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Windsurfing is an amazingly young sport. Its roots are easily traced back to the garages of two Southern Californians. Jim Drake, a sailor, and Hoyle Schweitzer, a surfer, got together and thought about what could be...

By 1968, they had combined their two sports into a workable, if not somewhat unusual, patented new hybrid sport. Schweitzer logically called it windsurfing, and the board , a Windsurfer. The heart of the invention (and patent) was mounting a sail on a universal joint, requiring the sailor to support the rig, and allowing the rig to be tilted in any direction. This tilting of the rig fore and aft allows the board to be steered without the use of a rudder - the only sail craft able to do so. In the early 1970's, only one board, Schweitzer's Windsurfer, was mass produced. These durable polyethylene boards were suitable for all sailing levels, simply because they were the only boards. Beginners learned on them, and experts prevailed on them. Everyone made the Windsurfer work, regardless of the conditions.

By the late 70's windsurfing fever had Europe firmly in its grasp. Europeans, more prone to individual than team sports, took windsurfing up in masses, and one in every three households had a sailboard, as they were called back then. The early 1980's were a period of tremendous growth for windsurfing. Racing participation was at an all-time high, the professional World Cup tour was born, and the sport was awarded with Olympic status in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Equipment development progressed at a fevered pitch through the mid-80's as seen when a windsurfer captured the world speedsailing record at slightly faster than 36 knots. Since then, windsurfers on extremely specialized equipment, sailing in winds of 40 knots and above, have pushed that speed up to an incredible level, of 46.24 knots, set By Finian Maynard in 2003.

Dozens of European manufacturers produced their own versions of the Windsurfer, and a thriving industry was born. Americans started buying European-made boards, a trend that continued well into the 90’s. However, as the market declined, several European producers shifted their production to Thailand and the well established Cobra factory. Approximately 75% of all sandwich boards are made in Thailand today.

Now, after 37 short years, windsurfing is a fully matured sport, with easier equipment for entry level sailors as well as children. Windsurfing - the best sport on the water is again coming back to the masses.