“Impatient, confident, ready.”
With just a few days to go before the potential start of his SUP Downwind crossing from France’s mainland to Corsica, Erwan Jauffroy feels calm. He can’t wait to get on his foil, take to the open sea and dive into the unknown.
A watersports professional for over 25 years and a former windsurfing champion, Erwan has become a world-renowned all-around expert, now at the helm of the Watersports Zone YouTube channel that counts over 30,000 subscribers.
A few months ago, Erwan decided to take on his biggest sporting challenge to date: to SUP downwind from Toulon to Calvi, without a sail nor an engine, in just one day, solely on a foil powered by the waves created by the mistral.
F-ONE is proud to support Erwan in his 250-km (155 mile) “Foil Crossing Challenge”, which would be a world-first, as official gear supplier.
Erwan had been contemplating this crossing for several months now. Born in Brittany and now living in Toulon, he is addicted to SUP downwind but above all to the feeling of freedom and self-transcendence that this discipline brings. Nevertheless, the crossing remained only a vague and distant dream; it seemed unthinkable for someone like him, who had never gone beyond 50 km. (31 miles)
Then, last summer, F-ONE’s Brand Manager Julien Salles successfully completed his “Diagonale du Lion” of over 200 km. At the same time, Olivia Piana achieved a 287 km (178 miles) downwind along the Portuguese coast.
“I must admit, I didn’t think it was possible,” Erwan explained. “But to see that someone was capable to go such distances, it made me think. I’ve always had a taste for challenges, so it was also an opportunity to reconnect with that. Some people run marathons; some do the Vendée Globe. Attempting this crossing feels like my own Vendée Globe.”
The project was officially launched in September 2023. He decided that he would attempt to connect the mainland to Corsica the following summer. He minutely organized himself and planned a one-month window, in June, when the days are longest.
As his training progressed, he quickly realized that gear was a key factor in his performance. It’s essential to have a state-of-the-art board and foil underfoot. It wasn’t long before he approached F-ONE, with whom he often collaborates for his YouTube channel, and the partnership naturally took shape.
“The talks with F-ONE were very quick,” he said. “It was the brand I had the most confidence in to develop this project because of Julien’s experience, but also because of the gear that already existed for downwind, the doors that were opened for me in terms of R&D, and of course the geographical proximity.”
From the very first meeting at F-ONE’s headquarters, the R&D team knew they could support Erwan in his endeavors. With the EAGLE X foil perfectly suited to this challenge, and a board specially developed for him in line with his morphology and technique, he immediately gained in confidence and felt himself progressing at every level.
“In fact, the R&D got me the boards and foils I needed out of the workshop,” he explained. “They were already working on them without my knowledge. The difference with this gear has really been enormous in every aspect: in terms of autonomy, of being able to take off easily and stay in the air, of being able to ride in a direction other than the pure axis of the wind, of not making too many costly mistakes… It’s an incredible opportunity, and today I’m so much better equipped to carry out this project. I feel I’ve turned a corner, and I’m really happy with the work that’s been done with F-ONE.”
In recent months, Erwan has completed a few 100-kilometer (123 miles) downwinds, always on his F-ONE gear, which he hopes to know by heart before his crossing. The hardest part of this project still lies ahead, but he feels confident to see it through to the end.
After months of methodical preparation, all he can do at this time is wait. The weather is now the main challenge. If all conditions align, he plans to start his crossing at dawn in order to reach Corsica before nightfall – a crossing estimated to take between 12 and 15 hours.
From May 27, Erwan can set off at any time. Follow his journey live on his website, foilcrossingchallenge.com
Disclaimer : This downwinder will be performed by a trained professional rider. Long distance crossings require physical preparation, proper security devices, and assistance at sea. Please do not attempt any downwinders alone or without proper training.