Gaël Gautier | Destination Granville Land and Sea

To meet

Gaël

Gaël, 42, from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, first set foot on a windsurf at the age of 12.

My first board was a gift from my mom,” he says, “I’d say she’s the one who gave me the bug. “

With his baccalaureate in hand, Gaël set off on a 6-month trip to Japan, Morocco, China and Cape Verde. On his return, he enrolled in a training course to discover the sailing professions. He then went on to gain a series of certifications and qualifications: BPJEPS monovalent voile, unité complémentaire char à voile et canoë-Kayak, a DEJEPS, spécialité performance sportive mention voile, and a Brevet d’aptitude à la conduite des navires à voile (merchant navy). Gaël beganteaching sailing at the age of 22. He worked for UCPA in Aber Wrac’h, Espace voile Bréhal, ANH in Hauteville-sur-Mer and 8 Milles Nautic (currently) as manager of the Bréville-sur-Mer nautical base. During these 20 years ofteaching nautical activities, Gaël will host the Paris Boat Show for 9 years, and launch his company “Manche Wing Foil” in 2020 and 2021.

Lovers of sliding

and nature

For Gaël, developing new board sports activities is one of his main passions. Having projects, passing on and sharing are all part of his motivation. The activity Gaël supervises and practises most often is wingfoil*. On a personal level, Gaël practices wingfoil as a thrill-seeking activity, even in competition. He took part in the Défi Wing in Gruissan last May.

Défi Wing 2024 in Gruissan

His idol in the world of water sports is Robert Teriitehau, windsurfer, 7-time French champion and 3-time indoor world champion, and runner-up in all disciplines of funboard*(1995).

“He’s a French professional windsurfer who made me dream throughout my childhood, and he’s pushed the sport forward, he’s hyper innovative. “

Gliding moments

shared with family

His fondest memory, or memories, are the moments he shares with his family on the slopes.

“It’s a privilege to be able to share my passion with my wife and children. “

Treat yourself

first and foremost

For Gaël, the most important thing when starting out in water sports is to have fun. Today, he would like to do a Chausey > Granville downwind wind foil or supfoil downwind, i.e. surf with a foil but without a sail, using a paddle.

“In the future, I’d like to teach this new sport. “

Professionally, next September, Gaël will launch a competition section with young wingfoilers (11 – 15 years old) to take them on board for the Défi Wing in 2026 in Gruissan. When he’s not on the water – which is very rare – Gaël spends his time with his family and friends, tinkering and enjoying an aperitif – craft beer, of course! – [laughs].

His desire

travel

His travel plans include a trip to Fuerteventura with his wife, Charlotte, for water sports and, above all, wingfoil.

Its location

preferred

His favorite spot on Granville Terre et Mer is the beach at Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, where he has all his memories of sailing as a child.

Lexicon

* Wing foil: water sport in which the surfer rides a foil-equipped board towed by a wing. * Funboard: a variant of windsurfing for sailing exclusively with a planing board in an established wind.

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