Jenni Roberts: Racing Beyond the Finish Line

For most people standing on the shore, windsurf racing looks chaotic. Boards flying across rough water at incredible speeds, sailors fighting gusts, tactics and exhaustion all at once. But for British Sailing Team athlete Jenni Roberts, the chaos transforms into something strangely calm.

Jenni is currently competing at the iQFoil Europeans in Portugal, in this week's The Official Test Centre blog Jenni looks forward to the World Champs coming to The Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in September this year!

By Emma Maguire.

British Sailing Team athlete Jenni Roberts

“I feel excitement before most races,” she says. “You know you’ve put good time into training so it is an exciting opportunity to show your skills.”

That excitement is earned. Behind every start line lies months of cold winter training, endless tuning, fitness work, travel and sacrifice. The margins at the top of international windsurfing are impossibly small. A split-second decision, one gust missed, one moment of hesitation can separate podium places from disappointment.

And it is in those moments that athletes truly discover themselves.

Fear gives way to focus

“You learn a lot about yourself, your teammates and your coaches when you spend so much time trying to improve by the smallest of margins,” Jenni explains.

“Mostly about how to get the best performance from yourself when under pressure and when making quick decisions, when you’re already out of breath from racing.”

There is honesty in that admission. Elite sport is rarely glamorous from the inside. It is physical stress layered with emotional pressure. Yet somehow, athletes like Jenni continue to search for more speed, more precision, more control.

Discovering calm

What surprises many people is how calm it can feel once the racing begins.

“To be able to stay calm when travelling at such fast speeds over the water, I think it’s mostly that I trust my ability and the skills of the sailors around me,” she says.

“It somehow doesn’t seem as chaotic when everyone is in the race together.”

That trust — in herself, in competitors, in years of training — allows instinct to take over. At full speed, surrounded by dozens of boards charging across the racecourse, fear gives way to focus.

But beyond the racing itself, 2026 carries special significance for British windsurfing. With the international iQFOiL scene heading to Portland Harbour for a home World Championships, Jenni feels something bigger building around the sport.

Inspiring the next generation

“To have a home Worlds is a great opportunity,” she says.

“It’s quite a niche sport and so it’ll be great for our friends and families to be able to see what we do for a world championships too.”

For many athletes, families only see fragments of the journey — the travel photos, tired airport arrivals and occasional competition livestreams. A home championship changes that. Suddenly the world arrives on your doorstep. Local supporters can finally witness the intensity and beauty of elite racing firsthand.

And despite the fierce competition on the water, the international fleet has become something more personal over time.

“With the big fleets all racing against each other you do often feel like it’s you against so many others,” Jenni admits.

“But because we travel and train all together throughout winter we get to know many sailors from other countries so well, it does begin to feel like a lot of the fleet are your friends.”

A fleet of friends

That balance between rivalry and friendship defines modern windsurf racing. The same athletes battling metres apart on the racecourse often share training camps, ferry crossings, rigging beaches and recovery sessions together. The sport becomes a travelling international community connected by wind, water and relentless ambition.

And when Jenni looks ahead to the Worlds in Portland, her hopes stretch beyond results sheets.

“I hope this week will leave a great memory for all involved,” she says. “Hopefully it inspires some children to give watersports a go.”

That may be the most powerful part of all. Because long after medals are packed away and race bibs fade, inspiration remains. Somewhere on the shoreline, another young sailor may watch athletes like Jenni Roberts fly across the water and begin dreaming of doing the same.

And that is how sports grow. One gust. One race. One moment of belief at a time.

Felling inspired, why not step on board with us at The Official Test Centre, call 07817 717904 and start your adventure with us, where will your windsurfing take you? Book a taster, click here. Looking to take your skills to the next level, 1:1 tuition available from our awesome team of instructors.