Between sessions and life behind the scenes, meet Achille Beyou
At 22, Achille Beyou already has a solid background on the water. Born and raised in Brittany, France, he joined Phantom with a dual role: part of the team involved in product development on one side, passionate rider on the other.
Wing foil, surf foil, downwind: whenever the conditions line up, Achille is on the water. That regular time riding directly feeds into his work at Phantom, giving him a particularly hands-on understanding of the gear — from the moment it arrives at Phantom HQ in Lorient to the way it feels once up on foil.
We caught up with Achille just after the YAKA Paddle Festival in Larmor-Plage, Brittany, where Phantom was proud to be a partner of this fifth edition. Fresh from a 4th-place finish out of 25 riders in the Downwind SUP Foil race, he sat down with us to talk foiling, progression, product development and life behind the scenes at Phantom.
From Optimist to the first feeling of flight
Like many riders from Brittany, Achille’s story on the water started early. He took his first steps in sailing in an Optimist before quickly moving on to catamarans and later the Nacra 15. He also spent some time sailing a foiling Moth, at a time when flight was beginning to fundamentally reshape both equipment and the way people sailed.
It was by watching this evolution that he first discovered the world of foiling. America’s Cup catamarans began replacing traditional daggerboards with appendages capable of lifting them above the water, while at the same time, footage of Kai Lenny opened up a whole new perspective on what could be done above the surface.
But there is a world of difference between watching someone fly and experiencing it yourself.
For Achille, that moment came on a SUP foil.
“My first real feeling of foiling was when the board started lifting by itself and began gliding along the wave.”
That first take-off marked the beginning of a discipline that would go on to take an increasingly important place in his life.
The freedom to choose your playground
What Achille loves about foiling today is as much about the feeling of glide as it is about the variety the sport offers. Wing foil when the wind picks up, surf foil when the swell arrives, downwind to harness the energy of the ocean: the boundaries between disciplines become increasingly fluid.
“What I love is the freedom to foil in so many different conditions. And as the equipment keeps evolving, there’s always a way to keep pushing the limits.”
If he had to define his own riding style, however, the answer would be pretty clear: waves, carving and glide.
More than chasing pure speed, Achille likes to play with the shape of the water, link turns and extend the ride for as long as possible. An approach that is also reflected in his choice of gear.
His current setup combines a Curve 47 / Cirrus 70, a ONE 750 with a 130 stabilizer and a STRATO 4.2.
“It’s a setup that lets me ride across a really wide wind range. I can surf, do some freestyle or simply head out for a cruise.”
That versatility ultimately sums up his approach to riding: not being locked into a single discipline, but being able to adapt every session to the conditions of the day.
From stock to spot
That knowledge of the gear doesn’t stop at the water’s edge.
At Phantom, Achille handles incoming and outgoing logistics for equipment sold through the online store, as well as customer service. He also helps organise events and demo sessions, while contributing to product testing and technical feedback.
It puts him in a fairly unique position: he sees the gear arrive, checks it, prepares it, ships it… and then rides it.
And when a customer needs advice on choosing the right equipment, all those hours spent on the water become particularly valuable.
“Being able to ride Phantom gear helps me give our customers better advice. It also means I can share technical feedback and describe the sensations I experience on the water.”
The relationship works both ways. Working within the brand also gives him a better understanding of what lies behind a finished product: design choices, manufacturing processes and the constraints that foils, wings and boards have to meet.
A foil is no longer simply a front wing, a mast and a stabilizer assembled for a session. It becomes the result of a whole series of choices and development stages that the rider does not necessarily see.
Before it hits the water
Research and development, manufacturing, transport to Lorient, receiving, quality control, packing-list checks, storage, communication, order preparation and finally shipping: there is a long journey between the first stages of product development and the rider’s first session.
This less visible side of life at Phantom is precisely where Achille works every day.
When the gear arrives, every product has to be checked and organised before it can make its way to its future owner. It is an essential part of the behind-the-scenes work — far removed from the session shots we naturally associate with a watersports brand.
And that is also what makes Achille’s profile so interesting: he provides a link between the people who use the equipment and those working every day to develop it and get it into their hands.
Home waters
Then, of course, there is what matters most: getting on the water.
Around Lorient, Achille knows the spots and the conditions capable of turning an ordinary outing into a proper session. His best recent memory? A 20-kilometre downwind from Kerroc’h to Étel.
But what he is really waiting for now is the return of the swell.
“I can’t wait for some proper conditions again, to push harder over the local reefs in wing surf and keep doing more and more downwinds.”
His ideal scenario is already very precise: 13 knots of wind, two metres of swell with a 12-second period around Belle-Île. Enough energy for the waves to start getting serious and for wing surfing to take on a whole new dimension.
And if he were to leave Brittany’s waters behind?
Ponta Preta, Cape Verde.
When asked where he dreams of riding next, the answer comes without hesitation: Ponta Preta, Cape Verde.
Quick-fire with Achille
Favourite spot?
Secret spot… can’t reveal that one.
Otherwise, the home spot: Kipu.
Dream spot to ride?
Ponta Preta, Cape Verde.
Perfect conditions?
13 knots, 2 metres of swell, 12-second period around Belle-Île.
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunset.
Phantom in one word?
Versatility. Or quality.
At Phantom, products evolve through a constant process of design, testing and feedback from the water. With one foot behind the scenes at the brand and the other on his board, Achille naturally embodies that connection between the gear and the people who ride it.
See you on the water, Achille!
Photos: @pola.RYSE
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A new chapter begins for Phantom