PIERRE MORTEFON: CONQUERING THE CANARIES!

When defending world champion Pierre Mortefon was forced to swap his perfectly dialled Phantom and FMX setup for new NeilPryde sails mid-season, it could have been a recipe for disaster. Instead, the French slalom ace turned the challenge into triumph, staying in the Canary Islands to master his new gear and storming to back-to-back event wins in Fuerteventura and Tenerife. We caught up with Pierre to uncover the formula behind his unstoppable run.

WINDSURF: How nervous were you having to start racing on NeilPryde sails after you were so tuned before with Phantom and FMX?

PM: “For sure it was not the best scenario when you are fully tuned, But I had to change gear. First of all, it was cool to discuss a situation with the Pryde Team before the Fuerteventura event started. I wanted to solve the problem before the beginning of the races; to be sure to have efficient time between the event so I could get tunned on the new equipment.

I had a chance to try the sail right after Fuerteventura event with Robert Stroj, the sail designer from Pryde (He brought the sail to me personally). Then I decided to stay in the Canaries in between the events. I had a good team with me to help me discover the sail on the water and also spend time on the shore learning how to tune them. We had three days of training before Tenerife started. It was an efficient few days. I knew the sail were fast but for sure situation was not ideal. But I managed to start the event focussed and happy. It paid off with a victory on the inaugural race.”

WINDSURF: How did the sails work as a combo with your FMX boards…what sails did you ride in Tenerife…and what size boards and fins etc?

PM: “Before I made my choice on what sails I would choose; I had plenty of conversations with Finian Maynard from FMX. Neilpryde came out as the right choice they were working great with my boards which I knew were really fast. In Tenerife, I sailed 6.5m with 98L and 118L and 7.4m with the 118L during training. On racing days, I was just using 118L and the 7.4m. To go more in details with the fins I was using 33 FINISH fins on the 98L and 36 on the 118L.”

WINDSURF: How tough was the light wind racing out there in the swell and waves?

PM: “On one side it was good to finally race on medium board after two years of extreme strong wind. On the other side, it was sometimes very light and we would have normally raced with big boards and 8.5m in some of the conditions with the previous format.

Lighter wind is different; you have less space for mistakes and more of the other racers are as fast I would say. The gybe was super important and not easy. The sea and swell riding was super important and it was good to use the swell and sometimes really hard too. Like I said before, last two years we were sailing in more than 30 knots every day and also, I think during our training at home when it’s 15/17 knots we are often on foil. We were just not really ready to race in such light wind!”

WINDSURF: Did you feel like you were one of the fastest on the water?

PM: “I think I was. For sure to win an event on tour you have to be fast but sometimes the skills can be enough. I think this year I showed again my speed and also showed it can make different at crucial moments. On the other hand, I also had some great gybes around the mark (and some mistakes). What is super important and also what I am proud of, is that I was fast with every single combo I was sailing, in light, medium and strong wind.” 

WINDSURF: How important was reading the waves and swell at the gybes?

PM: “Reading the swell was more than 50% of gybe! What is not easy is that you can be the best at reading the conditions but if you arrive with the wrong timing under pressure sometimes you have no choice but to go… But yes, it was super important to use the wave on the gybes but also on straight line and during the build up to the starts.”

WINDSURF: You won both events in the Canary Islands…. what do you think is setting you apart from the competition…gear…skill…mental side…strength…??

PM: “It’s big puzzle where you need to place all those cards at the right place at the right moment! It’s not easy to win! I have now a lot of experience on dealing with all situations, on preparing for the race and during the event. It is all of these factors making the difference. I also have an important motivation because I am away from home and my little family for long period of time and I don’t want to do it for nothing. On top of that, I am loving what I am doing! Competing at the highest level is amazing.” 

WINDSURF: Do you wish you had more racing in Tenerife…we saw a few guys complaining?

PM: “For sure you always want more, especially when you want to climb in the rankings. We were not so lucky with the conditions and we also know that the Grand Slam events are always tricky in terms of organisation. We know in all honestly that the racing discipline always uses the less than perfect conditions of those weeks of competition. It has been like this since I am on tour and in Sylt for example many times we sailed the worst conditions, while the wave rider had the best ones. It’s like this and for sure it can be frustrating and I know the feeling.

Mixing disciplines is definitely not easy to organise. Maybe we could have squeezed in one more elimination in total. But again, a validated event with waves and racing discipline on the forecast we had before the event is something incredible.” 

WINDSURF: How happy are you to win in Tenerife…win the world title and do it two years in a row?

PM: “I am extremely happy and satisfied for various reasons! I think I sailed consistently all over the summer. I made few mistakes, but I sailed fast and dealt once again with some things out of my control. Once again, I love what I do, now it’s my world title number four and its back-to-back slalom titles! I am proud to offer happiness to my team, my family and sponsors who help me to be here now!” 

SOME QUOTES FROM SOCIAL MEDIA