes, I thought, “Right, I’m just going to push into this turn.” I did, the board flipped over, and I looked at my fins. They were literally hanging out of the boxes! I’d realised I hadn’t even screwed them in.

I don’t know how they hadn’t fallen out. I just pulled them out with my hands, put them in my wetsuit, came in and tightened them up. Not a great start!

Marc Paré was definitely the standout during the warm-up days. He was absolutely on fire. Everyone was thinking, “Oh, shit!” He looked amazing on starboard tack.

The second warm-up day was Crossapol, which was really fun but super windy, maybe 3.7m conditions. It was clean, and it felt really nice just to get back into sailing. Paré was doing sick air takas, landing back in the face of the wave. It was almost impossible to get an aerial back because it was so windy.

In the afternoon, the tide came in and the conditions cleaned up a bit. The wind dropped, and I was on my small board, but it was still good. I was thinking, “This trip’s already been worth it.” You’ve had two good sessions, there’s still a week left, and the forecast looks good. You think, “Wow, this place is amazing!””

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Then we moved on to the Masters at Balevullin, which got pretty wild and windy, didn’t it?

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah. I got dropped off at the beach that day with my gear. As I was taking my kit out of the car, I was doing one of those stupid things all windsurfers do. I thought, “Do I need a 3.7m? No, I don’t need a 3.7m, I don’t need the 340 mast.”

All I had to do was take it out of the car and put it on the grass with the rest of my gear, but I looked at it and thought I didn’t need it. Typically, I rigged a 5.3m and 5.0m and we went all the way down to 4m that day. I ended up stacked on a 4m!

I phoned Paré and asked, “Where are you, dude? Are you coming to the beach?”

He said, “No, we’re still at the house.”

I thought, “OK, that’s it. I’m just going to die on a 4m!” I was really struggling, but luckily it didn’t get too crazy after that.

That was a hard day for me. If I had to pick my least favourite conditions, it would be those: cross-onshore, starboard tack, chunky and messy. I wasn’t enjoying it, to be fair.

It was difficult for everyone, but it was also stressful because, in theory, my level should be above the guys in the Masters. But they were pretty good, and I wasn’t sailing my best. I could easily have lost, which wouldn’t have felt great.

In other conditions, I’d go in 100% confident in my own ability. But on starboard tack, you’ve got to get a jump, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do two jumps. The waves were weird and hard to read. It was tricky!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Were you happy to win, though?

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah! That’s why I came: to get the points. I wasn’t so bothered about the conditions, but I thought the Masters points might be useful for the World Title.

That was job done already. I felt like I’d ticked the box. “OK, we’re done. Move on!””

BIG WEDNESDAY: 50 KNOTS AND NO TURNING BACK

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: The next day was Big Wednesday. What were your first impressions when you saw the beach?

BEN PROFFITT: “Big Wednesday was coming from a mile away. We’d seen that forecast a week out, and I thought, “Well, it’s not going to stay like that.” But it did! The direction and wind strength stayed exactly the same, which was crazy.

The forecast said 50 knots and everyone was talking about going to Balevullin. I thought there was no way they’d run it there. It would be too offshore, too windy and too crazy. I assumed we’d end up at The Maze, which is more cross-shore jumping.

I didn’t know if I wanted to be jumping in 50 knots at my age! In a competition, you’ve really got to push yourself, so I was looking at my phone that morning, waiting for the call. When it came through for Balevullin, I thought, “Oh, Jesus, we’re going!”

We drove down to the beach, and the first set came through. It was howling, probably 35–40 knots, and it looked death on a stick. I was thinking, “Oh my God, what am I going to do out there?”

But what a call! People don’t realise what’s involved in making a decision like that when you’ve got so many competitors, live-stream television and everything else to consider. It’s a big call because, if you get it wrong, you’re going to get shit. If you get it right, everyone says nothing!

I’m pretty impressed they made that call. It was 100% the right decision because I saw some of the best sailing I’ve seen for ages.

When you get those clean waves, guys like Koester and Paré were absolutely ripping. Paré went out for the warm-up and smashed it. It was really impressive to watch, and it gave you a glimpse of what was possible.

You thought, “OK, it’s doable. He’s already proved it. We’ve got to go out there and battle it out.”

Again, though, I’d already won the Masters, so I was kind of happy whatever happened.

I only rigged one sail, which in hindsight could have gone horribly wrong. If I’d broken a mast or something, I didn’t really have any backup. I took out my 78L Flywave, which is my favourite board, and a 3.7m…Koester was on a 3.7m too.

It was so bloody windy that it was hard to bottom turn, but every so often there were holes in the wind, which you needed on the wave. Then you could get some pretty good rides.

It was hardcore. I don’t think you can tell from the videos how crazy it felt out there. Sometimes the sail was just shaking and you couldn’t even sheet in!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: You caused an upset by beating Marino, which changed the seedings and put him up against Koester!”

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah. Again, the pressure was off me. I like those conditions. I spent years sailing in Cape Town in that sort of wind, but we’d never had an event on tour where you could use those conditions. In all my years on tour, we’d never had a down-the-line, port-tack event like that. Never!

I was thinking, “I’m going there every year!” I would have loved to have had a tour like this back then.

In the heat against Marino, I felt pretty good. I thought it was easy to get a bit out of sync, and perhaps he wasn’t quite in sync either. I was pretty chuffed to get through, although I didn’t realise I’d won the heat until I saw the draw.

That meant I’d taken over Marino’s seeding. I ended up with Bubble in the next round, while Marino was pushed into a heat against Koester. If I’d finished second, I would have had Koester, and that could have been a whole different ball game.

So, I caused this whole ripple effect of problems! Marino then took out Koester because he kicked off the heat like an absolute king. Koester was a bit out of sync and never really found his rhythm again.

Looking at the guys who were sailing well that day, Paré was ripping, Koester was ripping, and Miguel took a bit of time to warm up but became really strong towards the end!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: You ended up in the losers’ final against Mark Pare…

BEN PROFFITT: “Well, I had Marino again first, because I had to beat him to make the final. I didn’t have a great heat, but towards the end I landed a goiter and a few other things. I thought, “You never know, I could still do this!” Making the final would have been ridiculous, but I didn’t manage it.

Then I had Mark in the runners-up final. It was a bit anticlimactic because he was in a pretty bad mood by that point. He’d lost, and he was obviously disappointed because he’d been sailing well enough to win.

I thought, “Maybe I can beat him if he’s in a rage!” I actually had a pretty good heat, and I was close to landing another goiter. I was happy with my performance.

Once I reached the top four, I was already happy. But I felt I needed something else, perhaps a better wave. The Marino heat was the one that annoyed me because it was so windy. I should probably have rigged a 3.4m I think a smaller sail would have helped!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Miguel eventually came out on top, which was a bit of a surprise?

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah, but I watched the heat between him and Mark, and it was close. I thought Miguel just got it because he had a longer wave. Mark had some of the better stuff, but you’ve got to ride the whole wave.

Miguel seemed to get better waves that gave him more opportunities, and, as I said, I thought he got stronger throughout the competition!”

ONE MORE BATTLE: THE BRITISH TITLE

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: The next day, we turned up at Crossapol, and the conditions were actually half decent…

BEN PROFFITT: “By that point, I was absolutely broken! After the Masters, we’d spent the whole day standing around waiting for one heat against Mark. Then the wind dropped and it was cancelled. I was knackered and cold, and I could hardly sail by the end of the day.

Then we had the main event, and I’d done another whole day. I was dead.

When I woke up for the British pros, I honestly didn’t think I was going to compete. I thought, “I’ve got fourth, I’ve won the Masters, I’m dead!”

But I went down to the beach anyway. Mark had gone home, so once again I got dropped off. I looked at the conditions, though, and they looked fun. Crossapol was quite soft and down the line. I like those conditions because they’re tactical, so I thought, “Whatever, let’s get in!”

I rigged up and got into it. I felt really comfortable at Crossapol, and the gear was working nicely. I used the 90L board and a 5m Simmer carbon sail, which I’m really liking.

It’s been interesting this week because I’ve been using other people’s gear. I’ve had a few carbon sails and a few normal ones, and the carbon one feels bloody good, I have to say.

I felt I could read the better waves, and they weren’t always the biggest ones. The bigger waves weren’t really working. There was a weird-shaped wave that pushed up to the side and gave you a longer ride.

I felt I was one of the people who could pick the right waves. In those conditions, anyone can beat anyone if they get the right waves. It was pretty much all about wave selection, so that’s what I concentrated on!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: You probably wouldn’t have predicted that final, would you?

BEN PROFFITT: “No, no! I haven’t seen these boys sail much because I’ve been away from the UK scene.

It’s interesting because of the young guys coming through. Rory, especially, I remember when he first came to Tiree. I can always remember this kid. He won’t mind me saying this, but bloody hell, he could talk! He still can!

He was this little kid at a meet-and-greet in Scarnish, I think, asking all the questions. Now he’s in the final with me. It’s pretty cool to see that progression.

I’ve hardly seen Eddie Maclean either, because I’ve been away for seven years. The last time I saw him, he must have been about ten. He’s got a lot of confidence, and I spoke to him about it. He’d been sailing Crossapol for the previous two weeks, so he knew the spot and had a bit of a rhythm going. He’s light and was flying around while I was wobbling!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: It all went down to a super final in the end…

BEN PROFFITT: “For me, that was a bit frustrating because I thought, “F**k it, if there’s any chance I can lose, it’s in these conditions!” It was float-and-ride, and I wasn’t moving much.

In the single elimination, it was windier, and I could get my moves in. I felt I’d had a really good final and was pretty happy. I thought that was it, job done.

Then they ran the double elimination, and the conditions got worse. I was thinking, “Oh God!” Then we got the final against Eddie, and I was on the bigger gear. It just didn’t feel right on the wave. The wave was too soft for it, weirdly, so I needed the smaller setup, the 90L and the 5.0m to fit into the wave better.

I lost the first heat, and I knew I’d lost it. I was out of sync and hadn’t had a good one. I thought, “OK, just reset. You’ve still got to win this.”

I changed back to the gear that had worked earlier, even though it was lighter and meant I was wobbling around more. But when I was on the wave, I could do what I wanted.

In the final, I also made a more tactical switch. Once I knew I was ahead, I watched the waves and positioned myself carefully. It wasn’t my best-scoring heat, but I made sure I sat in the right place and stopped him getting onto the waves I thought were going to run.

I didn’t mind him having the bigger waves because they weren’t necessarily the best ones. They were difficult to get airs on because there wasn’t enough projection.”

THREE RESULTS AND ONE VERY SUCCESSFUL WEEK

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: So, at the end of the week, you’ve got first in the Masters, fourth in the mega WWT / PWA event and first in the British Championships.

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah! I’d say that’s a bloody successful week, and honestly, if you knew how little I’ve been sailing recently, it’s even better. I’ve been working, obviously I’ve got the kids when I’m at home, and we haven’t had good forecasts. I’ve hardly sailed at all, so I’ll take that!

I came to get the Masters points, and I thought it would be nice to come back to Tiree. I didn’t even know we’d be doing the British event. I thought that was a separate thing.

I just thought, “I’d like to come and maybe take down one of the PWA boys.” That was my goal: perhaps cause an upset. And I did! I caused that whole ripple effect that changed everything. Maybe Koester won’t thank me for that!

The British title was just the icing on the cake. But in that super final, I was thinking, “OK, Ben, this could go wrong. You could get beaten by the young kid now. You’ve got to make sure you nail this!””

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: When you phoned your wife, she must have been pretty happy. The family must have been delighted?

BEN PROFFITT: “Yeah, although she didn’t really have a clue what was going on as she was busy with the girls!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: OK!

BEN PROFFITT: “She was like, “What? What’s been going on?” But when she found out I had won, she was vert happy, and all the kids are stoked for their dad. It’s my daughter’s birthday on Saturday, which I’m going to be a bit late for. So, I’ve told her, her birthday is on Sunday, and we’re going to celebrate then. She doesn’t know!”

WINDSURF MAGAZINE: Perfect. Thanks very much, Ben.

BEN PROFFITT: “Cheers!”