CORSICA EXPRESS / Nicolas Parlier

In 2007, three kitesurfers tried to cross from Saint-Tropez to Corsica. Two of them made it. Nineteen years later, Nicolas Parlier went back for it — alone, with no support boat. On 4 June 2026 he left Gigaro at 15:41 and touched Calvi at 19:24. 184 km of open sea in 3h43'14", averaging 26.8 knots — a new world record. Four days earlier the first attempt was called off at l'Almanarre: no wind. The day before the crossing he rode 68 km in a 30-knot mistral, gusting 38, with swell up to 3.5 m. He carried a life raft, three parachute flares, a distress beacon and six litres of water. Nobody was following him. With Marc Blanc, Sylvain Maurin and Raphaël Salles — the three riders of the 2007 crossing — and Lauriane Nolot, three-time kitefoil world champion and Olympic silver medallist. A film by Antoine Lorin Featuring Nicolas Parlier Archive footage: F-ONE, 2007 Music from Artlist — Ziv Moran, Kevin Graham Original music: Alexandre Delaygue Supported by Sooruz and Cabrinha.