Week 5 - Wind, Water, and New Challenges
May is really a great month because there are so many public holidays, which basically turns every week into a four-day workweek. I’m still mainly focused on creating different demos for different projects. One of the applications is a dashboard-style web app that demonstrates automation observability and human-in-the-loop workflow resolution in the healthcare industry. Another project is quite similar, but targeted toward public service work such as repairs, installations, and plumbing. There is also an AI-powered support QA platform and a commercial intelligence platform for fruit and vegetable distributors. I’m guessing most of these demos are intended for local businesses since they are all very region-specific.
The funny part is that this week the startup office was almost completely empty. I guess many French people combine their annual vacation days with public holidays to create very long weekends.
Still, I was really looking forward to the weekend too, because I planned on trying something completely new.
Breeze in the Face
Since I’m in southern France during one of the best windy seasons of the year, I felt like I had to try a new sport — especially a water sport. So I found Alan online, a local coach for windsurfing, surfing, and skateboarding. Well, I guess once someone masters one board sport, they can probably learn all of them.
Luckily, on May 1st the weather was perfect: strong wind, warm sunshine, and water that was not too cold. We met at the Étang de Leucate, a large saltwater lagoon near the sea. The lake is famous for wind sports, so there were many windsurfers and wing foilers already out on the water.
Alan provided everything I needed: the windsurf board, sail, wetsuit, and of course a lot of patience and a very friendly teaching style.
I also wore sand shoes for the lesson, although many people prefer going barefoot. To begin with, he explained the different parts of the board and rig: the board itself, the mast, boom, sail, fin, deck, and the universal joint connecting the rig to the board.
Then he taught me the correct standing position. The key is to keep your knees slightly bent, stay relaxed, and always look forward instead of down at your feet. Once I moved into deeper water, I had to lower the dagger fin vertically for more stability and easier upwind control.
One very important thing I learned early was how to pull up the sail correctly. Instead of using arm strength, you should lean back slightly and use your body weight and gravity to lift the sail — otherwise your arms get exhausted immediately.
Windsurfing in the Étang de Leucate
For beginners, the first goal is not speed, but balance and controlling the direction. You start by slowly steering the sail to catch the wind. Pulling the sail closer to your body makes the board move faster, while opening the sail reduces power and slows you down. Small movements already make a huge difference.
At first I was a bit overwhelmed and panicked slightly because of the balancing, but once I started getting the hang of it, it became incredibly fun. Alan also explained how important the sail angle is relative to the wind. You should never position the sail completely against the wind, otherwise you can easily drift far away and spend the rest of the day paddling back to shore.
Once I became comfortable with standing and moving, the next step was learning how to turn. To turn the board, you first shift your weight slightly onto the back foot, then tilt the sail carefully while stepping around the mast and switching your foot position at the same time. Sounds simple — but coordinating everything together was another story.
For a second I completely lost coordination, and then plush — straight into the water.
I must say, the lagoon water is even saltier than seawater. Luckily, the water there is very calm with almost no waves, so getting back onto the board was much easier than I expected. Honestly, after falling once, I suddenly became much less scared. I realized that even if I fall, it’s totally manageable and I can recover quickly.
And somehow, right after that, everything started clicking.
On my next turn, I did it perfectly and suddenly I was riding the wind smoothly all the way toward the other shore. Alan cheered for me and shouted that now it was time to relax, sing, and just enjoy the breeze.
I was honestly so proud of myself.
A New Summer Mission
There goes my first windsurfing experience, and I have to say — after my winter passion for skiing, I think I’ve found my new summer mission: learning windsurfing.
I will definitely sign up for a proper course once I’m back in Berlin. I already did some research and found that there are surf schools at Wannsee offering lessons there too.
Apparently, trying a sport like this really boosts your adrenaline, and I still had way too much energy afterward. So after a quick break, I drove to a karting track nearby and had a little Mario Kart experience to cool down.
The Windiest Spot in France
The entire weekend had perfect weather for wind sports, so I also drove to one of the windiest spots in France to watch the experienced windsurfers and kitesurfers there.
Pretty cool, huh?
On the drive back, I even spotted the mini van of windsurfing world champion Antoine Albeau. I think he was probably there for training too.