Seychelles' Mahe-Praslin windsurfing race set for Aug. 26

The last time the race was held was in 2022 and the winner was Jean-Marc Gardette. (Seychelles News Agency) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - The popular Mahe-Praslin windsurfing race in Seychelles is set for Monday, August 26, and will feature 30 competitors eager to brave the waves between the Seychelles' two largest islands.

Alain Alcindor, the chairman of the organising committee, said, "We had originally scheduled it for this Saturday, but predictions show that they will now be enough wind on that day and so, we have moved it to Monday, where it is set to be more favourable for such as race."

For this year, there are three categories instead of two and aside from windsurfing, there will also be kitesurfing and windfoiling.  Wind foiling is a new form of windsurfing, in which the windsurfing board floats about 50 cm above the water instead of over the water.

The race is expected to begin at 11 a.m. and participants will be hoping to beat the 22-year-old record of 51 minutes 62 seconds set by Stephen Stravens in 2002. Stravens will be one of the competitors for this year's event, and he could be the one to break his record.

The last time the race was held was in 2022 and the winner was Jean-Marc Gardette who won the 44km race in 1 hour, 5 minutes and 19 seconds. Jacquelin Languilla finished second, and Jules Kandasamy, who was 13 years old then, was third.

This year's race will again see participants from Mauritius competing in the event, after which they will also be able to compete in the Praslin Slalom.

The Praslin Slalom will take place at Grand Anse Praslin in the area where the Mahe to Praslin race will end. It will take place for three days, from Wednesday to Friday, and on Saturday the prize giving and closing ceremony will take place.

As always, safety remains a priority for the event, with various partners aiding the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA) in ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that the event is again a success.

Cable and Wireless Seychelles is sponsoring the SIM cards that will used in the Grade Point Average bracelets, which will give the location of each athlete.

The event began in 1982 when a group of six windsurfers, which included Patrick Lablache, Gerard Lafortune, Evans Calva, Bernard Sanders, Jimmy Mein and Marc Magnan, decided to attempt the crossing.

Since then, it has been a major highlight of local surfing, with many surfers taking on the challenge.