Andy Laufer

Andy Laufer is competing in his 20th regatta season in 2005 - hardly anyone would have believed that the life-hungry sonny boy would have such a long, successful career. But Andy hasn't had enough yet - neither of surfing nor of life.

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Andy blows blue vapour into the Munich summer sky with relish. "I've resolved to stop smoking," he says with conviction. "There's a book by Allen Carr, "Forever a Non-Smoker", which has already helped some friends become non-smokers. I also bought the book and started reading it. It says right at the beginning that you should stop smoking for now - I like that." Behind this, you could almost guess something like a life motto of Andy Laufer, the eternal sonny boy from Lake Constance, the bon vivant among the tough regatta cracks, the idolised man at every party and yet one of the best German racers of recent years: Do nothing and still be successful - The Easy Way - as non-smoker Carr calls his smoking cessation therapy. Ralf Bachschuster, ex-pro surfer and one of his early companions, puts it bluntly: "It's fascinating. I don't know anyone who has achieved so much with so little effort as Andy."

Of course, this wasn't always the case, and it's not as if Andy Laufer has lost his passion for windsurfing. But the 35-year-old has been surfing around buoys for 20 years now, has completed thousands of starts, endured countless protest hearings with a smile and popped the cork out of many champagne bottles. Nevertheless, it was never enough for a German championship title. Something always got in the way at the last moment, his great rival Bernd Flessner took the title in the end with unbridled determination and demoted Andy to permanent runner-up. "I think," says Flessi, "Andy has just as much ambition as I do and is a huge talent, but in the end I might have the longer breath." In 2005, Andy only managed second place at the German Slalom Championships - behind Flessi. Andy first appeared on the racing scene at the age of 16. As a talent from Lake Constance, he was immediately among the front runners and came 14th in the Jet Set Cup on Lake Silvaplana in Switzerland in 1986. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Laufer has consistently finished among the top 5 in the German Windsurf Cup.

Many of Andy's companions, who sometimes drove up to regattas in a black Benz saloon car labelled "Konsul Laufer", would hardly have thought he would have such a long career. At almost every regatta, whether Windsurf Cup or World Cup, Laufer delivered a funny story. Sometimes he only came out of the disco shortly before his first heat, sometimes he confidently headed for the wrong buoy while well in the lead. Some claim that he was squandering his nomadic talent with his lax attitude, while others consider him to be the only true surfer in the Cup.

Style is more important than victories This is probably what sponsors love about Laufer. He is not an ambitious machine who doesn't look left or right, who pursues his goals without compromise or mercy, even at the green table if necessary. The result is of secondary importance to Andy, the main thing is that the whole thing was fun. Oxbow, Chiemsee, Matador, Red Bull - the list of powerful sponsors in Laufer's career is long. Most of them were companies for whom the windsurfing lifestyle was more important than ranking points. You could be sure that even if Andy didn't come out on top, he almost always made a few headlines in the specialised press. Nevertheless, Andy's performances should not be played down, especially if you know what his preparation for the season looks like. Although he spends almost the entire winter in South Africa, he doesn't get a slalom or even a formula board under his feet there. The motto on the Cape is either waveboard or golf course. Laufer only devotes himself to his racing machines shortly before the start of the season, tunes them, gets a bit of a run-in and a little later 90 per cent of the competition is in his face. It has even happened that Andy has turned up at the first regatta with his equipment in its original packaging. The result was usually the same - he was in contention for victory. So much composure naturally attracts envious people, but there is hardly anyone in the entire scene who would speak badly of Mr Laufer. He is too friendly to everyone, his whole attitude to life is too positive - you simply can't be angry with someone like that. Always enough money in his pocket In real life, Andy Laufer trained as a business assistant. Perhaps this has also helped him to repeatedly conclude good sponsorship contracts and to lead a carefree life with the sums of money that are not exactly lavish in windsurfing. Even if it hasn't always worked out so well with the money. "Unfortunately, I missed out on buying a flat or a house in South Africa at the right time." Some professionals were smarter and built up a second life in the Cape during the golden age. And the stock market boom didn't bring Andy any lasting wealth either. But it was enough for a nice flat above the rooftops of Schwabing in Munich, an adequate car and the obligatory South African winter.

Last winter, photographer and author Sven Hoffmann even produced a book with and about Laufer there. Hoffmann accompanied Andy, portraying him and the metropolis of Cape Town in classic black and white photography. In the process, Andy revealed a completely different strength: the guy can cook, and he's damn good at it. Whether it's his mum's Roman pot or roast duck breast in orange sauce, Laufer dares to try anything - even if not everything succeeds. Andy is not necessarily aiming for a career as a chef. He would rather do something with fashion and surfing - in the background, he is already working on his life after windsurfing. "I've met so many interesting people through windsurfing." This has also led to many relationships beyond windsurfing, which can certainly help with future planning. Laufer's wild days seem to be slowly coming to an end - he has been with his girlfriend Nicole Schilling for almost seven years now, he no longer has to be the last one at every party and he actually wants to stop smoking. There hasn't been anyone like him on the German surf scene for a long time, hopefully he'll stay with us a little longer as one of the few real guys.

In Sven Hoffmann's book, he is even honoured by an eulogy from old master Robby Naish: "Andy was always one of those real guys. He loves surfing, he loves life on the beach and he loves the nightlife. He was professional enough to pull it all together, had good sponsors, some good results on the water and had the most fun of anyone on the tour off the water. He always made you laugh... not at him, but with him. Those were the days - go Laufer." Text: Andreas Erbe, Photos: Sven Hoffmann, Nils Geiselbrecht, Sjak van der Linden

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