After 6 years away from the professional tour, French wave windsurfer Julien Taboulet tries a come back. He changed his sponsors, moved from Naish to Goya and is at the moment on the Canary islands together with his wife Caroline Barbeau and their two children. We hooked up with Julien to find out about his motivation to come back to the professional wave tour.
Read more in our interview below.
The Wesh Family fully equipped with new gear, even daughter Louise-Aina has her sail ready and rigged (Pic: Bertrand Fleury)
Julien Taboulet aka “WeshWesh” in an interview about his come back
Continentseven: Julien, happy new year, how are you and your family doing? How was 2015 for you?
Julien Taboulet: Hi to the C7 crew and all of you readers, happy new year from Fuerteventura (Canaries Islands). We are all good, the family growing up, and we are enjoying ourselves to the max. 2015 was a recovering year for me, I had a shoulder surgery in October 2014, so we were only active with our windsurfing club in Leucate, the Wesh Center Crew, where we (Caro & I) love to share our passion!
Continentseven: You just announced your change from Naish to Goya, after riding with Naish for 7 years.
Julien Taboulet: Yes I am so proud to announce that we are riding for Goya Windsurfing. I know Francisco & Lalo since a long time and this is another dream who came true to work with them. It is a big change in my career and working with Robby Naish was an awesome experience, but the life always offers new challenges… and it was important for us to advance on a new way!
WeshWesh nails an Aerial at Fuerteventura’s North Shore (Pic: Iballa Moreno)
Continentseven: What motivated you to start a collaboration with Francisco Goya and his team?
Julien Taboulet: We are friends and know each other since long time, and I love how they are pushing windsurfing. When I was young, I was dreaming on the Windsurf Trilogy, Francisco & Keith, the Quatro Team… and riding their boards today and making the last part of my career with Goya is just a dream that I couldn’t miss… So really no regrets!
Continentseven: Will you offer Goya in your windsurfing center at Leucate, too?
Julien Taboulet: For sure, the WCC will be 100% equipped with Goya Windsurfing & Quatro SUP. We have a cool place at Leucate, where we push the windsurf everyday. You can come and learn at all age and testing all the new Goya stuff.
Continentseven: Did you try the products before you signed the contract?
Julien Taboulet: Never, I waited until the end and now, this is the cherry on the cake.
The party will go on at the WCC, the windsurfing center of Julien Taboulet, but with new windsurfing brands in the house (Pic: Jimmy Thanh, at the WCC Sosh party with Fredy Jay)
A view on the WCC center (Pic: WCC)
Continentseven: We heard you will return on tour again?
Julien Taboulet: Yes, after 6 years of break with a lot of work in my windsurfing school, coming back on the tour is a wonderful and scary challenge… I am loving that!!!!
Continentseven: Are you still fit enough, to compete with the younger kids? You had a lot of knee injuries during your career. A bit family and your windsurfing center are time consuming. You turn 36 this year.
Julien Taboulet: Even with all my injuries, I am trying to stay fit everyday, and as you say the family and the business take always more time… But this is why the challenge is so exciting!
WeshWesh in waves at Fuerteventura’s North Shore. He definitely looks top fit! (Pic: WCC)
Continentseven: What are your expectations?
Julien Taboulet: I don’t know, but even the results, I am doing it in any case for my family, Caroline my wife who is pushing me every day, our daughter Louise-Aina who is already an incredible small piece of woman, and for our son Kaili who is autist… An everyday’s fighting supported by the windsurfing love!
Continentseven: You are windsurfing on a really high level for many years. What means windsurfing to you nowadays and what are your favorite conditions, if you can choose.
Julien Taboulet: Windsurfing is all my life, this feeling of freedom in the powerful nature is just awesome, doesn’t matters your level! I am loving all kind of conditions, but a big wave riding porttack like Lanes (Maui) by Kona wind drive me crazy…
Continentseven: Thanks for your answers and good luck for 2016!
©continentseven 2016
Go Juju.. YOu can do it ! you are from a strong generation and you have no fear … Channel it and pursue your goals.. we’ll be watching !
Aloha,
Josh