Guy Trudeau

My name is Guy Trudeau. I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I have been sailing the St-Lawrence River for 20 years now. There are many spots with flat water and swell on this long river and on the lakes around. For east and north wind direction, Quebec is the best and if the wind is from the south or west, then it is better in Montreal area. If you want some waves, then you could go to Lake Champlain or Lake Ontario, which could offer good wave riding conditions.

::videoclip of Guy Trudeau ripping at St. Lawrence River/Canada ::

:: video sequence (c) by meodigital.com ::

You are into freestyle windsurfing , please tell us about your motivation doing all kind of tricks.

I am in freestyle windsurfing because I love learning some new moves. I began windsurfng in summer 1986. When the temperatures went to cold, I started doing some windskate and realised how fun and easy it was. Windskate is so easy it helps a lot to practice new moves. Learning some new moves is more important to me than being the faster on the spot. Also, if you could do some tricks when your wave riding, then it is even better. But, with or without waves there is always something to do and to learn. It is cool to do as much tricks as you can on a very short time with some friends pushing each other.

:: guy ripping at Gulf St-Lawrence :: photo (C) by Yanick Richard St-Vincent

What boards and sails to to you ride ?

Since three years, I ride for Ben Gauthier (Wind Spirit). So, I ride Wind Obsession's board. The wave board range is 70 l, 76 l, 82 l and the freestyle Swicht 99 l. For sails, I use Ezzy Sails. Overall great stuff! Ocean Earth, Select Hydrofoils, STS and Adrenaline are also supporting me.

Since i windsurf, I've been to different place like Maui, Cabarete, Costa Rica, The Gorge, Cap Hateras and the Maggies. The best spot for me is where it is blowing often and where there are only few people. So let's say until now that, Costa Rica and the Maggies are the best spots I've benn to. Next winter, I might be in Costa Rica again for practicing more and more moves!

:: winter sailing at Gulf St-Lawrence :: photo (C) by R. Landry

Your latest magic moment on the water?

My latest magic moment was last September when I catched a good north-east wind in the Maggies (?les-de-la-Madeleine) on a secret spot. The wind was side-off and I was riding super clean waves with few friends. My best feeling was when I was riding over a seal for 2-3 seconds. That was very cool!

Right now, I am a teacher in high school and I have chosen to be a substitute for the freedom. In this way, I can catch more wind. So for the future, I hope to experience more great days of windsurfing.