Live Chat - Antoine Albeau
Antoine Albeau – 19 Times World Champion
Sail number : F-192
Height : 186 cm
Weight : 99.9 kg
Nationality : French
Residence : ile de Ré, west coast, France
Debut : 1994 on the World Tour
Website : antoinealbeau.com
Sponsors: RRD, NeilPryde, Quicksilver, Ford Autovital
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Thank you for all your questions. Antoine has offered to come back later and answer some of the questions that he hasn’t had a chance to do during the hour. We will post in news on the home page once he has done so.
You can always come back and view this chat by licking ‘LIVE Chat’ under the FORUM main menu.
So Antoine, if or when your racing career eventually comes to an end (and Bjorn is showing that this man not be any time soon….) what would you like to do? Coaching? Brand development? Or leaving the industry?
Big big thanks to Antoine and all the people for such great questions
Hello Antoine,
just a quick one – do you aware of the mast problems NP has with the current X100 models ?
I only need to know if there is something changing ?
Thanks in advance
Berni
Antoine, I am not a heavy guy (only 64kg wet), but I still enjoy my slalom days out there on the water. From your experience, what would be your top tip for the slalom gear, espcially the boards, for 15 to 30 knots weather. Thanks for promoting our sport!
OK so windsurfing is a really big part of your life…do you do anything else sport wise…. surf, mountain bike or pétanque?!!
Hi Antoine, you talk about all the accessories NP makes. I think most of them are great. I like the Variable Harness Lines. Which sieze are you using for Slalom? 28-34? Or are you also using the 24-30 for lightwind?
Wouldn’t it be beter to have 26-32 as size inbetween? Short enough for lightwind and long enough for rougher conditions.
Antoine, the big question has to be..now that Dave White is part of the RRD family, do you think that he could be a threat on your speed title challenges???
Would love to see you use your gps more and post on gpsss
perhap some of your slalom training sessions from around the world ? also it would be great to see all the worlds top speedsailors at one event like Namibia
Hi Stephen, I normally use all the time my Garmin in training but I never put my time online, I use it differently, I use it to see how fast I go on slalom gear, I am not trying to go as fast as I can on a day, that is why I don’t put it online
Antoine, you are a very successful, talented windsurfer and have made a name for yourself through years of top results. What do you think the amount of perhaps less talented windsurfers gaining sponsorship and promoting themselves without solid results to back this up?
It is hard for young to get sponsor and it no sponsor no money, no money no PWA, so it is hard to go on event and train all year long, but there are lots of guys, Cyril, Ben, Arnon, Ross, Julien etc
Hi Antoine,been using the 2010 JP 82 68 and 59 with rsr evo 3s and rs slalom mark 4,will getting a new 84, what rigging and running advice can you give regarding fins mast foot position and down haul out and how that varies between to 2 models of sail, also how are you finding the new x fires and how do they differ in the sailing technique required, thanks for your time,
Kind regards,Sam
I don’t want to tell you to get the RRD X Fire 129 but if I would be you I will do it no question, the boards are so much lighter in the feet you can’t beleave it, otherwise put a Hurricane 50 or 51 SS2 on the 84 JP
Humm good question, first I really like the construction of the X Fire which are in full carbon and they are really light as well, then I felt that is was good for me to have a new challenge, I went to Grosseto in Italy where RRD is and I saw that RRD is a BIG family and I like this, windsurfing is in there blood !!
I felt totally in it straight, I felt that I could do a lot and they are SO motivated to help me to get back the title, so I felt really confident and I am really sure they will get me all the possibility they have to help me to get the slalom title !!
Hi Antoine, I’m planning my next holidays and I’d like to try windsurf in Thailand or in some other countries near thailand. Any suggest for the best spots?
Hi Luca, I don’t know Thailand, but it depend what kind of sailing you want, Vietnam is a really good destination and if you want really strong wind go to Taiwan in Penghu island, wind is really strong oct, nov, dec
Hi Antoine, after some very successful years with JP what made you decide to switch to RRD? You had a lot of input into the development of the JP slalom boards, will you have the same with RRD or even more?
Hi Antoine, Are you married, and have children? And if so, how difficult is it juggling family with windsurfing all over the world?
preatty hard man, I am married but not for long, end of discution !!
Hi Antoine,congrats on all the titles! Im from southern Ireland,have you ever sailed in Ireland? And if so what did you think of it?
Hi John, yes I went to the event in Dingle for the Wave PWA event and it was great I love the place and I want to go again, so much different conditions day by day, you have a really good place there !!
I see your home spot is on the ile de Re, which beach is the best flat water sailing on the island?
Hi Mark, it depend of the wind, but in sea breeze condition which is north west, you have to come at my windsurfing school in La Couarde, south beach, it is quite flat and you can just go upwind and you will find some really flat spot, otherwise you go in high tide on the other side La Couarde Nord, it is a bay with of shore wind and it s totally flat
Thanks for that Antoine, i hope to plan a trip there in the summer as my father now lives near La Rochelle.
Hi Antoine, does a set of sails last you the entire year or do you change them through the season or for major competitions?
I have 2 set of sails, I try them all at the beginning of the season and then I try to use the same set for no important event and I keep on set only for the PWA
Hi Antoine, how would you compare current slalom board designs to those of maybe 3 years ago?
the boards change slowly and specialy the construction is going different, light stiffer, this is the most change but the shape is changing also, the type of cuts out in the tail are the most change, we try to have less and less dragg
are you planning changing sail sponsor soon
Hi Simon, I don’t think I will change sponsors, we are making the best sails with NP and you also have to look at all the equipment “accastillage” NP make, extention, booms mast, harness lines etc, everything is well tested and you can use in competition or simply free sailing with absolutly no problem
Antoine, I do not see Deboichet stickers on your sails anymore. Will you be using another brand of Fins this year? Which?
Yes Deboichet stopped making fins few years ago, now I am trying all the brand and I use the best one I feel in different condition, I normaly use Hurricane, Kashy, Gasoil, and now I just received some Z
Did Deboichet stop making fins? That is news for me. I always thought that they were still making them, but development seem to have stopped.
Hi Antoine,
Do you think that when windsurfing companies are trying to sell gear that graphics on a board are half as important as the design of the board or not at all?
Hi FJ, yes there are lots of brands who are working on design than shape, but I can insure you as a good sailor I never do this and RRD is in the same focus than me, shape and feeling on the water will be before the design !!
Great answers! Thanks a million!
Hi Antoine, What board are you using for the title in formula?
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hi antoine, i am a similar height and weight to you, i wondered what volume wave board you use for wave sailing in non competition environment in average F5 wind?
Hi John, I use 100L wave board most of the time I sail waves, form the 6.2 to the 5.4, it is so nice to have a wide board with flatability, then when I do to the 5.0 and down I use 92/95L, the new type of wave boards now are so nice to ride than we can use bigger boards than before
Why aren’t you and some other PWA pro’s sharing GPS results on www . It would be wunderfull to share your knowledge and performance with your fans and provides you another stage.
Hi Antoine, great that your are doing this chat session. I’m doing local slalom competitions. My biggest problem is gybing in hard wind: 7.0 and smaller sails. Chop/Wave are always causing problems. You never seem to mis any gybes. Any tips?
Hi Robert, the trick to always jibe good in windy condition is that when you enter the jibe always pull your back hand to keep the sail close and then release it at the moment the sail will rotate completly, this is what you have to do and you will to it for sure
When are You going to switch to kitesurfing?
You know that’s the future. Right?
Hi Beny, not sure kite is the future, it is for sure complementary but not the future, in some condition it is nice to ride kite but in other windsurfing is way better you should try !
Hi Antoine, well done on so many World titles! Was wondering your thoughts on why Bjorn managed to take the title last year. Was it is equipment or something else? Good luck on getting it back again this year!
thanks Dunx, I don’t think that Bjorn has a better equipment, maybe in light wind my board was a bit small, but I think I had really bad luck on the Vietnam and Korea event, I lost the event on the last day in the last slalom and for less than half point and we don’t have so much event, it was really close, hope this year I will have more luck but for sure my equipment is better than last year
Where is your favorite place in the world to windsurf?
there are a lot of place nice for windsurfing, Maui, Mouméa, Tahiti, Caribean, ile de Ré, Turkey, Greece, every where there is sun palmtrees and girls on the beach !!! England in the summer !!
England..summer? What’s that then?!!
Hi Antoine, I’m 80kg x 182cm high. i want buy 2 or 3 xfire for 2012. but what’s the best choice?
well, i was thinking about 122, 114 and 98. (i go on the water from 10 to 25 knots in slalom). but is the 122 enough for super light wind with a 9meter? or better if i take the 129? (so the question is: what the different between the 129 and 122?)
last question: the 98 have a big range?also in strong condition? or better if i take the 90 liters with NP6.4?
thank you!!!
Hi Alex, no question take the 122, I just tried it well with Julien Quentel and even the 9.5 Evo4 fit the 122, so take the 122 as you light wind board, the simply different between thoses 2 boards is the width, one is 85 and the other 80, the 122 will be MUCH easier at the jibe for sure for you as you are 80kg, the 90 is a old shape and I will say that you should take the 98 as it is a new shape, the 98 is really easi to handle in strong wind with 6.4 and 5.8
Thank you!!!!!!
you are the best!!!!!
Antoine we have not heard much from you in terms of speed sailing for a while. There does seem to be a fair amount of new interest in speed…are you going to give it a go again or concentrate more on the slalom/formula racing?
Hi Erik, you know my sponsors as me in priority to win the Slalom Title and the Formula Title, so this is my focus, now the Canal where I did my speed record has no more budget to reopen the run, so I can’t go anymore, I really want to try and do the 50kts, I could go to Namibia but I didn’t because I was sure that the place was not ready yet, and it was good I didn’t go because the place wasn’t good for 50kts for windsurfer, I think I will go in october if they do a btter job preparing the place
How does it feel to go over 90km/h?
Hi Michel, feel really fast specially when on the canal you ride the run 1m from the side of the shore
Hi,
What size boards do you have as your wave board quiver, volume and widths?
GPS speedsailing seems to be having a resurgance, what do you think is holding back windsurfers speeds ? Why is 50knots such a barrier, and what could be done to push the boundaries ?
Thanks
Hi Antoine the sport is pretty well established with specialists in every discipline and the levels of the top pros are far and above the levels of the average man on the street. This means that promoting the sport is difficult as it seems to be beyond the reach of the man on the street. – looking a videos of the worlds best freestylers/wavesailors is great but it isn’t the reality of what you see on the beach. How do you think it’s best to promote the sport to get more people interested?
Also when are you going to visit Les Isles Anglo-Normandes /Channel Islands???
What’s your normal quiver of boards and sails for the PWA season?
I think I will use the 129 /114 / 98 in RRD X fire
for the sail I will use the NP EVO 4 9.5 / 8.6 / 7.8 / 7.0 / 6.4 / 5.8
Thanks, helps give an idea of what the pros use, helps to build a quiver for a mere mortal windsurfer.
As a 4th year industrial design student and keen windsurfer I am interested in the future of windsurfing design.
Personally what designs do you think we will see in the next 5 years?
Hi Fabian, this is hard to anwser you question because if we know already we would to it straight, development is always going step bu step with the money we can spend, for exemple with NP we are working on a new sail which I can’t talk about it, we start this development now but it might be ready in few years, for the board RRD I have also few ideas I need to talk with Aurelio the shape and see what we can do
Thanks!
Hey Antoine, Do you ever run coaching clinics on speed sailing? If so where and when?
Hi, no I didn’t but I want to start doing clinic, I might do a clinic in spring but it is hard to find 4/5 days free in my calendar, but for sure that is what I want to do to keep sailing and share my “savoir” !!
good news! Look forward to it.
What’s the best time of the year for windsurfing in Ile de Re? Had good wind there last June, is this normal?
Ile de Ré is really good in spring summer because we get a lot of sea breeze, so it is a really good place for slalom and freeride sailing, the wind blow from 8 to 20nds in the best days, after that you can get all the low pressure in automne with good swell
Thanks for that, heading back in June again!