François Gabart, French sailor, competitor and engineer known for his solo maritime crossings. Also one of our ambassadors, he has been using the Kujira foil for a few months now and was happy to answer some questions we had prepared for him. 

Thanks to François for giving us this interview! 

Do you remember the first time you sailed on a foil boat? What did you feel? 

The very first time was on a foil moth in Porlaf bay with Vincent Riou. It was awesome because Vincent set up the boat, so I had the sensations right away. 

What struck me was the absence of scratching noise and its acceleration ability which is just crazy! I immediately felt its huge potential. I remember thinking that sailing would never be the same, that these foils would change my life! At the time, I didn’t know how long it would take for it to really make an impact on ocean racing, but I knew we would get there no matter what. 

Later, I had the opportunity to test the Flying Phantom with Franck Cammas. Groupama had a prototype for America’s Cup tests and he offered me to sail it. 

I really loved it and sailed a lot with the Flying Phantom in 2014. It is different from the Moth, they are heavier and more complicated. Once up and foiling they offer impressive sensations, closer to what we can experience with an Ultim. It was really interesting to progress technically. 

How could you compare the feeling of surfing/ SUP/ wing foiling to what you experience on trimarans? 

What is amazing, is whether it is on a 30m boat or a less than 6ft SUP foil, the concept is the same: it is trying to fly and it is really exciting. The main difference is a notion of scale and inertia. 

Whether you ride on a SUP or wing, it is really light, literally and metaphorically. It is much easier in terms of transporting your gear, you can put it all in the trunk of your car and be ready to fly at any time. It is light, small and easy to use. 

When you sail a trimaran or a Flying Phantom it is much more complicated and mentally it is not the same pressure or constraints. 

Also, what you look for on a boat is harnessing the wind, on a SUP it is different, you are looking more for surfing and playing in the waves. 

What do you think about wing foiling? 

Wing foiling is a new sport which has increased the foiling playground boundaries and it makes taking flight more accessible. The growth potential and product development for this sport remains to be explored. 

Can you tell us about your first experience with the Kujira Foil?

This is magic, really outstanding! The first time I tried it, the conditions were difficult. I was wingfoiling and there was a lot of wind and swell, I have been really surprised by its capacity to accelerate and stay easy at high speed. It is very stable, I had fun trying it. 

It is quite funny when I think about it because the first time I went SUP foiling, it was with the very first generation of Takuma foils 5 years ago. I have been so hooked that I never did regular SUP or surf since. 

You had the opportunity to try the Efoil last year, what did you think of it? 

It is fun and very accessible. I think it is really good way to introduce the experience of foiling to a large number of people. I am well aware that it is not easy to fly in the wind with waves and even if the wing makes flying more accessible, there is nothing better than the Efoil to easily discover these sensations. 

Where are the most beautiful spots you've had the chance to foil?

We are lucky in Brittany to have a multitude of extraordinary spots and it is great to discover waves that have been there for thousands of years, and which thanks to the foil become a great playground. Waves that are too flat and not powerful enough can now be surfed on SUP and wing and I love the idea of discovering waves that have never been surfed before in my home spot in Brittany! There is no need to go to the end of the world! 

What are your projects for the future? 

I hope to be able to sail the M101 trimaran which is in construction and will be launched in June. With my team, we have been working for months and we have put so much energy into this project, I cannot wait to see what this boat is made of. It has been designed to fly offshore and I am sure that it will allow us to achieve extraordinary things. 

At the same time, we are working to give more meaning to our activity and to ensure that innovations and progress in ocean racing serve the maritime world. We are starting to develop interesting projects in this direction. We are building an electric foil catamaran, and I find it very interesting to develop products that can make flying accessible to a high number of people. In all this, I hope to have some time to sail with my new Kujira Foil. I just discovered its potential and it is very exciting.