What if kitesurfing helped reduce the shortage of doctors in the Channel? Let's admit it, the connection with this water sport is not obvious. Some health professionals like sliding to the point of wanting to settle down in an environment allowing them to indulge in surfing, kitesurfing or wingfoiling.
“I am originally from Upper Normandy and I came to Manche because I was looking for work around a spot [un site, ndlr]“, confides Sébastien Dufau, who defines himself as a fan of kitesurfing for twenty years “and incidentally osteopath” in Siouville-Hague.
A vice-world champion in the Channel
On Querqueville beach, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Sébastien has the chance on Wednesday November 13 to go kitesurfing alongside a star in the industry: Charlotte Carpentier, 33 years old, originally from Hauts-de-France and kitesurfing vice-champion in 2019. She responded to the invitation from the department's promotion agency Attitude Manche.
“It’s the first time I’ve come to the Cotentin and I’m pleasantly surprised, the waves are exceptional, the wind is super well oriented and regular, it’s incredible,” abounds the kitesurfer that you find in video below.
It was Maxime Hérauville who had the idea of inviting Charlotte Carpentier. “We are a somewhat unknown destination, so we bring in people from outside the department who have a community of practitioners to make our spots known to as many people as possible,” explains the sport and culture project manager to Attitude Manche. The kitesurfer has more than 12,000 subscribers on the social network Instagram.
Targeted doctors and engineers
A quest for notoriety which aims to attract tourists who are fans of water sports but above all new inhabitants, in particular to compensate for the lack of doctors. “We have some examples of doctors and engineers who have come to settle in the Channel because they know that they have a playground, great seas and good conditions for kitesurfing on their lunch break. “, assures Maxime Hérauville.
Conquered, Charlotte Carpentier plans to return to test other spots in the department by the end of November if weather conditions permit, on the east coast in Morsalines, Barfleur and Gatteville-le-Phare.
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