“I spent more time in the water than in the air…” Discovering the flying boat in Quiberon Bay
The meeting is fixed at 9 am, in front of the Nautical Society of La Trinité-sur-Mer (56). Nicolas Neilde, coach for the year, welcomes me with a smile. The boat made available to me by the club is a Waszp, a “low-cost” version of the Mach 2 – much more expensive (€20,000) and, above all, much more fragile – used by the competitors. My boat still costs nearly €15,000, but its maintenance is much less expensive.
As fast as it is unstable
After about twenty minutes to prepare the boat, here we are at sea. The force of the wind is reasonable, ten to fifteen knots, or 20 km/h. The body of water looks like a lake, perfect conditions to fly this machine as fast as it is unstable. I listen to the advice of my coach of the day, then it’s time to jump into the deep end. I can tell from his crooked smile that he knows what awaits me.
It’s an unprecedented navigation experience, which is close to a tightrope walker’s performance as the slightest mistake costs you a nice crash
Barely a foot on board and I almost capsize. I learned to sail on classic dinghies, that has nothing to do with it. Was at 22, that’s rude. Once more or less comfortable on the boat, it’s time to inflate the sail and tack. The first meters are laborious but, in a few seconds, the lift does its job and I rise about fifty centimeters. It’s an unprecedented navigation experience, which is close to a tightrope walker’s performance as the slightest error costs you a nice crash.
Indescribable feeling of freedom
I have to admit, during these two hours of navigation, I spent more time in the water than in the air… Repeated desalination hits the energy reserves, and after about thirty minutes , I am washed out. Nicolas’ tips allow me to make beautiful tacks at nearly fifteen knots. Overlooking the bay of Quiberon at this speed provides an indescribable feeling of freedom, and the repeated efforts are worth the effort. After two hours of sliding, you have to return to port. My back and my thighs will bear the scars of this navigation for two or three days, but the memories bought by the latter will remain etched in my mind for many years, I am sure.
Price: €160 for 2 hours of navigation. Mastering the foil requires a good level of navigation and a correct physical condition. The SNT also offers double foil sailing, accompanied by an instructor