Glénan Islands: Boat trip to the Breton paradise - the luxury of simplicity

Once again, it was one of those links to photos for a travel story that regularly pop up unsolicited on the computers of surf editors. Snow-white beaches, bright turquoise-blue water colours and fantastic spots where a few lucky pros are making their white marks in the sea all by themselves. Nice, but we don't really need yet another story from faraway lands of unreachable islands in the Caribbean or the Pacific Ocean that are reserved for a handful of privileged lucky souls. Preferably with the note: "It was a mega trip with fantastic conditions, but unfortunately we can't tell you where it is, otherwise other surfers might go there too." True to the motto, we'll make your mouth water, but at the entrance to the gourmet restaurant the doorman says: You can't come in here!

But wait, this time the surfers are at least wearing long-sleeved neos - so it can't be the Caribbean. A glance at the short accompanying text in the email reveals the name of the islands: Les Glénans. We quickly type it into Maps and zoom out of space to a small group of islands. To everyone's surprise, neither in the Caribbean nor in the Pacific, but around 15 kilometres off the south coast of Brittany in the far west of France. An archipelago of numerous islands that looks as out of place as Helene Fischer at the metal festival in Wacken.

There is only one sailing school in an old fort on the Glénans

By now our curiosity was piqued. The attached report was nice to read, but it wasn't really enlightening if you wanted to find out more about this extraordinary group of islands. So we dived into the depths of the internet, as neither our colleagues in our sister magazines Yacht and Boote knew much more about the Glénan Islands, nor had any windsurfers we knew ever been there. This, in turn, is no great surprise, because although the islands are inhabited, there are surprisingly no accommodation options for tourists. Unless you visit the local sailing school, aptly named "Les Glénans" (glenans.asso.fr). The second surprise: it is one of the most famous sailing schools in France, and the sailing manual "Cour de navigation des Glénans" has been the standard work in sailing training since 1961.

The school was founded in 1947 by Hélène and Philippe Viannay. They themselves were in the Resistance during the war and initially aimed their programme at other young Resistance fighters. Today, the sailing school operates as a non-profit organisation at five locations in France. In fact, "Les Glénans" now also offers windsurfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing courses. The headquarters on Île Cigogne is the 18th century Fort Cigogne, a fortress built to defend against English and Dutch privateers. If you would like to visit the islands for a day trip, you can make the approximately one-hour crossing from several harbours in southern Brittany.

The "Liberty" was the gateway to the island paradise of the Glénans

French freestyle pro Sam Esteve and his mate Bastien Ramery also had a trip to the Glénans on their agenda. However, as they didn't just want to explore the paradise for a day, they planned to charter a boat and have free and unlimited access to the archipelago with their windsurfing equipment. In autumn 2023, they received the call from the skipper in Brittany that they were ready to go. Bastien tells you how they went on a voyage of discovery back home:

"On Friday 13 October 2023, Jean Marie, a skipper and local expert on the Glénans, called me to tell me that the last good sail window of the season with summer conditions was imminent. The following two days we were unsure whether we would be able to sail at all due to the unsettled weather. Finally, the wind forecast gave us the green light on Sunday lunchtime. We set off that same evening, straight to Brittany, to Finistère, to Port la Forêt, to pontoon P04, where a boat called "Liberty" was waiting for us.

Sam had booked his flight while he was already on his way to Montpellier airport, Ludo Marquier, our photographer, was packing his equipment in his Paris flat while I was loading the lorry in Wissant. Eight hours later, we all board the "Liberty", where Captain Jean Marie and his "second", Laurent, are waiting for us.

The crossing to the Glénans is a challenge

It feels good to have rediscovered our sense of adventure and to take the plunge into the unknown. After a restless night in the harbour with jangling shrouds and rubbing fenders, we set sail south towards the fantastic Glénan archipelago, which lies 15 kilometres off the coast of Brittany.

The crossing was a challenge. For an hour, four metre high waves beat head-on against our bow, then the sea was suddenly calm again and gave us relaxed sailing until we reached the "lagoon". We anchored upwind of Penfret Island, the longest of the nine larger and numerous tiny islands that make up the archipelago.

The archipelago was a hideout for pirates in the 17th century, later became one of the most popular fishing areas in Finistère and is now known for its sailing school. But have you ever seen a windsurfer celebrating a burner, a culo or a spock in the turquoise waters of Penfret? We didn't know, but we definitely would. Rigging up on board is a bit like putting on a wetsuit in the car.

A solid wave awaits at the exit of the lagoon

The place immediately had a calming effect on us, we relaxed and surfed around the "Liberty", waiting for Ludo to be taken by dinghy to an unspoilt sandbank to launch his drone stress-free. While we waited, our eyes wandered off and landed on a large rock surrounded by foam at the exit of the lagoon. Luck was on our side, as a beautiful one and a half metre high wave was building up there. And this is where the fun began. Sam did his new-school thing with Shifty and Pasko, while I stuck to the classic wave moves.

The goddess of the sea, who is honoured with a monument on the island of Gueotec just a few hundred metres away, welcomed us to the Glénans in a fitting manner. We decided to honour the gods in our own way that day: We left Laurent in his dinghy with its wayward engine. Like an offering on the Ganges in India, Laurent drifted with the wind and current to the end of the small archipelago. As the low tide prevented our boat from rescuing him there, he waited half-frozen on his rocky island for two long hours. The picture of the shipwrecked man made us laugh a lot! Yes, when you have friends like that, you don't need enemies, I know.

Freeride session at the edge of the world

The afternoon freeride session around Bananec Island was quieter, but just as marvellous, and enhanced the feeling of freedom and being at the edge of the world, especially as we didn't see a soul on the archipelago. The only boat we saw passing in the distance was an Imoca, probably leaving a few days later for the start of the "Transat Jacques Vabre" regatta - a sight that made us all reflect on the hardships and challenges of such an endeavour.

Later that evening, we all met in the ship's lounge to debrief over drinks and food. It was a great feeling to be back in the comfort of the ship, surrounded by leather, carpets and mahogany wood, while still feeling the sea and the wind behind the portholes. On the menu was sea bass, which I had hunted myself a few days earlier in northern France. An irony of fate, as the archipelago is a mecca for bass fishing in France.

When we woke up the next day, the sky was overcast, but there was still enough wind. Sam took off downwind of a natural dyke in search of absolutely flat water - as a Leucate local he is very spoilt in this respect - to conjure up his world-famous double moves in the air.

The next goal was to jump over the stern wave of the boat, which was travelling at full speed. In hindsight, I realise that this was not the best idea ethically in this "Natura 2000" zone ... At least now we know that there's nothing better than a good natural wave. It felt like the last session of the day took place on a forgotten atoll in the Pacific - only our warm wetsuits reminded us that we were actually in the Atlantic off France. The water was turquoise blue and Ludo, who was watching everything with his drone, was thrilled.

Adventures are inexhaustible on the Glénans

After a day and a half, it was already time to return to the mainland. However, our short trip was not enough to even come close to capturing the myth of the Glénans, as the adventures here seem inexhaustible.

This 48-hour express round trip reminded us that windsurfing is not just about training and chasing trophies, but also about the people you meet, the exchange and the discovery of new and wonderful spots - even at home. That's what makes windsurfing unique and keeps the passion alive.

Many thanks to Jean Marie, our captain, and Laurent, without whom this trip would not have been possible!