Reigning World Champion Marc Paré and Aloha Classic winner Morgan Noireaux look ahead to the start of the Quatro Maui Pro.
The first five-star wave event of the 2026 season has officially begun with registration for the Quatro Maui Pro, taking place Sunday evening in Hawaii. The Quatro Maui Pro will run from March 30th to April 4th, but with only three official race days possible out of the five scheduled days, tomorrow (March 30th) has already been declared a rest day. Ahead of the event, we caught up with Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC), ready to begin the defense of his world title, and Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins), winner of the Aloha Classic in October, who is hoping to capitalize on another event in his home country, while the 31-year-old sets his sights on capturing the title.
Hi Marc, how are you feeling about the start of your world title defense?
“I feel good, excited to start fresh. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
What did you do during the winter months?
“I’ve been working hard at Simmer, focusing on product development and learning the ropes of sail design, as well as designing my first full range of sails. I also visited China, where we produce all our sails and components, which was a really fantastic experience and I learned a lot! It was a slightly different pre-season, with less time on the water and more time dedicated to development, but I was happy to spend a few weeks training in Gran Canaria after completing development of the new Evoq sail range.”
This is the first 5-star wave event held on Maui in over twenty years: what are the main differences between the conditions at the Aloha Classic in October and those next spring?
“In theory, spring conditions tend to be a bit windier and offer more jumping opportunities, but it’s been a strange season, and the forecast looks very similar to what we had at some Aloha Classics a few years ago, with crosswinds and bigger, more irregular, and messy waves. Ho’okipa is always difficult to predict, and can sometimes produce exceptional results even with average forecasts. But right now, it doesn’t look like we’ll have the conditions this event was designed for.”
What do you have in your collection for this event?
“I brought all sizes from 5.3 to 4.2, Blacktip TC with a few spare sizes in between, and mostly 90-liter boards, some of which are the ones we’re working on for the next generation of production boards.”
Fantastic, thanks Marc. Good luck with the race.
Hi Morgan, you won the Aloha Classic last October. This event obviously takes place in spring, so the conditions are likely very different. Which conditions (fall or spring) do you prefer, if any, and why?
“Normally the two seasons are quite different, but this spring was really strange. Lots of rain and wind that was basically spinning in circles, which meant a lot of Kona winds and onshore days. Now it’s calmed down a bit and the trade winds are back, but I don’t think we’ll have the usual sunny and windy spring conditions. Looking at the forecast, I think the first day will be quite difficult. A sideways onshore wind with a good north swell means it will probably be quite tricky. In the following days, the wind seems to be turning a bit more onshore, which should help. I’m hoping we get a little lucky and maybe get a little rain during the day. It seems strange, but a short gust could help the wind turn a bit onshore. In any case, it looks like we’ll have opportunities all five days, which is all we can ask for!”
What did you do during the winter break?
I spent the winter in Maui. The last few winters I was in Guadeloupe with Coco [Foveau], so it was nice to spend the winter at home again. I wanted to go to Chile, but since this event was confirmed, I thought it was better to stay here. Honestly, it was nice to stay in one place for a while and follow a good training program for this event and the rest of the season. The weather has been strange these past few months, which meant we faced very different conditions. I’ve never sailed port tack in Maui as much as I have these past few months, so it’s been a lot of fun.
What are your goals for next season, and are you looking forward to getting back to racing?
“I want to have a chance to win the world title at the final stop in Chile. Looking at the calendar, I know I can fit in this competition this year, so that’s my goal! Honestly, it’s a little strange to have two events back-to-back in Ho’okipa, but I think it’s helped keep the pressure off, so I can’t wait for the race to begin.”
Great, thank you so much Morgan and good luck in the race.
