“Everything started with a simple desire to go and visit Tahiti to visit my friend Baptiste Gossein. Baptiste is a French former pro windsurfer, one of the best of his generation, who had a bad fall at Teahupo’o surfing in 2009 that has confined him since to a wheelchair. Baptiste now lives in Tahiti and while he has returned to France a few times since his accident, my last visit to his Polynesian paradise was in 2005 and it was time for me to return. I have been thinking about it for years, but lack of time or means, meant I always had to postpone. This time, it felt right.
To make things interesting, I decided to take a Professional windsurfer with me so I could get some sick shots from the trip. The lucky pro comes from the north of France. It is not easy to get him out of his adored Wissant, but for Tahiti he didn’t hesitate long! Jules Denel will be my companion. For me he is more than just a rider. He is the worthy heir of the Baptiste Gossein generation or Julien Taboulet. Motivated, gifted, afraid of nothing, charmer, party animal. For me that is something very important. He has a personality, a style and burning desire to reach the highest level of our sport. It’s exactly what I am looking for.
I let him leave three days after me so that he can participate in the multiple festivities of the No Wind Défi Challenge 2017. Tahiti will help him to recover from multiple nights on the beer!