What happened in the Salty Community?
No. 1
Our wingfoil Surf-Freestyle team was busy this summer on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour!
Christopher MacDonald came out on top at the leg in Gran Canaria, Spain, scoring 28.24 after landing three tricks in the 9s for the win. Chris ultimately finished third in the overall rankings for the 2026 season!
Over in Fuerteventura, Spain, Zoe Trudeau stormed through the competition to claim her first-ever tour win. At just 16, Zoe put on an outstanding performance, finishing with a total score of 25.46, including an impressive 9.80 for her Frontside 7. For her first season on the tour, Zoe finished fourth overall!
On the men’s side, Luca Vuillermet boosted his way into second place, scoring 24.53 to secure his best result on tour so far. He finished fifth in the overall rankings.
That’s a wrap for this season. Until next year!
No. 2
Some of our Next Generation kiters also had a busy summer on the GKA Kite World Tour, in slightly different conditions than Spain!
At the Youth Twintip Kite World Championship in St Peter-Ording, Germany, our young athletes took on a mix of challenging North Sea conditions. 11-year-old Teo Sarquella finished third in the U14 Boys category, while Kailani Friedrich claimed third in the U19 Girls.
Julius Den Brok, Sacha Gourievidis, Lina Richter and Tijmen Verhagen also sent it; well done to the whole crew!
Then, over in Sylt, Germany, the action continued at the GKA Kite World Cup in Hydrofoil Big Air. Despite the chilly North Sea conditions, Kailani Friedrich secured an impressive second place, while Martin Koblischke finished fourth in the men’s category.
No. 3
While at the European Surf Film Festival and UK Surf & Skate Expo 2026, Dylan Graves traded the stage for a few waves with the local grom squad. After 10-year-old Harley invited him to join, Dylan happily jumped in for a surf off the harbour wall.
“We’re gonna give it hell on this little small left.”
“Just a fearless little bunch of groms; that was sick.”
No. 4
Huge congratulations to Jarrod Snow for finishing second overall in the inaugural Downwind Foil World Tour 2025/2026!
Jarrod competed in all six events across Europe, Australia and Hawaii, with the final ranking based on each athlete’s four best results. He made those count, taking two wins on home turf in Australia: the West Coast Downwinder and The Doctor in Perth.
An impressive debut season for the tour, and a great testament to Jarrod’s speed, consistency and determination.
No. 5
Tim Latte, our Nordic surfer for whom the cold never gets old, enjoying the Arctic summer nights.
No. 6
Surf’s pup! Huge congratulations to Rippin’ Rosie the Labrador, our very own World Dog Surfing Champion! Accompanied by her human, Steve, Rosie was the most decorated athlete at this year’s championships, taking home an impressive four titles.
She won the Large / Extra Large Dog category, the SUP category, the SUP Tandem Human/Dog category, and was crowned Spirit of Dog Surfing Overall Champion. And as if all those trophies weren’t enough, Rosie also won a one-month supply of dog food.
Very deserved for a very salty good girl.
Watch This
DEFECT
A surf film by FORMER.
Directed by founders Dane Reynolds and Craig Anderson, and featuring the full FORMER surf team.