BOB VAN DE BURGT: RISING TALENTBOB VAN DE BURGT: RISING TALENTFresh from a top ten finish at the IFCA Worlds, rising Dutch foil racer Bob van de Burgt is quickly becoming one to watch the international slalom foil scene. Known for his relentless work ethic, technical approach and growing list of endurance challenges for charity, Van de Burgt is determined to make an impact both on and off the water.Despite frustrations with race management at the Worlds, the young Dutchman showed impressive resilience by bouncing back with two straight winners finalsa performance that has given him plenty of confidence heading into the 2026 season. From testing new gear with Point-7 and training in Sardinia, to planning a 24-hour distance world record attempt for charity, Van de Burgt is proving hes far more than just another racer on tour.We caught up with Bob to talk about the IFCA Worlds, foil racing, life as a full-time pro sailor and his ambitions for the future.Photos: IFCA and PWA CARTERClick any shot to enlarge and scrollWINDSURF: How did you feel to make the top ten at the IFCA words?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Im really stoked about making that top 10. But at the same time Im pretty bummed up about how the week went. I got screwed over pretty badly the first two days of the event. Im not the guy to complain much, but the race committee was truly strange and random. Over earlies were not being called out, and I was completely left about because of that the first two eliminations. I thought the result was already completely gone. But I managed to adjust my style for the two remaining eliminations and qualified for two winner finals straight, that gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season. So yeah, happy about the top 10 after such a rough start. But, also very eager to see whats capable with a consistent race committee.WINDSURF: How was the event for you overall and were all the racers happy with the conditions / race crew?BOB VAN DE BURGT: The venue was great and the conditions were light, but usually there was swell which gave a lot of power. Racing was light, but cool. It was very technical, but exciting racing. Concerning the race crew, there was a lot of controversy. The starts were the worst. Over earlies were not being called. It was a matter of who had the nose of the board in front at the start. With riders sometimes starting up to three seconds early! It was ridiculous really. I really hope IFCA will make a change in the future, it was quite sad to see heats going through like that.WINDSURF: Was the event hard work with a lot of waiting?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Im only focused on the foil, so I had very little sails and boards to rig. Im used to the waiting game, so it was quite chill. In the end we had quite a lot of time on the water!WINDSURF: What gear were you riding and how was it working?BOB VAN DE BURGT: All week I was riding the completely new Point-7 F1-SL 8.0 Q-bond construction, combined with the 162 Hyperion Pro from FMX Racing. The combo is really killer, giving a lot of power and drive in the light winds, which was really needed this week. Acceleration was really good and I was able to make super clean gybes in the ultra-light winds, also when being in the mix full of dirty winds.WINDSURF: How much have you been involved in the development of this sail?BOB VAN DE BURGT: As a rider I dont like to take too much development credit, since this is more of a technical and designers job. But Im very close with Andrea Cucchi. Speaking a lot about settings, tuning and test results on the phone or on location in Garda. Weve spent a solid amount of time in Garda end of last year to develop the sails. It was really cool to be one of the first guys to try the Q-bond construction, and put a part of myself into that sail with providing feedback from the water. I feel like Point-7 is one of the only brands where when you have an idea about a new sail or concept, they can smash out a prototype in no time. And have it adjusted the same night in the loft.Its hard work those R&D Trips, but its very rewarding!WINDSURF: Do you feel tuned and ready for the 2026 race seasonhow was your training camp over the winter?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Tuned up, not so much yet ha ha. All the gear arrived quite late, but its plug and play. For the next events, I will be fully tuned up, gaining that extra few percent to gain an edge. This winter I spent my time in Sardinia, it was the best camp I ever had. We were working with Italian coach Mauro Covre, where I improved like I never did before. It showed in my result now. As I said, I am excited to see whats more in the tank without an inconsistent race crew!WINDSURF: What events are you planning to do and what would you like to achieve results wise?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Im doing all the slalom foil events! This means the IFCA European Championships in Sant-Peter Ording this summer. And PWA Sylt and Japan at the end of this year.For the rest I set up my own event in week 2-3 of June, where I will be attempting to break the 24-hour world record in distance. I will be doing so for a charity called Spieren voor Spieren, which translates into Muscles for Muscles. A charity that is fighting muscular diseases for children. Its gonna be very intense, but all for a good cause!WINDSURF: Are you a full time pro sailor or do you also work?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Im a full time pro sailor. Which means I live from windsurfing. Its hard and budgets are tight, but I can make it work. There goes a lot of time and effort in reaching out to potential sponsors, staying connected with them, etc. My biggest focus is on attracting sponsors outside the windsurfing industry. I believe thats the way to go for every professional athlete nowadays that isnt earning big like they do in soccer, basketball, etc. So yes, Im a professional windsurfer, but its like running a business next to windsurfing to make everything work!Of course Id like to only focus on training, etc. But I feel like this is also setting me up really well with a lot of knowledge, persistence and skill for a life after windsurfing.WINDSURF: What is it like to be a part of the Point 7 Team and working with Andrea Cuuchi?BOB VAN DE BURGT: One word: awesome! I chose to join the Point-7 team 1.5 years ago because I wanted good gear, but also because I wanted to learn and develop myself. Andrea is the guy if you want to learn about how windsurfing sails work. He is friendly, open and always open to discuss new ideas.WINDSURF: Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into windsurfing?BOB VAN DE BURGT: I started windsurfing very late at the age of 16. My parents enjoyed going sailing, so I tried that when I was younger. I didnt enjoy it at all ha ha. It was too slow and boring for me. They suggested I join my uncle, who was very into windsurfing at the time. He gave me a lesson and Ive been hooked ever since!WINDSURF: What did you study?BOB VAN DE BURGT: Business Administration. I was studying during covid, so a lot was done remotely. Which gave me a lot of freedom. My biggest achievement is that I only attended three lectures on location in Amsterdam in the three years of my time in college ha ha! For the rest I was only windsurfing and travelling.WINDSURF: What do you love about windsurfing?BOB VAN DE BURGT: I love to stay in process, staying busy. Windsurfing is a sport where you can always improve something. Your stance, gybe, start, tuning, everything. I love that. Combined with the fact that it gives you so much freedom on the water and living the life travelling the world while doing what I love!WINDSURF: Why do you love Foil racing?BOB VAN DE BURGT: I love that we can get onto the water at every event. There has been so much more racing since the foil arrived. And about the racing itself: I love that its so dynamic. You can take many different lines at the course for overtakes. There is always the risk of crashing, which gives a lot of adrenaline and I think is also nice for the spectator side.WINDSURF: What is your ambition?BOB VAN DE BURGT: I want to accomplish great things in the sport, outside of just racing results. Racing is my driving force, and its the thing my life is built around. Its that competitiveness that fuels me. I want to see how far I can get with that.But as much as I get fuelled by racing, I want to make an impact within and outside of the sport. By setting boundaries, taking records and using windsurfing as a platform to make a positive impact. Being the first one to make the double NL-UK crossing while raising 80k+ for charity is a great example. And I hope to set another example this June by raising even more money, while taking the 24-hour world record.!WINDSURF: Well thankyou and good luck for the rest of the season!The post BOB VAN DE BURGT: RISING TALENT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.