What is a wingfoil rally

Wingfoiling has seen an explosive rise in recent years, often described as the fastest-growing watersport since windsurfing in the 1980s. Born from the fusion of kitesurfing and windsurfing, it offers a unique sensation of “flying” above the water, with a wing in your hands and a hydrofoil board beneath your feet. In this booming context, many advanced riders feel the need to go beyond simple back-and-forth sessions on their local spot. This is how the concept of the Wingfoil Rally was born: an itinerant wingfoil adventure, for those who want to break free from routine and transform their sessions into true expeditions.

Wingfoiling, a sport in full revolution

From freestyle to downwind – the evolution of the sport

In just a few years, wingfoiling has evolved tremendously in its practices. At first, the focus was mainly on freestyle (jumps, aerial tricks) and wave riding, with riders such as Balz Müller pushing the limits of creativity. In parallel, another side of wingfoil has emerged: long-distance downwind runs (crosswind or downwind). Each day, riders are pushing the boundaries of wingfoiling, whether in freestyle or on long-haul courses.

The search for adventure – why riders want more than a spot

This phenomenon is part of a broader quest for adventure among boardsport enthusiasts. Once the basics are mastered and first achievements accomplished, many riders feel the urge to explore new horizons. Downwind foiling has shifted from a technical niche into a way of exploring unknown waters and experiencing real journeys at sea.

In other disciplines, this thirst for adventure has already produced extraordinary challenges. In 2023, for example, two riders on SUP foils covered 300 km along the Brazilian coast between Fortaleza and Jericoacoara in four days, powered only by wind and waves. Such extreme expeditions highlight the attraction for long-distance trips. Similarly, quirky events like the Kraken Cup push the spirit of adventure to its limits: crews crossing the Indian Ocean on fragile wooden fishing boats, with no modern electronics. The message is clear: the goal is not pure performance or comfort, but the experience itself, the unknown, and the adrenaline of the journey.

Wingfoilers are fully part of this movement. They too dream of raids across islands, crossings between coasts, discovering places unreachable by road – in short, of living their sport as an exploration. The Wingfoil Rally is the natural response to this quest: offering wingfoilers an organized adventure, beyond the beaten path, yet accessible.

What makes it different from a classic sailing cruise?

At first glance, one might compare a Wingfoil Rally to a simple sailing cruise among the islands, with a few wingfoil sessions added on top. But in reality, the rally offers a completely different dimension: a unique blend of sport and exploration, routes designed specifically for foiling, and an immersive community experience that you won’t find in traditional charters.

A sporting and exploratory dimension

Unlike a leisure cruise where passengers simply drift from anchorage to anchorage in relaxation mode, the Wingfoil Rally requires active physical participation. Each stage is a sporting challenge: riding the wingfoil for several hours, managing effort and balance, reading the water and the wind. You are much more an actor than on a classic sailing trip. In this sense, the rally is closer to a nautical raid, similar to those that have existed in dinghy sailing or windsurfing for decades.

For example, the legendary Raid La Tranche – Île de Ré (in Vendée, France) has brought together hundreds of windsurfers for 40 years, on a 20 km course at sea. Leaving the coast and setting off offshore, riding formed swell, represents “a unique adventure… a physical, technical, and mental challenge” for participants. This taste for offshore adventure has always fascinated sporting sailors. Similarly, in Hobie Cats (small sports catamarans), enthusiasts have carried out incredible expeditions, such as a 1,000-mile journey along Greenland’s icy coasts in just two months, aboard an open catamaran with no cabin. These examples illustrate the spirit of exploration and pushing one’s limits – something a typical sailing cruise rarely provides.

The Wingfoil Rally follows in this tradition of nautical adventures while being more accessible. It allows intermediate/advanced riders to experience a sporting expedition without having to organize complex logistics themselves. Instead of just sunbathing on deck, you live every mile traveled, feeling the wind and ocean directly through your foil. This taste of expedition – blending travel and sport – is what distinguishes the rally from a simple tourist cruise.

Routes designed for foiling, not just sailing

Another major difference is that Wingfoil Rally itineraries are designed around the practice of foiling, not just around anchorages or tourist attractions like in a regular cruise. Of course, the landscapes and islands are breathtaking, but the guiding principle is the quality of the wingfoil runs.

This means that itineraries and timing are chosen based on wind and sea conditions. The goal is to be in the right place at the right time for the best possible sessions. Where a standard sailing cruise might avoid strong winds for passenger comfort, a rally actively seeks out the wind and swell. The support boat provides precious flexibility: it allows the group to chase the wind if it’s missing in one spot, or retreat to a calmer area if conditions become too strong. This adaptability ensures that every wingfoil day is optimized, even if it means changing the planned course to find the perfect run.

Stages are thus tailor-made for wingfoilers: downwind crossings, sheltered lagoons for recovery, inter-island passages with clean swell… everything a foiler dreams of. A skipper experienced in kite/wing cruises summarized the advantage well: with a sailboat, you can move to where the wind is best and adjust the route in real time, guaranteeing an optimal rider experience. This contrasts with a typical cruise itinerary often set in advance, where sailing is more about transport than pleasure. Here, the navigation itself is the essence of the journey.

A community-based and immersive experience

Finally, the Wingfoil Rally offers a unique human and immersive dimension. Bringing together a small group of passionate riders (usually just a few people), it fosters camaraderie among those who share the same adventure. Living together on the boat for several days, supporting each other during rides, debriefing sessions in the evening – all of this builds strong team spirit and unforgettable shared memories.

It’s a far cry from the impersonal client–crew relationship that can be found on some cruises: here, everyone contributes and enjoys together. It’s “more than a trip, it’s a rally” – with a real sense of community and exploration bonding participants.

The itinerant, sport-based format also makes the experience deeply immersive in nature. Riders are in constant contact with the elements: the wind, the ocean, marine wildlife, shifting light. Crossing from one island to another on a foil creates a sense of total immersion that a motor cruise cannot replicate. Each day is lived fully – whether riding the swell or watching a sunset in a remote bay where the group anchors for the night.

Moreover, the experience is social in another sense: it creates encounters with fellow enthusiasts from different backgrounds. Sharing the adventure forges friendships – you return from a rally not just with memories, but also with new riding buddies, forged through shared wipeouts, euphoric rides on the same wave, and evenings under the stars. This human, collective dimension is a key ingredient that sets the Wingfoil Rally apart from a more individualistic trip. You become part of a small, temporary community, united by the love of wind and ocean.

Ocean and travel lovers

Beyond skill level, the Wingfoil Rally is aimed at those who love the ocean and the spirit of travel. It appeals to adventurous souls who dream of exploring lagoons, gliding across remote channels, and feeling the pull of the open sea. If the idea of hopping from island to island excites you more than staying on one beach all week, you’re the right audience.

A rally is a true itinerant journey: each day brings a new spot, new landscapes, sometimes encounters with locals at stopovers. You also need to enjoy life at sea – days spent on the water, nights at anchor aboard the boat. Having good sea legs helps, though most sailing is coastal and anchorages are calm. Ocean lovers, sailors, and nautically minded travelers will find this the perfect way to merge their taste for adventure with their favorite sport.

In short, this concept attracts those who want to experience something out of the ordinary – both a journey of exploration and a sporting challenge. Whether you’ve already backpacked around the world or this is your first oceanic expedition, if you’re drawn to gliding sports and the call of the sea, you’ll recognize yourself in the Wingfoil Rally spirit.

Those who want to push their limits safely

A Wingfoil Rally is also ideal for riders who want to stretch their limits in a safe environment. That balance is rare in extreme sports: adventure usually comes with significant risk. Here, the structured format provides a reassuring framework that encourages you to go further.

Have you always dreamed of riding toward that distant island on the horizon but never dared alone? The rally gives you that chance, knowing a support crew has your back. It’s perfect for riders aware of their abilities, wanting to test themselves over long distances, stronger winds, and varied conditions – but without recklessness.

The rally exposes you to challenges you might not face alone on an unknown spot: open-sea crossings, gusty winds, long downwind runs. It’s the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone with coaching if needed, and the assurance that the boat is there if things get tough.

In short, the Wingfoil Rally offers the best of both worlds: adrenaline and the satisfaction of personal achievement, combined with the serenity of a safe, organized setup. For many riders, it’s the dream mix that makes them attempt things they’d never do solo.

The rally is made for “everyday riders” who already have a solid wingfoil level and an adventurous spirit. You don’t need to be an elite athlete – but you do need that drive to challenge yourself, live something intense, and appreciate the safety net of professional organization.

The unique advantages of a Wingfoil Rally

Exploring multiple spots in a single trip

One of the biggest advantages of a Wingfoil Rally is the ability to discover many different spots in a single journey. Instead of staying locked into one place (as is often the case in a classic kite/wing trip), each day brings a new landscape to ride in.

In just a few rally days, you might glide in turquoise lagoons, ride alongside wild coastlines, cross channels between islands, or visit secluded bays only accessible by sea. This variety is priceless for passionate riders: you gain experience in many different conditions and never get bored.

Take the Caribbean, for example: a typical rally might start at Union Island, continue with a foil session among turtles in the Tobago Cays the next day, and finish on the beaches of Palm Island. Organizing such a multi-spot trip alone would be difficult – or very time-consuming with flights and transfers. The rally makes it seamless, turning it into a coherent odyssey where every stage adds new discoveries without downtime.

This variety also boosts progression: you adapt to stronger or lighter winds depending on the island, choppier seas, or cleaner swell. It broadens your rider’s toolkit. And on the pleasure side – what better feeling than saying you’ve foiled several legendary spots in one week? Instead of returning with memories of a single place, you bring back snapshots of multiple iconic sites.

And with the Wingfoil Rally, unlike classic kite/wing cruises where sessions often stay close to the boat, you’ll actually ride further, connecting real distances between islands.

Living an unforgettable collective adventure

Another key advantage is the human dimension. Joining a Wingfoil Rally means becoming part of a small group united by the same passion, living something intense together. This collective adventure forges unforgettable memories.

You share highs (everyone flying side by side on a magic downwind), lows (wipeouts in turns, or a sudden squall hitting mid-crossing), and moments of pure grace (a dolphin joining the ride, a breathtaking sunset from the boat). These shared emotions build strong friendships between participants.

Organizers emphasize the community feel: a rally is like joining a temporary family of riders, built on camaraderie and mutual support. It’s not a competition where everyone is out to beat each other – it’s a shared challenge where you encourage one another. The most experienced wait for the slower ones, tips and tricks are exchanged, and everyone celebrates together in the evening over a meal on the boat.

This floating base camp creates a unique atmosphere: it’s not just a wingfoil trip, it’s a human adventure. Many riders leave a rally with lifelong friends, staying in touch for future sessions and new editions. Years later, they still talk about that epic downwind between two islands, that memorable squall, or that magical evening under the stars in a deserted bay.

The rally is also open to non-riders accompanying their partners – making it an inclusive adventure where everyone finds their place.

The Wingfoil Rally: a new way of traveling

The Wingfoil Rally is not just a new sport–leisure format, it is also a new way of traveling. By blending the best of adventure travel and board sports, it offers a unique approach to nautical tourism.

Instead of traveling as a passive spectator (on a ferry or a yacht where the journey is endured), the wingfoiler becomes an active traveler, connecting destinations through the sole power of wind and their own effort. This creates an incredibly rewarding way to explore the coastline. Every island reached on a wingfoil feels special because it is earned – not simply arrived at by motorboat or plane.

It is also a more sustainable and authentic way of traveling. Using the wind as propulsion reconnects us with ancestral sensations of sailing, yet on a human scale (one person, one wing, one board, facing the ocean). In many ways, it’s a return to the roots of seafaring – when courage and curiosity drove explorers to unknown shores. Today, thanks to modern foils and wings, that spirit of exploration is accessible to motivated riders without needing a full sailboat. You step into the shoes of an explorer, with even more direct connection to the elements.

It’s no coincidence that legends of sailing are drawn to the Wingfoil Rally. Skipper Yannick Bestaven, winner of the Vendée Globe, describes the concept as “a new way to experience the magic of foiling, surrounded by breathtaking island landscapes.” The rally offers a totally different perspective on paradise: instead of viewing it from behind a luxury catamaran’s porthole, you approach it at water level, powered by the wind, fully immersed in the present moment.

It is at once sporty, contemplative, and cultural: between sessions, you can stop on islands, meet local people, and taste regional food. In this sense, the Wingfoil Rally reinvents sports-and-nature travel, making it more dynamic and interactive.

conclusion

The Wingfoil Rally goes beyond a simple watersport. It is a global experience that connects people, islands, and wind into a symphony of adventure. Riders return transformed – not only with progress in their wingfoil technique but also with a renewed appreciation for nature and human connection.

More than performance, it’s a state of mind: discovery, camaraderie, and freedom, gliding from one horizon to the next. If you’re looking to live something truly unique, at the crossroads between sporting challenge and life-changing journey, the Wingfoil Rally is made for you.

As the unofficial motto goes: Foil. Explore. Repeat. – foil, explore, and do it all again until you can’t get enough.

🌍 Ready to try the adventure? It’s not just a distant dream: Wingfoil Rally events are already being organized. The Grenadines Rally is opening the way, and others will surely follow.

Check the next dates here – and get ready for the downwind of your life.