The story of the school
Seven Winds is a watersports school that I founded in 2025. It's a project that began two years earlier, but whose roots undoubtedly go back many years further. If you're curious to find out more, and you've got a little time, here's my story about the sea, the wind, windsurfing and everything else that rides on water.
I should warn you, I'm quite talkative, so if you want the short version, skip straight to 2023 😉
I was born in 1977 near Bordeaux. Windsurfing had emerged nine years earlier, spearheaded by James Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer. For this sport, 1977 was a year of incredible progress : the advent of footstraps, harnesses, 1stofficially recognised speed record (17.1 knots !) and a German arriving in Hawaii with a craft that doesn't float when stationary and allows you to surf and jump – the dawn of a revolution !
For my part, I waited until I was 15, in 1992, to discover windsurfing during a summer course at the Bordeaux-Lake sailing club. Without really knowing why, I was immediately hooked and borrowed some old equipment from a friend of my father to start sailing in the ocean, sheltered by the Île d'Oléron, during holidays in Ronce-les-Bains (17). Windsurfing allowed me to escape from family meals that sometimes dragged on forever and take advantage of the slightest breeze to go out on the water. Escape and freedom were my first motivations.
In 1993, my mother was persuaded and bought me a real board and modern rigging. We found this Bic Rumba 310 Ace-tech and Décat rigging with a 5m² monofilm sail at Décathlon. My 1st quiver ! It was with this gear that I discovered my first planing and waterstarts, which I learned on my own, without any YouTube tutorials, near the oyster beds of the Seudre estuary.
In 1995, at the age of 18, I left Gironde to study engineering at the Alès School of Mines. I had already figured out how long it would take to get to the Mediterranean and the coastal ponds. I joined the school's windsurfing club and discovered funboarding on Tiga Wave or Slalom 270 boards, as well as the Tramontana gusts that often knocked me flat. My friend Cédric and I would load up the Polo as soon as the tree branches started moving a little too much and head for the Ponant, the Ingril lake, or the bay of Grau-du-Roi, in front of Marc's shop, Surf Loisirs. For three years, we organised beginner's days for the school's students and discovered the wild bay of Beauduc.
Avril 98 : 1st windsurfing trip to Tarifa, departing from Alès. We only have eight days, so we're driving through the night to make the most of it. Levante and Poniente winds are on the agenda for this Easter holiday !
Summer 98, during an internship in Normandy, I got my 1st board without a daggerboard, a Bic Saxo 265, second-hand of course. I found this beauty in a surf shop in Le Havre ; it would accompany me for five years.
September 98, off to Ireland for my final year of studies as part of an ERASMUS exchange programme. It was a year of epic sessions in the Irish Sea, but also on the west coast, with the DCU (Dublin City University) Windsurfing Club. When, in February 1999, I introduced a charming girl from Alsace to the sport at Malahide Estuary, I had no idea that we would still be together 25 years later... yet her motivation to windsurf with me in the middle of the Irish winter should have given me a clue. In April of the same year, I completed my 1st jibe on a Bic Vivace 270.
Summer 99 : Another trip to Tarifa with Cédric, which we ended up extending to Morocco and Essaouira, Sidi Kaouki and Moulay. I love this combination of discovering a country and windsurfing in new places.
2000, it's time to get to work. I have my engineering degree, but none of my internships made me want to pursue this career, at least not in the large industrial groups where I did my internships. I already realise that my career won't be my priority. I was looking for a balance between social recognition, enough money to live comfortably, and free time for my friends, family, and hobbies. Already a loyal customer, I earned my first salary as a department manager at a Decathlon store in St-Jean-de-Védas in the Hérault region. Taking advantage of the 35-hour working week reform, I threw myself into this professional challenge while freeing up half-days to go windsurfing on the coast, from Carro to Gruissan.
2001 : I discovered kitesurfing during a course at Fil d'Air, in Mèze, on the Thau lagoon.
April 2001, I must have read an article in Planchemag : I am leaving to do my national service as a Technical Aid Volunteer (VAT) in New Caledonia. This marked the beginning of 16 months of discovery in this magnificent Pacific archipelago. From Anse Vata to Poé, from Magenta to Ténia, I took advantage of this paradise lagoon to sail as often as possible. Thank you, Jean-Phi, for those sailing trips to the lagoon's islets, where we took my custom MW before enjoying grilled lobsters.
Summer 2002, I paid a little extra for my return ticket to make a slight detour via... Hawaii... and Maui ! Five days in a station wagon with equipment hired locally to discover the Mecca of windsurfing, the island where all the photos in magazines at the time were taken. I didn't dare to go into the water at Hookipa, but I did sail at Kanaha, Sprecks and Kihei. Another dream come true.
2003, after returning to work at Décathtlon for a few months, I got a job that took us to Lille. The climate meant we only stayed in the north for four years, but we were less than an hour's drive from the sea, so it was fine. I took advantage of those years to surf the waves at Wissant and Wimereux, but also to travel and discover new surfing destinations in Egypt, Croatia, Corsica, Vietnam and South Africa.
2007, back to the south with a stop in Drôme, which inspired me to sail on the Rhône spots when the Mistral wind and the current forced me to tack hard to get back to the launch site. A change of career path with a switch to wind energy. Seeing these modern windmills at spots around the world made me want to learn more and contribute to their development. This marked the beginning of 15 rich and intense years spent working on these complex projects, which are driving energy transition, from Aveyron to Normandy, the Ardennes to Lozère, and Marie-Galante to La Désirade.
2010, during a trip to Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, I made good progress with kitesurfing and ended up buying some equipment. However, I remained hooked on windsurfing. That was also the year I took part in the Défi Wind in Gruissan for the 1st time, an extraordinary competition that brings together enthusiasts from all over the world on the same starting line. Since then, I've enjoyed going back almost every year to compete with my mates, but also and above all for the atmosphere in the car park and on the water, and to catch up with all my windsurfing friends who I only see once a year in Gruissan City. And then it was the start of five very enjoyable years searching for the best spots with the van I had converted : Ti'Punch !
2015, after seven years working in wind and solar energy, a trip made us want to go back to living on the islands. However, we had just bought a house in Pérols, near Montpellier, and our 2th daughter had just been born. Nevertheless, we left the region and moved to Guadeloupe, where we stayed for three years. The spots for windsurfing (Les Salines), kitesurfing (Bois-Jo) and surfing (Petit Havre) were between 5 and 15 minutes from the house. From the terrace, we could see the outline of Marie-Galante, where I often went, as well as La Désirade, to develop repowering projects aimed at replacing old wind turbines with fewer, more powerful models. My eldest daughter takes her first steps in planing with me, then learns to tack and jibe on her own board in Sainte-Anne. I also take advantage of these years to travel around the Caribbean and windsurf in Barbados, at Brian Talma's, and kitesurf in the Grenadines, not far from Jack Sparrow !
2018, back to school ! En tout cas, retour en métropole où nous retrouvons notre maison à Pérols ainsi que de nouveaux jobs, toujours dans les énergies renouvelables me concernant. Pour partager ma passion pour la mer et le vent avec ma petite famille, je déniche un dériveur, un laser 2000, Ti’Mouss, sur lequel nous vivons quelques moments sympas dans le Golfe d’Aigues-Mortes.
2022, my girlfriend suggested we take advantage of the emergence of wingfoiling to take up a new sport together. So we started with a few lessons in Gruissan, Port-Saint Louis, Le Ponant and Leucate. Then we treated ourselves to a convertible wingfoil/windfoil board and a 5m2 Swing from F-One. She really enjoyed watching me fall during my 1st flights.
2023 was a turning point in the story. After 15 years in renewable energy, I left the sector, and when a friend asked me what I wanted to do next, I spontaneously replied, ‘Start a windsurfing club!’. I had often said or thought this, but I never believed it would happen. For me, it was a utopia, a sweet but unattainable dream. Except that this time, a little voice inside me whispered something like, ‘What if you did it ?’
So I did some research and realised that I had a few things going for me : I live near the sea and lakes, I'm a decent windsurfer, I have some skills in kitesurfing, dinghy sailing and a little bit of wingfoiling, and above all, I have time. I talk to my 'France Travail' advisor and start with a week of professional immersion at Julien and Caro Taboulet's Wesh Center Crew in Le Goulet, Leucate. The aim is to make sure I'm not under any illusions about the job of windsurfing instructor and club manager. I was welcomed by a great team and helped out the club's instructors, Clemens and Yaya, who took me under their wing and made me really want to get started. Seeing the trainees smile as they learned to plane for the first time and being outdoors, in contact with nature and the elements, did me a world of good.
September 2023, thanks to Marie-Claire, then director of the Mèze Yacht Club (YCM), and Camille, an instructor, I joined the club and prepared for the BPJEPS entrance exams by sailing daily for nearly three months on a catamaran (Hobie 16) and windsurfing (Techno 293). During these three months, I achieved level 3 in dinghy sailing, level 4 in catamaran sailing and level 5 in windsurfing. However, I still had to pass the selection tests in November. There were 26 candidates for 16 places. I gave it my all and succeeded! I will therefore be part of the 2024 BPJEPS Multi-Support Sailing (VMS) class !
With Alan, Antoine, Axel, Cameron, Clara, Damien, David, Dune, Hadrien, Jean, Maxime, Milo and Tim, we are having a great year in 2024 ! For several of them, who are already instructors because they hold a CQP (Certificate of Professional Qualification) or are excellent in their field because they are high-level competitors, the training may be a little less intensive. But for me, I have everything to learn. From driving a motorboat (even though I had a licence) to teaching, from repairing equipment to preparing and leading a training session, everything is new, difficult and exciting.
The instructors at the sailing schools in Cap d'Agde, Carnon and Mèze prepare us for the various UC (credit units) that we validate between July and November. I am also spending a season as a trainee instructor at the Mauguio Carnon Yacht Club, where I have been a member since 2019. As part of this, I am working on a mobile wingfoil project to offer our trainees the opportunity to sail at other nearby spots that are more suited to their progress, depending on the wind and sea conditions. In particular, I am organising three wingfoil days on the Ponant lagoon, a spot particularly suited to beginners, with its side-shore wind from the tramontana (north-west) or marin (south-east) and its moderate summer thermals that bring riders back to the beach.
Diplômé en janvier 2025, je m’inspire de ce projet, qui, associé à mon idée de départ, me donne envie d’orienter la création de mon école vers ce sport enthousiasmant, qui mélange anciens planchistes et kitesurfers, mais aussi de nouveaux venus dans l’univers des sports de glisse, qui débutent directement en wing. Toujours windsurfer dans l’âme, j’ajoute la possibilité de prendre des cours débutants en planche à voile, mais aussi celle de louer du matériel plus performant, pour les initiés. Enfin, pour les périodes de pétole, l’école propose des demi-journées en paddle hors des sentiers battus, sur des itinéraires originaux entre rivières et étangs de la région ainsi que des sessions de foil tracté, au départ du port de Pérols.
Seven Winds, école itinérante de wingfoil, windsurf et paddle, a ouvert en avril 2025. La première saison a été passionnante. La suite reste à écrire, avec vous.