In the days before Windfinder, Windguru and the like, reliable wind forecasts were a science in their own right. Shortly before the start of the season, *surf* magazine attempted to produce a forecast for the 1978 surfing summer. The experts consulted were: a contemporary scientist and the monk Dr Mauritius Knauer, who observed the weather in the 17th century and invented the ‘Hundred-Year Calendar’, which described weather phenomena in terms of lunar cycles and was long used as a guide for forecasting. Drawing on these two sources, the aim was to determine whether 1978 would be a good year for windsurfing. The statements by the long-deceased clergyman are cryptic, even indecisive: “more damp than dry, also more cold than warm, although the summer will be very warm, but often cold”. I see. Wolfgang Döbereiner, who ran an ‘astrological institute for the study of rhythms’ in Munich in 1978, puts it somewhat more precisely. He offers a forecast – at least a general trend – for each day; in the spring, this is still similar to the monk’s prediction 300 years earlier, but as autumn approaches, the two gentlemen are no longer quite in agreement. Incidentally, Knauer also points out that, in his opinion, illnesses are a threat in the autumn of 1978 (“gout, fever, catarrh, dropsy and other illnesses arising from blockages in the veins”), and that the hop harvest this year will be only ‘mediocre’, as will the wine (“not much, and a common table wine, usually rather sour”). Can this be believed, or are the astrological observations mere humbug? In any case, the experts at the German Weather Service have not deigned to issue a summer forecast. They referred to the monk and the astrologer...
The “Uphill Racer”, a forerunner of the Parawing
Did someone say ‘kite’? Ten Cate, the windsurfing giant from the Netherlands, actually has its roots in the textile industry and, with the ‘Uphill Racer’, has its eye on a new mega-trend. The idea: a sort of parachute is designed to pull skiers up the mountain even in wind forces of just one or two, making waiting times at the lifts a thing of the past. surf editor-in-chief Ulrich Stanciu put the 50-square-metre canopy, devised by inventor Dieter Strasilia, through its paces on the slopes. The ascent went wonderfully, and the mechanism for depowering and ‘landing’ worked flawlessly too. After the descent, however, came the let-down: the 30 lines had become hopelessly tangled, and in the wind and cold there was nothing to be done about it. Stanciu was only able to sort them out again that evening in the hotel corridor, much to the amazement of guests and staff. His conclusion: “Ten Cate had so much success with the windsurfer because the equipment is so simple. The Uphill Racer, however, is very complicated – perhaps too complicated.” And yet, looking back from today’s perspective, one realises that it is not only kitesurfing that bears certain similarities to the idea from 1978, but above all the new Parawing trend - Hoist the sail using the wind, stow it away, and then the downwind fun begins.
The courageous wave-riding pioneers of Hawaii
“Better to live in small waves than die in big ones” – that was still the motto of the wave surfers in Hawaii back in 1978. Pat Love, Larry Stanley, Dennis Davidson and others were among the first to venture into “real” surf – without leashes. They take great care to find a spot where the waves and wind are just right, where there’s a channel to get out through and no rocks lurking beneath the surface, because “safety comes first”. Most of the time, the pioneers also steer clear of the surf zone, preferring to stay further out. The dramatic highlight of the afternoon then belongs to Pat Love: he “rides a wave at top speed as it threatens to break behind him”. Later, whilst looking at the photos, his mate comments laconically: “holding ass” – he was scared.
A regatta behind the Iron Curtain
Jochen Halbe had actually travelled behind the Iron Curtain to Estonia for a sailing regatta, to the Olympic venue for the 1980 Games. As a bit of fun, the group of sailors had brought their windsurf boards with them, much to the delight of their hosts: “Will you take part in our regatta?” came the prompt invitation. There were around 30 competitors, most of them with meticulously engineered homemade boards. For apart from a few “Dutch boards”, the new sport had only reached the Soviet Union through photographs. These boards, with their very shallow bottom curves, were perfectly suited to flat water; some were even strikingly light. The winner in the end was Ain Vilde, though not without controversy, as the Estonian used a sophisticated pumping technique to take the lead – a manoeuvre that was frowned upon at the time and even prohibited by the rules. The race organisers, however, were unprepared for this and sought advice from their German guests – who managed to calm everyone down with their diplomatic reference to the international racing regulations and were subsequently treated to champagne, vodka and cognac.
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What else is going on?
- Aleksander Bielaczyc, a Polish Olympic sailor in 1972 and a keen windsurfer, drowned on Christmas Eve 1977 in the Uni-See in Bremen. It was thought at the time that, with wind speeds of up to force 10 but relatively mild temperatures, water had seeped into his drysuit and dragged him under. In its obituary, *surf* described Bielaczyc’s drowning as the “first fatal surfing accident without external influence”.
- “Anything goes, as long as it’s fast and you like it” – that was the succinct requirement set out in the call for entries for the Smirnoff Cup in Kiel, where the aim was to determine the fastest design without any “restrictive rules”. During the event, experiments were carried out with one of the first foils; see surf 6/1978.
- The “Working Committee on Windsurfing Equipment” is working on a DIN standard for windsurfing equipment. As well as dimensions, the standardisation enthusiasts are focusing primarily on safety aspects such as buoyancy and the risk of injury.
- “Is surfing being over-regulated to death?” asks surf-Auto’s Stefan Zotschew in his commentary. Given the nine reports concerning clubs, associations and bans, this is a perfectly justified fear.
- During its tour of the boot 1978 exhibition, *surf* counted no fewer than 66 windsurf boards. “Without a doubt, the ‘HiFly’ board from the Munich-based company Akutec attracted the most attention in Düsseldorf,” gush the authors, describing it as “absolutely gorgeous”. Also new: the “Shark-System 78”, which allows various components to be fitted between the bow and stern to create a standard board, a tandem board or a “junior board”.
- “Cold Death”: surf shows how quickly the body cools down in the water and what to do in an emergency. The motto: “If you thrash about, you’ll die faster”.
- Fins 101: surf explains why there actually needs to be a fin on the tail
- Sailing technique: Karl-Heinz Stickl demonstrates the ‘skid jibe’, in which the sail is pulled over the shoulder with momentum, which is intended to make the manoeuvre significantly more dynamic.
You can browse through the entire magazine in the gallery above!
Tobias Frauen
Editor