TRISTAN ALGRET
I really enjoy high wind sailing, even if I don’t get to sail these conditions much at home. The adrenaline is twice as much as normal slalom because you have to be aware of more parameters as a crash can come really quickly. It’s exciting to race in strong wind conditions because everybody is on their limits, you think you are close to death, but at the end of the race when you come back to the beach and you talk with the other guys it’s the same for them as well. Sotavento is one of the best and also the hardest places in the world for slalom racing, you need a lot of experience there to get a good result. Sometimes it can be flat, sometimes choppy and wavy, but it’s always fun. As I’m taller than most of the other guys, I really need control and comfort in chop. Personally I use long harness lines with more space between each line and increase the stance between the footstraps for more control. I always use a 32 cm fin on my 90 litre Starboard Isonic, it may be slower but it has a lot of ‘grab’ and control. Off the water I focus on leg strength because we need a strong ‘sitting’ position to absorb the chop! In the gym I use principally my body weight and the “KO8 suspension and resistance training system”, working on my legs and coordination.
“ I focus on leg strength.”