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HOOK ED! Steve West Ulli Seer

Windsurﬁng’s Untold Stories

Huisman Publishing

Maui Glory Days: October 1st 1982 O‘Neill Invitational From left to right: Suzan Gedayloo (†), Peggy King, and Betty Birrell. Peggy‘s husband Bill King started Sailboards Maui with Mike Waltze and Fred Haywood. Betty was one of the first woman windsurfers at Kailua and Diamond Head.

Steve West Ulli Seer Published by Ado Huisman

HOOK ED! WINDSURFING’S UNTOLD STORIES

Steve West Ulli Seer

HOOK ED! WINDSURFING’S UNTOLD STORIES

Huisman Publishing

CONTENTS

Imprint ........................................................................................................................................................................... Foreword: Ado Huisman, CEO Mistral (2009-2022) ...................................................................................................... Prologue: Steve West ....................................................................................................................................................

Some key characters Chapter 1: Robby Naish: the Kailua kid ........................................................................................................................

Chapter 2: Peter Brockhaus: an alternative early European windsurﬁng story .............................................................

Chapter 3: Windsurfing Hawaii: pushing early boundaries ........................................................................................... Chapter 4: Ulli Seer: how do photos influence perceptions of windsurfing?.................................................................

Chapter 5: Ernstfried Prade: his drawing board inﬂuence ............................................................................................

Building a brand image Chapter 6: Christian Müller-Kittnau: the hidden story of Mistral Sportswear ...............................................................

Chapter 7: Teddy Keifer: the World Cup dream team manager ....................................................................................

Chapter 8: Club Mistral: Yola Bichler‘s journey .............................................................................................................

Chapter 9: The Pan Am Board: the genesis of the Olympic one-design ......................................................................

Other personal inﬂuences and events Chapter 10: Charly Messmer and Pete Cabrinha: early greats of Windsurﬁng.............................................................

Chapter 11: I Sail for Smile: core cultural shifts ............................................................................................................

Chapter 12: Hansi Fichtner and Harold ‘Iggy‘: shapers and their inﬂuence .................................................................

Chapter 13: Peter Chilvers: a child’s invention shatters the patent ..............................................................................

Opportunities and threats Chapter 14: The US Market (1987): a new frontier ........................................................................................................

Chapter 15: Rapid Evolution: windsurﬁng’s over-development bites back ..................................................................

Chapter 16: Chocolate and More: from Jacobs to Boards and More ........................................................................... Chapter 17: Olympic Choices: contentious Olympic decisions ....................................................................................

The journey to now Chapter 18: Rebuilding the Brand: Mistral’s return to the water ...................................................................................

Chapter 19: Hooked ... blast from the past ...................................................................................................................

Sources, Photo Credits .................................................................................................................................................

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CO NT EN TS

FOREWORD BY AD O HUISMAN

FOREWORD BY ADO HUISMAN CEO MISTRAL 2009 - 2022

ive decades ago, windsurfing went mainstream as it first appeared at the Paris and Dusseldorf marine trade (boat) shows of 1973. This wonderful book, through stories of influential individuals and events, explores what happened until 2022. It covers new accounts you may know little about, such as the spread of the Windsurfer® in Europe, how Mistral, F2, Naish and Windsurfing Hawaii came into being, the ups and downs of board sales, windsurfing holiday clubs, the influence windsurfing had on other board sports (e.g., kiteboarding, paddleboarding, wing foiling) and more. Beautifully written by Steve West and supported by editor Ben Oakley, the opening three stories from Robby Naish, Peter Brockhaus and Larry Stanley capture the unique Hawaiian and European blend that created many new products and trends. Initially, these creations thrived in a surging European market in which the German-Austrian-Swiss manufacturing technology (e.g., Mistral, F2 and Fanatic) also played its part. I consider myself lucky to have been part of the original Mistral team from 1979 to 1990, probably the most instructive and exciting period of my life in my role as distributor in the Benelux countries and Vice President of Mistral at Head Quarters in Munich (1986-1990). I look back on this time with enormous satisfaction and a big smile. We were part of an exciting new sport that peaked in the mid-1980s.

Above: Ado Huisman CEO Mistral 2009 - 2022 with Martin Pestalozzi (left) CEO of ADIA (owner of Mistral from 1980 1991).

Reading the untold stories supported by the powerful pictures of Ulli Seer and others reminds me that windsurfing was selling a lifestyle, even if it was often on inland lakes. Interviews and research into clothing, culture, equipment and Olympic developments all contribute to this narrative, and some of the behind-the-scenes intrigues and occasional legal battles have surprised me. We hear how the sport’s rapid evolution and competition from other activities diminished board sales by the turn of the millennium. In 2005, hardly anything was left of the Mistral brand, having passed through four owners by 2005. I purchased the brand in 2009, and my tale of attempts to rejuvenate it and return it to its roots has twists and turns. But what about windsurfing now? Later chapters feature the progress towards a more stable, optimistic future in the last decade. The final chapter brings all the book‘s central themes together and reflects what got us into the sport in the first place, ‘We were hooked!’ My final observation is that we reunite Peter Brockhaus, Robbie Naish, Rick Naish, Charlie Messmer and Ulli Seer in the early chapters of this book. This gang of five travelled together to Sardinia to work on one of the earliest Euro-Hawaiian windsurfing books in 1979; Robby was just 16. Here they are again together in the text.

Right: artwork by Pete Cabrinha

I hope you enjoy this series of stories from the five decades of the sport and get as much enjoyment from it as I did in my experience of riding the wave back to the beach.

R O B B Y N A I S H - T H E K A I L UA K I D

ROBBY NAISH -

T H E K A I L UA K I D

CHAPTER 1

ROBBY NAISH

THE KAILUA KID

Above: Robby Naish 1980

I‘

ll begin with the road least travelled in introducing Robby; given you’re reading this book, you will know who he is. Robby is a car guy; had he discovered cars before windsurfing, it would be no surprise if he were as revered a racing driver as he is now a board rider. The sum of a person is only sometimes as it first appears; if you look at the peripheral edges beyond the polarised perception of a person, you’re going to miss out on knowing more. I’m a car guy. I get it. Specifically, Robby is a Porsche guy. In an interview on the Porsche website titled: Robby Naish, LDB 343 (the car number plate), ‘When it comes to the feeling of driving combined with the power, Porsche is in a class of its own,’ gushes Naish. ‘I love the design integrity that Porsche has maintained through the decades and that you can drive them in races without changing a thing. Every manufacturer does races, but the amount of work they have to do with their cars before they’re ready to go! I’m shy and introverted, not very social, and I honestly don’t really enjoy having people around me. But looking at my cars, anyone would think I was some totally idiotic show-off ’. He ‘loves cars’, he says. His favourite time to drive around Maui is at three in the morning when the roads are empty, and no one sees him. In delving into this other passion, his distraction, his ‘time out place’, the essence of Robby can be appreciated more coherently, beyond what he does on the water, the domain and narrative of the few. Cars, by contrast, are omnipresent, readily attainable, and relatable, unlike what Robby has done on the water. His appreciation of Porsche is mirrored in his views on board and sail design. He appreciates classic designs, sees no need for constant changes for the sake of change, and appreciates turnkey design icons. He has simple needs over complex. Wind, water and good equipment under his feet and in his hands, has been an eternal way of life counterpoised when seated in his beloved 1977 Porsche 911; hands wrapped around the steering wheel, foot on the accelerator pedal; a clear, quiet, fast open road ahead, which suggests few limits, an open horizon and the joy in simply being at one with an otherwise inanimate object.

ROBBY NAISH -

T H E K A I L UA K I D

Left: Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo (both Infiniti Red Bull Racing) talk to Robby Naish in the garage during previews to the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit on March 27, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Left: Robby’s workhorse, a Ford F-650 XLT truck

Left: Robby’s first car, a Dodge Charger, 1981

Far left: during the mid 1980s Robby was sponsored by Audi - here pictured with his iconic original Audi Quattro

Above: another toy from Robby’s car collection

Above: Robby’s 1991 Evans Series One (left) and his beautifully restored VW Bus, left in the background his Porsche 911 ‘Slantnose’

He is every bit as authentic and grassroots as his Peter Pan athleticism upon the water’s surface or when flying above it and it’s futile to compare him with his peers, as he remains the quintessential, ‘one of a kind’ who has inspired others to be his equal, rarely better: he set the bench mark for a generation. Talking with Robby was refreshing and I choose by design, not to be overly prescriptive with a line of questioning, opting for the organic approach of responding to where he wanted to go. My only distinct aim was to try to understand the emergence of the Naish name as a brand which lives on today. Naish is not some corporate juggernaut, nor is it a brand obsessed with image, nor is it answerable to shareholders. It’s as autonomous and free-spirited as Robby himself; not taking itself too seriously, always keeping fun and

ROBBY NAISH -

the big picture of creating water toys for grown-ups who take growing up as optional, or at least something that can be parked to one side on weekends and vacations. What Robby has to say resonates an inner sincerity and perhaps reveals what makes him tick. Before you hear about our conversation we start by exploring his family influences. FAMILY INFLUENCES His father Rick’s job teaching photography and marine biology at a Honolulu High School allowed him plenty of water time, and he added sailing to his list of hobbies. Living just two blocks from Kailua Beach, the family social life revolved around the beach. Hobie Cat regatta’s dominated weekends for years. Rick was State Champion in both the Hobie 14 and 16 fleets for several years, and won the National Championships in 1972. Robby and Randy, his brother, started surfing small waves at Kailua’s shorebreak beach Above: Robby 1972 at the age of 9 with as soon as their swimming his first surfboard skills were up to it and sailing was also part of their life. In 1974 they, as a crew, racing against adults, won the State Championships on their Hobie 12. About this time the first windsurfers appeared in Kailua Bay, and the boys lost all interest in their Hobie 12. They met Mike Horgan and Larry Stanley at the beach and used their boards for a while. All they wanted to do was windsurf. The Hobie was sold, and

Above: the Naish family with their Hobie 14 at Kailua Beach, late 1960s, Robby on the far left

Robby (at 12 years old) took his share of the proceeds and bought his first windsurfing board and rig. As Robby was developing his skills and winning races, Rick was also developing his skills as a board designer. Using the family garage as a workshop, he built

T H E K A I L UA K I D

boards for himself, Randy, Robby and a few friends. Meanwhile, mother Carol began international marketing of ‘Windsurfari’ trips to Hawaii. The first Naish Hawaii rental fleet consisted of 10 Mistral Kailua boards. Guest accommodations were arranged in Kailua in private homes, cottages, and B&B’s. The performance of Rick’s boards was impressive and generated orders for more boards. They eventually opened their own shop and, I found this suggestion startling; in the history Above: Robby and Rick Naish - the perfect of the shop over 10,000 father and son team Naish custom boards have been sold worldwide. Eventually this business would develop to become the Naish brand we know today. In 1978 the Naish’s, and a group of friends from Kailua, organized the first Hawaiian Windsurfing World Cup Regatta which drew nearly 100 competitors to Kailua Bay for a series of course racing, marathon and surf slalom events. This amateur event later became the Pan Am World Cup which was the premier windsurfing event in the world until the professional world tour began in 1983. Rick’s boards performance at the Pan Am drew the attention of Mistral founder Peter Brockhaus (Chapter 2) and he was offered a contract to develop several new designs for Mistral. TALENT AND STYLE There’s a sense that Robby has been a product of divine intervention from the moment he could swim, let alone haul a Windsurfer® rig out of the water on his own, just in time to win his first World Championship at a mere age 13. Under the wing of Larry Stanley (Chapter 3) and Mike Horgan, Robby won the Windsurfer® Hawaiian Championships winning a ticket to Berkeley, California for the 1976 North American Championships. Robby took second place and won a plane ticket to the Windsurfer® Worlds in the Bahamas where he became the World Champion winning another plane ticket to the 1977 Worlds in Sardinia, which he also went on to win. And so it went on.

Above: talent and style - as Robby’s skills grew, riding a board simply became an extension of him

As his physicality and skills grew, riding a board simply became an extension of him. His symmetry, form and riding style remain iconic, dynamic, intense, the personification of being at one with nature and often with equipment under his feet, honed and refined by father Rick and within his hands, a US-1111 sail

ROBBY NAISH -

T H E K A I L UA K I D

Above: Robby at Peahi (Jaws), Maui, Hawaii, March 2010

‘I’VE TRIED TO KEEP A MINDSET THAT IT’S ALWAYS JUST ABOUT PLAYING’ 36

I’ve tried to keep a mindset that it’s always just about playing. Like I said, when I go out on my slalom board by myself, I don’t wanna meet others. I wanna go by myself, rig my stuff, go ride, I ride until I’m tired. I come in, I pack it up, and I leave. I don’t sit around on the beach talking to people about my gear, or tell them how great my sail is, or have a drink, and then go out for a second session. Once I’m done, I’m done, I pack up and leave. I’m there because I’m playing; I’m not playing with myself! [Laughing]. I have a certain appreciation for immaturity. I still think farts are really funny. Maybe I did never grow up, I found a niche in life that allowed me to stay immature, fall down, get up, and try it again, and I enjoy that aspect, to a degree, of being outta control

ROBBY NAISH -

T H E K A I L UA K I D

to tell someone what to do, be anybody’s boss. So, there’s some things that came along when getting into business, none of which I really like, but I love the fact that we are in this particular business.’ Brands in our industry require creative, playful, knowledgable, respected, spirited, yet youthful dreamers who can keep a brand upbeat and focused. This needs to be balanced by pragmatic others, grounded in the reality of commerce. Does that resonate? ‘There are different characters in every crowd, everyone is certainly not the same by any means. Different things drive different people. Even if you look at the business, it’s still a great business to be in, compared to others, because of the nature of the activity itself. It’s not a great business to make money; it’s high risk, low margin, constantly having to reinvent yourself is a pain in the ass. But we’re at least making good things [products] that improve people’s lives, right?

‘I LOVE THE PRODUCTS, I LOVE THE ACTIVITIES, BUT I DON’T LIKE THE BUSINESS SIDE OF BUSINESS’

If you just wanna make money, you bottle water. You come up with a brand, and you sell water, which I still can’t friggin’ believe that people buy water in a plastic bottle! You know, water used to come outta drinking fountains; you didn’t pay for it. Somehow people have been convinced you’ve gotta buy water outta of a plastic bottle from the other side of the world, and somehow, that’s gonna be better for you than just drinking the water out of a tap! For sure, there’s other ways to make more money, but I love what we do.’

in an environment that’s always changing and always challenging you, that you don’t ever get perfect at. Yeah, it keeps it exciting.’ By contrast, the business world is very much the domain of adults of serious decisions, endlessly deep and meaningful meetings, and clashes of egos. I would imagine that the corporate world is close to the gates of hell for someone like you. ‘Yes, I aways tell people, I love the products, I love the activities, but I don’t like the business side of business. I love sharing what we do with other people. If you make money at it, that’s cool. But even that, I don’t like selling people things. I don’t wanna owe anyone money; I don’t want anyone to owe me money; I don’t wanna have

Looking back, what are your overriding thoughts from the sport’s early days, especially when the Europeans arrived in Hawaii and began taking ideas back to Europe and turning them into mass-produced products? ‘Egos were driving the decision making, a lot of egos, rather than economics throughout the decades, and you’re right, the GAS countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, where very strong driving

‘I’VE NEVER WANTED TO GROW UP TOO MUCH, JUST ENOUGH TO FUNCTION IN A GROWN-UP WORLD’ 37

Main photo: La Perouse, Maui / small inserts right: Hookipa

Very occasionally, you hear people talk of Robby as if he’s no longer relevant to the big picture and young kids ignorant as to who he is. This is akin to not knowing the origin of the species or the possibility of the existence of a God; whomever that may or may not be to you. When you’re knocking on 60 and pulling stunts like this, you’re either on a death wish or master of your domain. You decide.

P E T E R B R O C K HAU S - W I N D SU R F I N G’ S S E M I NA L M A N

Above: first windsurfing trip to the Bahamas 1974: Peter Brockhaus (red sweatshirt) and Chris Forstmeier (yellow t-shirt) later to be Peter’s wife.

P E T E R B R O C K HAU S - W I N D SU R F I N G’ S S E M I NA L M A N

CHAPTER 2

PETER BROCKHAUS AN ALTERNATIVE EARLY EUROPEAN WINDSURFING STORY

eter Brockhaus’s lucid memory of the beginnings of windsurfing in Europe of people, places and conversations is quite remarkable. Here he reveals his thoughts behind some of the challenging circumstances he faced as an entrepreneur trying to grow the sport and his business interests. He started working in windsurfing in 1973 with ‘Windsurfing Deutschland’ as the distributor of Windsurfer®; three years later, he founded Mistral and, in 1980, the F2 brand. His story covers the need to develop formal teaching for windsurfing (1973) and an early realisation that shorter boards with foot straps orientated to stronger winds (i.e., funboards) would be the future. He describes the philosophical disagreement with his Mistral business partners about a direction of travel, among other issues, resulting in his stepping down and establishing F2 (1980). Founding a second new company is also a rich story with many twists and turns.

Brockhaus was a tour de force in his field, and his insights make for compelling reading, opening your eyes to a seldom-told alternative windsurfing development narrative. The Americanization of windsurfing’s history, interesting as it is, often obscures the reality; Europe became the primary market and nucleus of the Above: Peter Brockhaus big brands and popularisation of the sport. His quest was to improve the original Windsurfer® design and board manufacturing processes and materials. In addition, he confronted significant business and growth challenges, often in very creative ways. IN THE BEGINNING Brockhaus discovered windsurfing when working on the island of Sylt in Northern Germany in the autumn of 1972 as a consultant for the Government carrying out a feasibility study for tourism, where he met Calle Schmidt, who had imported the first Windsurfer® boards directly from Hoyle Schweitzer in America. He purchased a board and learnt what trial and error means. ‘. . . in the packaging was this ridiculous piece of paper with some

P E T E R B R O C K HAU S - W I N D SU R F I N G’ S S E M I NA L M A N

instructional match-stick figure drawings supposed to teach you how to master the sport. I will never forget shaking my head over this poor marketing from the USA.’ Calle Schmidt, Germany’s first importer and distributor of the American Windsurfer®

Calle Schmidt was from Hamburg, born in 1939 and regularly vacationed with his parents on the German Island of Sylt. He was a trained advertising specialist and owner of an advertising agency. Being a sailing and surfing instructor, in 1971, he moved to the island to open a sailing school. ‘One day before I wanted to buy my boats, I read the article [about windsurfing] in the magazine, Yacht, at the end of January ‘72.’ Calle contacted Hoyle Schweitzer in the USA, ordered two boards by air freight in early April 1972 and started his first shaky learning attempts.

This singular lack of a good instructional booklet was, in fact, seminal and a blunder of epic proportions on the part of Windsurfing International. Even its creators struggled with mastery of the contraption they had made. Yet, when sold to the general public, buyers were expected to know how to rig it and master the art of this new windsurfing sport in the absence of any formal instructional material save for a few random drawings. Consequently, when Brockhaus set out to resolve this issue, the resulting missing part of the sales and marketing strategy he helped kick-start windsurfing in Europe. Schmidt’s distribution system was crude but effective, supplying to anyone willing to order five boards, making them pay for four. No one was selling boards professionally full time, and Schmidt was failing to meet the sales figures required by Hoyle Schweitzer’s manufacturing licensee for Europe, TenCate, located in Almelo Holland. Ultimately, in November 1973, Brockhaus took over Schmidt’s Windsurfing Deutschland business as an importer and distributor of the original Windsurfer® into Germany. TenCate signed the German distributor agreement with Brockhaus’ GmbH (company). Brockhaus would then set up an instruction centre at Lake Starnberg with a partner, Hans Taubinger, who had designed his own board and built a few in polyester. INSTRUCTION: ESSENTIAL FOR GROWTH It was clear that here was a sport technically challenging to learn, which presented a barrier to entry. Brockhaus wanted to reverse the usual buying experience through what he termed ‘Verkauf nur mit Schulung’ (instruction prior to purchase). Lessons had to be made part of the buying experience, presented in safe, efficient controlled and enjoyable circumstances.

‘NO ONE WAS SELLING BOARDS PROFESSIONALLY AT THIS TIME’

His vision also considered a key risk; over-crowded lakes in Germany could lead to local bans since German authorities are quick to rule on safety issues. There was also consideration of the difficulties young people without a car might have; therefore, included in the service was the storing of their board at the lake in a protected shelter as part of the package where possible. Lakeside windsurfing schools were ideally suited to this format. The formalisation of this teaching methodology led to the founding of the ‘Verband Deutscher Windsurfing Schulen (VDWS)’ which centred around the teaching of safe practice, without which closure of the sport in key venues may have occurred and the belief that instruction would lead to buying, and it did. The outcome was a sustainable infrastructure for the sport. As a result of this initiative, the resulting schools sold the sport through instruction, so retailers did not need to convince buyers to purchase, as they would have already been persuaded through instruction. The business model was a complete success in offering instructional courses as part of a service-focused business. ‘This decision encouraged young windsurfers to create windsurfing schools that popped up on every lake in Germany. I developed the simulator, which you still find in some places today, produced by

P E T E R B R O C K HAU S - W I N D SU R F I N G’ S S E M I NA L M A N

my father-in-law, who had ironworks. It would be much easier to develop the sport if I seperated instruction as a paid service from selling the product and have the person pay first for the service. At this time, we had two different people selling the Windsurfer®. We had well-established equipment retailers and garage dealers, with whom I wanted to get better organised and become more professional. I had inherited the garage dealers from Calle.’ With the contract with TenCate signed for Germany, Brockhaus ensured the VDWS concept was implemented and invited seven retailers to develop a Windsurfer® marketing strategy centred upon his instruction-based approach. The VDWS was founded

Above: in contrast to many of the later managers in the windsurfing business Peter Brockhaus has always been a keen windsurfer from the beginning. This photo shows him on one of his early trips to the Bahamas sailing an original Windsurfer® reaching downwind with the old-fashioned wooden daggerboard halfway up.

Left: the Simulator produced by Brockhaus’s father in law. Some remain in use today.

BROCKHAUS STRIKES GOLD IN TALENT Brockhaus’s trip to the Bahamas in 1976 came about because although no longer permitted to attend the distributor meeting hosted by Schweitzer, having lost his contract with TenCate, he wanted to be there to assert the legitimacy of his influence within the Windsurfer® class in Germany. This was his Swiss lawyer’s strategy, where the lawsuit was to take place in a Court of Arbitration. He had plenty of time on his hands to meet with the sailors. Here, he would make his first contact with the ‘Kailua Kids.’

*In 1977, Rick Naish was formerly contracted as Mistral’s designer, specialising in longer ocean race boards and wave boards. Naish Hawaii began in 1979 and has teamed up with Mistral; the added workload of servicing Naish Custom Boards and Mistral was highly demanding. By 1982, to cope with the added workload, an unsung legend, the late Harold’ Iggy’ Ige, was hired by Rick Naish. Harold had been shaping boards since the late 1950s. The first World Windsurfer® One Design Championship took place in 1976 with the discovery of a young Robby Naish. In 1979, the first Open World Championship was organised in Guadeloupe for boards keeping within class specifications. Open or Division II Boards as they became known, were typically 3.9m long x 63cm wide and 22cm in depth with a round bottom along the full length, a deep pointed bow or rounded and a minimum weight of 18kg. The first World Champion was Karl Messmer sailing a prototype Mistral which quickly evolved to the Mistral M1 and dominated this class for the next 2 - 3 years. From 1988 to 1992, the Lechner Division II board was the Olympic Class.

‘Robby Naish, during the races, came a couple of times to my boat, anchored near the finishing line, and after the light wind races under the Caribbean sun, he was thirsty, so I helped him out with a drink of water, and we talked. I also met Mike Horgan, Dennis Davidson, Colin Perry and many others. Robby’s father Rick was not present, but I understood he would be interested in talking. Eventually, we exchanged some phone calls and discussed cooperation with Mistral. He was keen to give up his dislike of being a school teacher. I later travelled to Hawaii in 1977, and a contract was signed.’ Rick Naish would be a Mistral designer and would receive royalties from sales for Rick Naish designs put into production. Robby was like a dowry for us, testing these designs and other products at Kailua beach. He was still too young to sign a contract.’ KEY INTERNAL DIFFERENCES AT MISTRAL In the maelstrom of lawsuits, production issues, new shapers and riders, Brockhaus began a book project with Robby Naish in 1979, which Ulli Seer describes from his perspective in Chapter 4. Brockhaus recalls, ‘In the summer of 1979, the Naish family came to Sardinia and also invited was Charley Messmer from Switzerland, Mistral’s first team rider. Ulli came over, and we made many images for the book in high winds showing different manoeuvres. The title of the book was “Windsurfing with Robby Naish.” I wrote it, and Robby was telling stories and giving input.’ The Naish’s travelled with custom prototype boards, including what would later become the Naish board in the Mistral range, which was the star performer. This experience of Peter’s trips to Hawaii illuminated the direction of travel of the windsurfing scene. Brockhaus was convinced strapped boards, higher winds, and wave sailing was the direction windsurfing would take, in addition to embracing the Hawaiian image. ‘Ernstfried observed my Hawaiian connection with scepticism. He kept saying, “These funboards are not good for Europe”. I never saw him on a funboard. Unfortunately, he was preaching his longboard faith to all and convinced both my partners and, by default, the manufacturers of Mistral that I was wrong. They wanted to realise their investment and hesitated with new foot-strapped funboard designs. With the Naish contract signed, Ernstfried had to accept an additional designer in competition with him within Mistral. His strategy convinced Heinz Bader and Ruppert Fritzmeier that funboards were unsuitable for Europe and would be a one-way street with no future. For him, funboards were fine for Hawaii but not for Europe.’

Above: after the lost lawsuit against Schweitzer, Sigi Pertramer and Jochen Adamek didn’t have a business any more. They both received an offer to work for Mistral from then on. Jochen Adamek in production and development, Sigi in sport and promotion. This picture shows Sigi with his successful Mistral Open Class Racing Team during the Open Worlds in Israel (1980) with the legendary Mistral M1.

‘ERNSTFRIED OBSERVED MY HAWAIIAN CONNECTION WITH SCEPTICISM. HE KEPT SAYING, “THESE FUNBOARDS ARE NOT GOOD FOR EUROPE”’

From left to right: shaper & co-designer Hansi Fichtner, Marc Nieuwbourg (France), Frank Spöttel (Germany), unknown, Bernie Brandstätter (Austria), Philip Pudenz (Germany), Claus Köhnlein (Germany), Pat Johnson (USA), Charly Messmer (Switzerland), unknown, Thomas Staltmeier (Germany), Ernst Seidl (Mistral importer Austria). Front row from left to right: Ernstfried Prade, Nancy Johnson (USA), Sigi Pertramer

T H E W I N D S U R F I N G H A WA I I S T O R Y

CHAPTER 3

WINDSURFING HAWAII

PUSHING EARLY BOUNDARIES

indsurfing Hawaii was an iconic early group of 4-9 riders, a group think-tank initially operating out of a garage in Kailua where no new technique or design modification was off the table. The genesis and impetus for experimentation originated from the experiences and thinking of two Vietnam Vets (Mike Horgan and Larry Stanley), anti-conformists of the creative kind, who sought to take the windsurfing concept on a journey of exploration from calm waters into the trade winds and surf of the Hawaiian islands. Such was the group impact that a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researcher would later study them. She described their unique activities as different from conventional business wisdom since they developed equipment in a new sport outside of any existing manufacturer. She says, ‘Innovations were instead developed by [these] . . . . lead users who built innovative equipment for themselves and . . . built businesses focused on producing it . . . to benefit from their innovations and establish a lifestyle around the sport.’ (p.2, Shah, 2000). That is some impact, but how did this come about?

Above: Larry Stanley & Mike Horgan, co-founders of Windsurfing Hawaii

Their windsurfing and design exploits were spread worldwide through magazine coverage, posters and photos by Steve Wilkings, Ulli Seer, and John Speer, who showcased a new way of windsurfing to the world. In summary, they helped evolve the sport from regatta-centric to wave sailing-focused designs, manifested in high-wind daggerboards (Mike Horgan, Larry Stanley), scooped noses (Mike Horgan, Larry Stanley, Warren Aitken), the harness (Ken Kleid, Pat Love), full-window sails (Pat Love, Mike Horgan, Larry Stanley) and footstraps (Larry Stanley).

YET AGAIN: 1973 Like other significant developments, it all began in 1973 when Mike ‘Thor’ Horgan of California sailed one of the first Windsurfer® boards in Kailua Bay on the island of Oahu. He was ‘Hooked’ on the new sport and became the Windsurfer® distributor for Oahu, naming his business ‘Windsurfing Hawaii’.

‘WORKING WITH ROBBY HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE...’

108

‘Working with Robby has always been an absolute

pleasure. More than once his sharp fin sliced only millimeters past my head, without ever touching me. His jumps and transitions were placed so precisely that I could always rely on him and be sure to get my shots.’ This picture shows Robby at Diamiond Head / Oahu on a Mistral Take-Off 1983, one of the less glorious Mistral products. It was released too late, it was too heavy and overloaded with unneccessary technical gimmicks, soon to be nicknamed the ‘Mistral Break-Off’.

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CHAPTER 11

I SAIL FOR SMILE... 1973 - 1983

CULTURAL SHIFTS IN WINDSURFING

once asked a French windsurfing friend on the first day we met, ‘Do you compete’ his reply was, ‘No, I sail for smile.’ By the late 70s, this playfulness was becoming more embedded in those who often gained satisfaction and meaning from racing and its social scene. Playful windsurfing meant perfecting new moves or seeing the sport‘s potential for play in the waves. For many new windsurfers their recreational time was a means to be free from the restraint of rules and regulations compared to many who used competition to shape the rhythm of their sport, which sometimes included travelling to experience new race venues. Of course, some people did both, but it begins to illuminate some core differences between participants in the first decade of the sport. These different perspectives perhaps shaped Mistral more than other brands. The evolution towards high wind sailing could be said to have commenced in 1977 partly due to the efforts of those at Windsurfing Hawaii in developing existing equipment. The challenge of mastering new wind and wave conditions soon became conflated with ‘fun’, and the ‘funboard’ term emerged. The more wind you could handle, and if combined with waves, all the better. Equipment and rider skills were the limiting factor, but it was clear that skill levels and aspirations were now overtaking the performance levels that conventional longboards offered. A range of changes spread beyond Hawaii‘s beaches to allow the sport to develop further, which inevitably happened, but not without some aggravation. SAILING; BUT NOT AS THE WORLD KNEW IT In 1979, US instructor Glenn Taylor published an influential book called ‘Wherever there’s water and wind: A complete guide to the sport of Windsurfing’. Windsurfer® endorsed it. The contents are a fascinating historical record of that time and include ‘Why Race?’ and ‘Regattas for Windsurfers’, including descriptions of typical competition formats; the Olympic course, slalom, formation sailing, buoy ball, tag and freestyle. Note that there is no mention of waves or speed. Only the formats in italics lasted until today. One-Design racing was aligned to sailing in its rules and conventions, but as you can see, there were attempts to offer something distinctly different to sailing, but the prestige was al-

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USA - WINDSURFING’ S NEW FRONTIER

Above: the Diamond Head Lookout remains a famous vantage point on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Love the Anglo-Hawaiian vibe of the VW Beetle and the not uncommon reality the sum total of what’s strapped to the roof was, no doubt, worth more than the car. Two-piece masts were yet to appear.

‘EUROPEANS HAD BEEN DEVELOPING LIGHTER, STIFFER, FASTER BOARDS AND DETAILS’

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Talking about developments in construction and design, it would seem that other manufacturers have done a lot more than you? ‘You must understand that they [the overseas manufacturers] would not necessarily be successful in the United States because the market is so much more infantile [here].’ Why has development been so slow in the United States ‘The population of America still rates windsurfing with the hula-hoop or skateboards’ The patent issue had dominated the industry for years. Its existence had created one of the most contentious roadblocks to expansion. It had been the ruination of businesses and individuals who fought against it and for the many who paid royalty fees. But what came after the peak in Europe?

Mistral and others such as Bic Sport, France; (pen, shaver and cigarette lighter makers) and Fanatic, [a subsidiary of Schütz, a German chemical company], tried to become significant in America. In 1983, Sailboard News reported, Windsurfer International’s share of the American market had fallen to just 6% in 1983. In relative terms it should have shut its business doors but remained viable on account of the royalties, upon which it was surviving. It was now a windsurfing company dedicated to revenue from third-party sources and had little direct income from its products. In August 1987, in the New York Times, Mistral’s CEO, said of Windsurfer International, whose patent had come to an end in January of that year, ‘You lose your edge if you have a protective

WHEN WAS THE MARKET’S HIGH TIDE? By the end of the 1980s, it was clear the market was slowing. Sales of boards had climbed from a claimed 30,000 worldwide in 1976, to 400,000 in 1982, before sliding to 325,000 in 1986, according to an industry trade journal, ‘Sailboard News’ (cited in New York Times). The worldwide zenith was probably in about 1984/5 and it was suggested that initial peak sales in the United States were 73,000 in 1983. The only year my research has found potentially reliable data for is, 1986. Here is what we think was happening in each country. • • • • •

Sales in France alone were at 65,000, composed mainly of Bic and Tiga. Mistral remained the top imported brand into France. In West Germany, sales were 60,000, with Klepper as the leading local brand and Mistral, a distant fourth in market share. Sales in Italy had levelled to around 35,000 units. Holland had 45,000 units. Switzerland 15,000 units.

What of Mistral sales in 1986? The data I uncovered revealed a total of 45,600 units worldwide with a turnover of $52 million. One way of making meaningful comparisons between nations it to look at participants per million people in different countries. Using this, we get the following comparisons. In France there were 45,500 per million, in West Germany there were 18,300 per million and in the US just 5,400 per million (Source: New York Times, August 1987). The comparison between the European nation numbers and those in the US is stark. The sport had had minimal take up in the US. EUROPEANS ATTEMPT TO BREAK INTO THE U.S. European brands began their attempts in the American market around 1982, which put immediate stress upon existing American brands. Europeans had been developing lighter, stiffer, faster boards and details such as retractable daggerboards and improved rigs, which were becoming more advanced offerings than the Windsurfer®.

Above: American professional windsurfers Nancy Johnson, Jill Boyer, Rhonda Smith and Debbie Floreani at the Rip Curl Wave Classic, Torquay, Australia, 1983

shield from the forces of the market as Windsurfer International had by having the patent and being [or attempting to be] the exclusive producer in the United States.’ This statement suggests that market forces did not prevail in the development of windsurfing in America. There was a sense of irony that the contemporary form of the sport had been conceived and successfully commercialised in California, yet, French, German and Swiss manufacturers had come to dominate in technological advances (though we must give credit to Windsurfing Hawaii for their pioneering work). Ironically, inspiration as described elsewhere in this book, came from those US rocks in the Pacific, the Hawaiian Islands and the pioneers pushing the envelope. Mistral and F2 exploited this to their advantage with spectacular results. As far as the racing aspects of windsurfing were concerned, one cannot dismiss the sailing heritage of the Europeans who pioneered concepts such as the Open Class Division II boards such as the Mistral M1, the perfection of fully retractable racing daggerboards and of sail designs through the likes of the Dutch company, Gaastra with whom Mistral worked.

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Above: the 1979 Engadin Surf Marathon (Switzerland) showing the European boom in action. Robby Naish won this race against 300 competitors after his visit to Sardinia in 1979 (see Chapters 1 and 2); in 1981, it was won by Charly Messmer. Mistral dominated in Germany, Austria and Switzerland but this image also shows other brands – Alpha, HiFly, Sailboard, Tornado, Windsurfer, Windglider. The Engadinwind, as it is now called, is the longest running annual windsurfing competition in the world.

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CHAPTER 15

RAPID EVOLUTION Co-written by Steve West and Ben Oakley

WINDSURFING’S OVER-DEVELOPMENT BITES BACK

he story of windsurfing was crafted by magazine editors demanding intense imagery and stories, fed through the lenses of photo-hogs and eager type-writers. Aspirational pipe dream images would in part, fuel the recreational element to death. Between 1968 and 1998, windsurfing’s popularity grew in an organic, analog manner, over 30 years via the windsurfing press. When Google was founded in 1998 and YouTube in 2005 the digital age of marketing had arrived, expediting the sharing of information. It was a design, production and technology ‘arms race’ towards faster, lighter, stiffer and stronger performance equipment. The big question we try to unravel in this chapter, is when an equipment-based sport like windsurfing experiences a rapid evolution, how does this impact end-users; the buying public? PADDLE BOARDING COMPARISON

Above: ‘...stand up paddleboarding is the singular fastest accelerated sport of our time.’ Mistral Vortex SUP race boards in Tahiti designed by Steve West, shaped by Chris ‘Bro’ Diplock.

In more recent times and by comparison, stand up paddle boarding (SUP) gained traction around 2005 and has been exclusively digitally driven in the absence of print-based magazines, except for a few latecomers. The consequences of a digitally disseminated sport has led to a ‘sound-byte’ generation of supposedly arm-chair experts. There are numerous participant experts and every other one after that, a coach or instructor with a van full of paddle boards at the ready to monetise their so called knowledge. Because SUP was largely taken up by windsurfing companies; Naish, Fanatic, Mistral, Starboard and others, these brands adopted a highly conservative approach in avoiding too much evolution and technology on account of their past experiences. ‘...stand up paddleboarding is the singular fastest accelerated [water] sport of our time, largely because of the intervention of the windsurfing industry (and the internet) who need this to work for the sake of their own survival. If the sport is going to be goosemarched down the path of extremes, promoted and portrayed as a surf sport as a consequence of the media and magazines, led by editors controlling content and photo editors promoting imagery which serves to alienate the elderly, women or children’s involvement, then SUP will be a dead sport floating’ (West, Stand Up Paddle, A Paddler’s Guide, 2012).

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CHAPTER 16

CHOCOLATE AND MORE 1991 - 2003 FROM JACOBS TO BOARDS & MORE

he average windsurfer may not care who the brand owners were or are, but looking at the challenges of the 1990s, reveals a lot during this decade of change. Windsurfing Hawaii, Naish and F2 all had their upheavals during this period, but for Mistral, as you will see, it was a bumpy ride. Adia had owned them since 1981, a mainly staffing and recruitment empire, and Mistral just a sideshow. Then in 1991, Klaus Jacobs, the former chocolate and coffee mogul, acquired a controlling stake in Adia and became Chairman. Adia was in financial strife due to the deepening recession during the early 90s and would have to approach their shareholders in 1993 for additional funding, the second time in a year. It was not long before Klaus Jacobs turned his attention to Mistral. THE 1990s: A BUMPY RIDE

Above: Florian Brunner Mistral Manager from 1996 to 2000

Left: ‘Solo Maalaea’ art by Pete Cabrinha

With the impact of a recession, Mistral’s fall in sales from the 1980s continued. Part of their response was their diversification into snowboarding, with Charly Messmer managing this area. Eventually, in 1996, Jacobs sold Adia to French part-time employment giant ECCO (to form ADECCO), but Mistral was an unwelcome complication which did not fit, and it remained with Jacobs. Consequently, Jacobs was left with Mistral to manage. Meanwhile, according to Bilanz (1999), Mistral lost SFr5 to 10 million yearly on SFr40 to 50 million in sales. Although Jacobs invested 20 million francs in bringing stability to the company, attempts to sell it raised offers amounting to no more than 2 million francs. ‘Mistral was in a state of disrepair when we got it out of Adia’ [in 1996], announced Jacobs. Incredibly there was talk in 1992 of Mistral merging with Adidas, but negotiations failed and with figures like this, no small wonder. Inside the Mistral brochure for 1996, they had the largest ever range of boards in their history. There were astonishingly 19 different boards, incorporating 13 construction options. The problems for Mistral started to mount. It was later reported in the financial press Mistral was ‘. . . expected to lose SFr2.6 million for the year ending August 1996’. Things needed to change to help the brand survive.

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CHAPTER 17

OLYMPIC CHOICES Co-written by Steve West and Ben Oakley

CONTENTIOUS OLYMPIC DECISIONS

n 1981, I won my first cash prize at the Bacardi World Cup (UK). It was a lot for a young windsurfing junky; I was informed, ‘If you want to try out for the Olympics, you must surrender the money to a trust fund; otherwise, you will be branded a professional and unable to be considered.’ That’s how things were back then. Being a wave sailor at heart, I grabbed the cheque, called my travel agent and headed for Australia, not to return. In the grand scheme of things, to what extent do the Olympics represent the pinnacle of competition for all sports? ‘Not always’ is the short answer, as much as the IOC would like you to think differently. Wimbledon (tennis), USA/UK Open (golf), the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational (surfing), and the PWA Tour are often ‘the’ events to win. The contentious issue for windsurfing is represented by a single competition format and a one-board, one-rig choice within a constantly evolving sport. Imagine trying to select one electric car model to be used for a global e-competition in 4 years. The evolution of these cars is rapid, and hydrogen cars may rise to prominence. Likewise, for windsurfing, 1973 – 2003 is a long time span. It’s not easy, and there are difficult choices. We’ve already discussed some early Olympic decisions (1984-92) in Chapter 9, so we pick this up from 1996 onwards. I have a different perspective from that of my editor, Ben. While I hold the belief those in the 1980s who lived for the monotony of sailing around a triangular course governed by rules were not truly ‘free-spirited’ riders, Ben is an advocate of the Olympic ideal, having coached at three Olympic venues: Pusan (Korea), Barcelona (Spain) and Savannah (USA). Ben states, ‘You must consider the limitations of what you can stage at Olympic sailing venues’. My point has more to do with the efficacy of the Olympics in relation to the big picture of the spirit of windsurfing when it serves to constrain, suffocate and govern.

Above: Alessandra Sensini - the most successful female Olympic windsurfer winning one Gold in Sydney (2000) and two Bronze Medals in Savannah/Atlanta (1996) and in Athens (2004) on the Mistral One Design. She won another Silver Medal in Qingdao/Beijing (2008) on the RS:X.

What follows then is a distinct chapter from others since his and my responses to Olympic matters differ, though not so different, I believe, as he may think. Overall, should the sport focus on presenting itself as a TV-friendly event or making it accessible to as

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CHAPTER 18

REBUILDING THE BRAND MISTRAL‘S RETURN TO THE WATER

I‘

t’s easy to read between the lines how a premium windsurfing brand ended up on the metaphorical rubbish heap when shelved in 2007 by Swiss-based owners, Airesis operating as Boards & More (Munich, Germany). Following several setbacks, including losing IMOD as the Olympic board, they would sell while residual equity remained in the name. Each successive owner put in less; meanwhile, the sun had set on the sport’s popularity. How Mistral became a viable going concern once again would be centred initially around a strategy of licensing and then both licensing and manufacturing of hardware. Ado Huisman, familiar with Mistral as part of the management in the 1980s, was contacted regarding purchasing. Huisman took on the Mistral license for sportswear Europe. Within a few years, Huisman and Boards & More negotiated the purchase of Mistral and, in 2009, reached an agreement. Huisman purchased the brand, and B&M retained a 49% shareholder stake. A few months later, Peter Van Merksteijn joined forces with Huisman to complete outright ownership, creating Mistral International BV in the Eastern Netherlands based on a 50/50 ownership.

Above: Ado Huisman

Left: ‘Windy Palm’ art by Pete Cabrinha

Huisman had recommended Mistral separate their commercial activities through licensing in the late 1980s, a modus operandi successfully implemented and negotiated with Gaastra when he approached them for a licensing agreement creating a separate apparel line from Gaastra sails. Semi-retired after building it up and selling, he was restless. With a fondness and nostalgia for Mistral, Huisman recognised an opportunity to acquire the brand with a vision to restructure and nurture the remaining equity from its past. Huisman recalls, ‘By 2009, Mistral had gone into free-fall, beginning in the 1990s. Boards & More should have given more attention to the brand since 2000. Mistral was dormant, and there was no further planned investment. A Japanese licensee had winter clothing and two Argentine licensees, streetwear and watches; all three had no connection with watersports and were ignored. Club Mistral existed but had almost no Mistral equipment and now used Fanatic. After my successful period with my companies X-Tend BV, Gaastra, Craft and Rossignol, I was ready for something new. My first love Mistral had sunk so low that it was a thorn in my side.’ Fanatic equipment, owned

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CHAPTER 19

HOOKED... Co-written by Steve West and Ben Oakley

BLAST FROM THE PAST

any interviewed in this book have iterated they, ‘were hooked’ or words to that effect from their very first windsurfing experience. Windsurfing sage, Larry Stanley, expressed it best, ‘I remember getting onto the plane on my first run; It was instant hookage!’ ...the inspiration for the name of this book. Of course, that capacity to bring about that hooked feeling must still exist unless modern life has numbed subsequent generations, which may be close to the truth when you acknowledge how over-stimulated we have become on the one hand and so apathetic on the other. Or is it that we’ve simply too much choice today? The past fifteen years in the watersports industry have been tumultuous. New activities such as stand-up paddle boarding and that ultimate spoiler, the boom in foiling, have served to impact windsurfing at the precise moment kitesurfing was coming off the boil, and windsurfing might find meaningful traction once again. Surfing, wingfoiling and skateboarding are currently enjoying a surge of growth; everywhere you look, you’re spoilt for choice; not so back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, windsurfing was indeed an epiphany, something uniquely different, it stood alone. To be truly hooked requires a degree of obsessiveness, to embrace something as a lifestyle, not just a casual thing, nor even a weekend thing, somewhat more akin to a marriage. You invest heavily both emotionally and financially; ultimately, separation becomes problematic; meanwhile, you may go through an actual divorce because of too much water time and not enough devoted to important human relationships. You may end up living out of your VW Transporter, sleeping amongst your wetsuits, fins, foils and boards, wondering where it all went wrong. So what was the essence of windsurfing, setting it apart from other activities and experiences to create this emotive reaction? For one thing, it connected with the bohemian lifestyle of all that surfing culture had previously created, and years later, stand-up paddleboarding fed off this very same energy. Everyone, so it seems, wants to connect with the romantic, hedonistic aura that surfing portrays. Those in marketing know this and milk it for all its worth; all paths lead back to the purity of surfing, even urban sports such as skateboarding and winter sports such as

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REFERENCES Bilanz (1999) Klaus Jacobs: Adecco / Barry Callebaut, Dec 31, 1999. https://www.handelszeitung.ch/panorama/klaus-jacobs-adecco-barry-callebaut

David Edmond Jones Page: 17 (bottom right)

BBC (2009) Peter Chilvers on the origins of windsurfing. Extract from BBC The One Show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQZLKGZ6vgk

Daniel Forster Pages: 160 (top), 161

British Marine Industries Federation (2022) Watersports Participation Survey 2021.

Mike Forster/Daily Mail/Shutterstock Page: 59 (middle right)

Brockhaus, P. and Stanciu U., (1978) Sailboarding: basic and advanced techniques. Carter, J. (2020) The iQFoil Story, Windsurf Magazine, August 3rd. https://www.windsurf. co.uk/the-iqfoil-story/

Georg Fritzmeier GmbH Pages: 74, 220

Chao, J. (2020) The Insider: Windsurfing Whistle-Blower, American Windsurfer. Vol 7 (3/4). https://www.americanwindsurfer.com/articles/the-insider/

Michael Garff Pages: 27 (middle left), 54, 56 (bottom), 57 (top), 59 (top left, bottom right), 60, 61, 62/63, 64/65, 68, 115, 149, 193, 194 (all images), 195, 208, 210

Dupont (1971) Dupont Magazine (July-August 1971) Vol 65 (4). https://digital.hagley.org/ dupontmag

Jill Goodall-Seer Pages: 28, 97, 113

Gölnitz, S. (2022) Florian Brunner: Life between business suit and board shorts, Portrait, Surf Magazine, February 22, 2022. https://www.surf-magazin.de/windsurfen/people/portraits/

Annabelle McIver (†) Page: 18 (top)

Hacking, N. [IYRU Secretary General]. (1983) Boardsailing – Yachting’s new Olympic event https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/8028600/boardsailing-la84-foundation

Mistral Archives Pages: 12 (Ado Huisman), 30 (Darrell Wong, 3rd row left), 32 (Steve Wilkings), 73 (Dominique Merz), 116 (Michael Garff), 118 (Michael Garff), 128, 129, 130, 131 (Monika Sedlmaier), 146 (Sylvain Cazanave), 147 (bottom row, Archive Ado Huisman), 152 (Archive Prade), 177 (Archive Ado Huisman), 209, 233 (Archive Ado Huisman), 234, 235, 236, 237 (top, bottom), 238 (Willem van Walderveen, top left and right), 239, 240/241 (all images), 242, 243 (top, bottom), 244, 245

Neil Pryde Ltd. (2010) Will to Win: The Remarkable Story of Neil Pryde Limited. Neil Pryde Limited. New York Times (1987) Europe gaining in U.S. sailboard battle, August 17th. Potts, J., & Thomas, S. (2015) The curious case for media monopoly in technology-driven sports. Media International Australia, 155(1). Sayre, N. (2012) Calling out to U.S. Sailing to explain their Olympic vote. https://www.sailworld.com/UK/Calling-out-to-US-Sailing-to-explain-their-Olympic-vote/-97327?source=sailworld Shah, S. (2000) Sources and patterns of innovation in a consumer products field: Innovations in sporting equipment (Vol. 4105). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sloan working paper. Sports Illustrated (1985) Up Where the Air is Rare: Two-time World Champion Robby Naish, a free spirit on land, really cuts loose on a sailboard. May 5th.

Christian Müller Kittnau Page: 127 (Privat) Naish Family Pages: 23 (top left and right, bottom left), 27 (top right), 28 (middle right), Naish Sails, Hawaii Page: 22 (bottom right) Frankie Bees, pages: 22 bottom left, 43 bottom, 44, 47, 48 (middle left) 48/49, 53 F. Berthuot, pages: 22 top right, 48 middle Fishbowl Diaries, pages: 43 (top), 45, 46, 47, 48, 50/51, 51 (bottom left, middle, right), 52

Taylor, G. (1979) A Complete Guide to the Sport of Windsurfing. Publisher: Bay Windsurfing

Craig O‘Connor Page: 189 (middle left)

Thomas, S., & Potts, J. (2016) How industry competition ruined windsurfing. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 6(5).

O‘Neill / RSX Pages: 226, 227, 228

Thorpe, H., & Wheaton, B. (2011) ‘Generation X Games’, action sports and the Olympic movement: Understanding the cultural politics of incorporation. Sociology, 45(5).

Les Purcell Archive Page: 213

West, S (2012) Stand up Paddle - A Paddler’s Guide. Publisher, Batini Books

Red Bull Content Pool Pages: 22 (top left, Mark Thompson/Getty Images), 48 (top, Markus Berger), 48 (bottom, Kolesky/Nikon)

Wheaton, B. (2000) “Just do it”: Consumption, commitment, and identity in the windsurfing subculture. Sociology of sport journal, 17(3). Wheaton, B., & Beal, B. (2003) Keeping It Real’ Subcultural Media and the Discourses of Authenticity in Alternative Sport. International review for the sociology of sport, 38(2), 155-176. World Sailing (2019) Selection of Equipment - 2024 Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer Event. Working party report and recommendations to Council. Available from: https://www.sailing. org/tools/documents/2024WindsurferEvaluationReport-[25667].pdf

Sailing Energy Pages: 229 (top, bottom), 230/231 Chris Smith Page: 18 (bottom) John Speer Page: 106 Cliff Webb Pages: 30 (3rd row right, 6th row left), 140 (top right, middle right, bottom left), 146 (all images) Steve & Mandy West Pages: 15, 19 Stephen Whitesell Page: 42 Steve Wilkings Pages: Cover, 24 (top), 27 (bottom left), 31, 84/85, 85 (top), 86, 87 (top, bottom), 88, 89 (top), 92, 94 (top, insert), 95, 98

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Darrel Wong Pages: 2, 23 (bottom right), 34 (bottom), 36/37, 38, 39, 43 (top, bottom) 79 (top, bottom), 139, 142, 143 (top left/right, middle, bottom left/right), 145, 203, 204, 205, 211, 212, 215

Alamy Stockphotos Page: 201 Carlo Borlenghi Pages: 166, 167, 223, 224/225, 225 (top, bottom) Florian Brunner Page: 217 (private) Pete Cabrinha Pages: 13, 14, 180/181, 202, 216, 232 Angus Chater (†) Archives Page: 253 (courtesy of Steve West) Archive Club Mistral / Club ION Pages: 154/155 (all images), 156 (bottom left, middle/left, middle/right) Archive Newman Darby Page: 69 Archive Ernstfried Prade: Page: 152 Archive Stephan van den Berg: Page: 165, (top, middle)

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UNKNOWN CREATORS Some of the informations and images in this publication are up to 50 years old. Despite thorough research we were unable to identify all authors and creators. We wish to apologize to the respective creators and ask them to contact us if they wish. The following images could not be allocated to their creators: Pages 17 (left), 55, 56 (oben), 57 (bottom), 58, 59 (middle left), 71, 74, 77, 83, 85 (bottom), 90, 119, 141, 160, 199, 201 (top, middle)

Windsurfing’s Untold Stories How did windsurfing develop, and who were the individuals behind the genesis of some leading brands? Further, to what extent has the sport influenced the development of other board sports? To answer these questions, researcher Steve West has combined interviews with Mistral, F2, Naish and Windsurfing Hawaii pioneers and broader research to provide fascinating untold stories from the sport over 50 years. The sport’s evolutionary journey goes far beyond the equipment and on-water technique advances. It explores how the boom years of windsurfing were uniquely influenced by culture, image, competitive drive and a Hawaiian catalyst. The iconic images of Ulli Seer, Mistral’s principal photographer for some twenty years and other leading photographers of the time show the sport’s progression through the decades from basic wooden booms to carbon-enhanced performance. Mistral’s ups and downs throughout the book, by way of example, include the impact of six different owners (1976 to 2022), tensions between individuals and how a brand can survive through the highs and lows. This engaging visual and anecdotal book told through personal stories may remind you of your own personal journey in the sport. HOOK ED! might entice you to wash the dust from your old board in the garage and hit the water again.

“Hooked is a vibrant and colorful look into the most profound era in Windsurfing. The worldwide windsurf community, with its tight knit friendships, visionaries, and spectacular action, propelled this rapidly growing movement into one of the most dynamic water sports of all time. This book beautifully captures the essence of Windsurfing’s greatest time and how the sport developed since then”. Pete Cabrinha, artist and designer, World Wave Champion 1985 Wow! “Steve - What a fine job you’ve done putting my scattered thoughts and anecdotes into order. I thank you for the effort and for not trying to rewrite history.” Larry Stanley, founder of Windsurfing Hawaii and windsurfing innovator

ISBN 978-94-91737-92-3

Hooked. Windsurfings untold stories