Jimmy Diaz was president of the PWA for 20 years; he is now, together with his wife Cagla Kubat, a driving force behind the Alacati Windfest, the first event on the Youth and Junior Slalom World Tour, which is organised by the Cagla Kubat Windsurf Academy in Turkey. Since its inception in 2022, the event has grown steadily and now attracts over 130 young windsurfers. Ahead of the fifth edition, Sarah Jackson sat down with Jimmy to discuss why the children come first, what makes Turkey such a stronghold for the sport, and how to deal with a tricky weather forecast.
Hey Jimmy, the Alacati Wind Festival is now in its fifth year. What inspired you to set up this event?
The inspiration for this event has always been the children. I was president of the PWA for 20 years, and we focused so much on the top echelons of the sport. Then you realise that we’ve been neglecting the groundwork, and I think that’s the most important thing: We want to create a broader base for sport in general. When you come here and open this academy together with Cagla, focusing on the children, you realise just how much potential there is and how good sport is for them. I’ve even seen it with my own daughter, and it really reinforces that feeling when you witness first-hand the impact sport has on children. There’s something absolutely magical about windsurfing – I think we can all agree on that. Sharing it with the children, creating this platform for them where they can take part in competitions, and paving the way for them to compete in the PWA’s main events – that’s what it’s all about, ultimately.
“There’s something absolutely magical about windsurfing!”
We now have over 130 participants this week. Would you have believed it would get this big when you first started?
To be honest, no, I wouldn’t have thought it would become this big. I think a large part of its success is down to what we’re seeing in Turkey. The country has become a real stronghold, with so many clubs dedicated to windsurfing and so many children taking it up – and the participants are simply getting younger and younger. You can see this enormous potential, and it’s lovely to see these hotbeds in Turkey, on Bonaire and in Denmark. If we can simply keep promoting the sport, it will just keep getting bigger and bigger.
What is the secret in Turkey? Why has windsurfing become so popular there?
I think it’s a combination of many factors. We work with the association, and that association is fully behind what we do. Of course, you need clubs to drive the sport forward, and people who shape it and recognise the vision. Cagla has played a huge, huge part in all of this. I’m not saying that just because she’s my wife, but because I can see how much work and passion she puts into it. With something like this, you need that one person who really drives the whole thing forward. But it’s the combination of all these elements – the other clubs and a federation that also shares the vision. Generally speaking, Turkey has become a really important hub for windsurfing, including in IQFoil. We’re seeing strong participation in Bic Techno, slalom and foil slalom. It’s just continuing to grow. That’s brilliant.
What advice would you give to other countries or parents who want to set up their own club?
If we look at the global figures for windsurfing, clubs and schools are one of the key elements that have remained the same. This sector of the market has not declined and has remained fairly stable. That is why we need to focus precisely on this: how do we teach people to windsurf, and what do we achieve afterwards? It’s not just a matter of sending people out onto the water and saying, ‘Right, now you’ve learnt to windsurf, it’s up to you to figure it out for yourself.’ You have to build a system around it. You teach them how to windsurf, you show them how to get started, and you guide them through the various phases and levels. Then you create platforms, first at a local level, then at a national level, then at an international level. As long as you keep building on that, it will grow. The mistake is offering nothing after these beginners’ courses and simply saying, ‘Right, sort it out for yourselves.’ But apart from that, it’s all about camaraderie. Children want to be with other children and do cool things together, and that doesn’t really change when you grow up – you still want to do cool things with other cool people. Windsurfing is undoubtedly a cool sport. So you need the individual steps to get there, and you need the clubs, but you mustn’t treat the whole thing like a factory or a business. You have to see it as a community and let it grow and flourish at every stage.
“The mistake is not offering anything further after these beginners’ courses.”
Thanks, Jimmy. One last question: when windsurfing, we’re always at the mercy of the elements – so how do you deal with a tricky weather forecast like the one we’ve got this week?
That reminds me a bit of the difference between men and women when it comes to learning to windsurf. Men are always fighting against the sail and simply trying to overpower it, whilst women generally go with the wind and try to find harmony with it. That’s more or less the approach we need to take with this sport. It’s a nature-based sport, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Anyone with a bit of experience in windsurfing knows that what we can do on the water depends on the elements. So we simply have to accept it, go with the flow, make the best of the conditions we’re given, and plan other activities around it. Particularly at junior and youth events like this one, the children themselves provide the entertainment; you turn it into a celebration and make sure it’s fun. We have to adapt to nature, and that’s also part of the sport. As the saying goes: ‘Trim your sails when the wind shifts.’ That’s exactly what we have to do.
Thank you, Jimmy, and good luck to all the young windsurfers at this year’s Alacati Windfest.
The Alactai Wind Festival runs until 11 October; all the information and results can be found here: pwaworldtour.com