How World Champion Seb Garat Brought His Kite & Wing School Online

About

Seb Garat Ride Academy is a kite, wing and foil school just south of Montpellier on France's Mediterranean coast, founded and run by Seb Garat — a double Kitesurf Freestyle World Champion (2006 and 2007) and the most decorated French rider in the discipline. What sets the school apart is simple: every day, the team heads out by boat to whichever spot the weather makes best — chasing the wind instead of waiting for it.

That freedom is the whole appeal — but it only works if the planning is rock-solid. When the meeting point and the conditions change daily, the entire crew needs to know exactly where to be and who's on.

The Problem

Before Bloowatch, Seb Garat Ride Academy ran on the phone and on paper. Bookings were taken by hand, and the day's schedule lived in one place that wasn't easy to share.

The result was predictable: forgotten bookings, scheduling mistakes, and the constant friction of trying to keep a mobile, weather-driven operation in sync without a shared, live plan.

"Phone and paper meant forgotten bookings, planning errors, and no good way to share the schedule with the team."

The Solution

Seb Garat Ride Academy chose Bloowatch to handle peak season without the stress, to put booking online 24/7, and to have everything accessible from a phone — wherever the boat happens to be.

Now the team works from a drag-and-drop calendar, manages instructors and their availability in one place, and secures bookings with deposit and balance payment links. Reservations come in through the website around the clock, alongside the usual calls and emails.

"The whole team can see the live planning from their phone — wherever we are, even heading out on the boat."

What Actually Changed

The biggest change is shared visibility. The entire staff now has live access to the day's planning, so everyone knows the spot, the timing and their sessions — no more relying on one person and a paper diary.

Bookings come in online 24/7, the client list is finally organised in one place, and peak-season weeks that used to mean chaos now run calmly. The school sells more simply by being bookable at any hour.

Conclusion

For a small, fast-moving school, the gains are real: an estimated 5 hours saved per week in season, a 35% lift on website sales, and an overall estimated sales impact of 25% — with a whole lot less stress when the wind is pumping.

Seb Garat Ride Academy is proof that even the most mobile, weather-driven operation can run like clockwork when the plan is live, shared and in everyone's pocket.