Hoyle Schweitzer, born in 1933, died on 31 May 2026 at the age of 93, according to consistent reports. Schweitzer discovered the fascination of windsurfing at the end of the 1960s together with his then friend Jim Drake and drove its development forward. Even though Drake is now regarded as the true inventor of the sport, Schweitzer partly financed its development and ensured its worldwide distribution.
Jim Drake's sons described the birth of windsurfing a few years ago as follows: "Jim and Hoyle met through their wives. Hoyle encouraged Jim to put his idea into practice. As far as I know, Hoyle had nothing to do with the actual development [...]. Hoyle had a close friend who was a patent attorney. They drafted a patent specification, the main content of which was Jim's original design. The patent was recognised and the names Drake and Schweitzer were registered as joint inventors." Schweitzer and his wife Diane founded Windsurfing International and later bought Drake's share of the patent.
This patent caused a stir in Europe for many years and made Schweitzer one of the most controversial figures in the windsurfing industry. In the boom years of the late seventies and early eighties, Schweitzer and his lawyers repeatedly took action against allegedly illegal suppliers, and surf also regularly reported on lawsuits and negotiations. The patent finally expired in 1985. After that, things went quiet around Hoyle Schweitzer. His son Matt was a windsurfing pro for many years and his grandson Zane Schweitzer is now one of the most recognised watermen in Hawaii.
