Miracles happen, I've seen it .... Nena is probably right when she sings that. But sometimes you have to do something yourself - for miracles to happen. Heiner Gerstenschläger is 87 years old and surfs for two to four hours a day on his windsurfing holidays. He stands extremely well on the board and moves like a cat. He glides on quickly and gets really fast and rides in all imaginable conditions - even when it gets really windy and many younger people prefer to stay on the beach. He manages practically every gybe and glides through almost all of them. He's as fit as a fiddle and doesn't seem to have any signs of wear or discomfort. I've seen a lot in my almost 30 years in the windsurfing business, but what Heiner does and can do is nothing short of a miracle for me.
I noticed him two years ago in Rhodes. When I spoke to him back then, I couldn't believe how old he was. I met him again this year in June in Rhodes and wanted to try to track down this wonder and get to know him better.
Heiner Gerstenschläger: An eventful life
Before I get to windsurfing, a short CV to give you an idea of where this incredible man actually comes from.
Heiner was born on 10 August 1936 in a village of 300 people called Rodau (near Darmstadt) as the son of a forestry worker and part-time farmer and a housewife in very modest circumstances. Hitler had already taken power in Germany. In 1938, Austria is annexed and the Second World War begins in 1939.
As an eight-year-old, Heiner falls off the high bar at school during break in 1944 and suffers a complicated open fracture of his left upper arm. As there were no antibiotics available due to the war, an infection set in and Heiner had a dedicated family doctor to thank for the fact that his arm was not amputated. He spends many weeks in hospital and has a very protracted healing process. During his stay, the night of the Darmstadt bombing occurs, in which 13,000 people die and the whole of Darmstadt burns. Heiner spends the night in the hospital's air-raid shelter and survives. The hospital is destroyed after the attack and the next day his parents take him back to his home town of Rodau, which was spared from the bombs.
The serious injury and the operations left Heiner with a left upper arm that was two centimetres longer and considerably thinner. He would have liked to become a mechanic, but this was not possible due to his disability at the time. So he became a hairdresser. In 1964, he set up his own ladies' hairdressing salon in Darmstadt with ten employees and ran it until he retired in 1994.
Serious injuries don't stop him
In his mid-50s, Heiner suffers a serious mountain bike accident, fracturing his femoral neck, collarbone and skull. He was in a wheelchair for several weeks and was supposed to have a new hip joint, but he refused. He had his thigh screwed together and still lives with his original hip joint today.
Heiner married in 1958 and became a father for the first time at the age of 22. Today he is a grandfather and great-grandfather. His wife died at the age of 61 in 1999 after 15 years of suffering from an autoimmune disease. Heiner was only 61 at the time and has lived happily with his partner Helga in Modau (Ober-Ramstadt) since 2002.
He actually wanted to join the football club at the age of ten, but his father always said: "Do something proper and don't kick your shoes! That's why Heiner didn't start doing sport until he was 30, when he began swimming. He later became a committed cyclist and took part in many tours organised by the German Cycling Federation. He also became a keen skier and spent many skiing holidays in Austria and even twice in the Rocky Mountains in the USA.
However, he starts riding a motorbike at the age of 16 with a special permit, as there is no public transport to his apprenticeship.
Ex-JP manager Martin Brandner was fascinated by Heiner Gerstenschläger from the very first moment - he asked Heiner for an interview:
When, where and why did you start windsurfing?
In the summer of 1981 at a hairdressing seminar, a colleague raved to me that he travelled to Fehmarn every weekend to go windsurfing. After driving past a surf shop called Surfers-Point every day, my interest grew stronger and stronger. On a free Monday, the time had come. I rented a board there with a sail without batten and a wooden boom.
The young man who served me was American and explained the set-up to me in English. Hardly understandable for me, if at all! At the end, he said in German: "Okay, let's go." Without any knowledge of windsurfing, I then travelled to the quarry pond in Biblis. Apart from an elderly lady with her grandson, I was the only one at the lake. She watched me with curiosity as I tried to sort out and set up my equipment. When I came to a standstill on the board after several attempts, I tried to pull up the sail. Unfortunately, it didn't "go off", but the stopper bar opened. The elderly lady took pity on me and asked if she could help me as she knew how to tie the knot. I was extremely embarrassed, but in hindsight it turned out that she was a good surfer. My conclusion of the day: "From now on, windsurfing is part of my life ... Let's go for it!"
I then bought a "wind glider" from Ostermann with a fold-out wooden centreboard, a wooden fork and a "baggy" sail without batten. In 1982, I successfully passed my basic surfing licence with Fritz Demel in Biblis. At that time, the licence was still required to be allowed to surf in a spot or hire a board. This meant that the surfing world was now open to me, so to speak! I had booked my first trip to Taba in Egypt without realising what the circumstances would entail. As the airport in Israel in the Red Sea resort of Eilat had to be approached, I had to hand in my board 24 hours beforehand at Frankfurt am Main airport for bomb-proof storage for security reasons. During the stopover in Munich, everything was checked again by the German Armed Forces. Despite everything, I have fond memories of Taba because I managed my first water start there!
How do you still manage to be so fit at 87?
Studies show that walking alone is not enough to prevent cardiovascular and muscle breakdown. For this reason, I exercise my muscles and ligaments intensively six days a week. In bad weather and during the winter months, I sit on the exercise bike for 25 minutes every morning. When the weather is nice, I go mountain biking in the mountains in the Odenwald. I still ride up every mountain - without a motor! Training sessions with dumbbells, push-ups, pull-ups and stretching with elastic bands are also part of the programme. After training, I always take a cold water shower under my outdoor shower from April to October. I am also convinced that surfing is therapy for my joints. The vibration probably stimulates the cartilage to produce fluid. I don't like walking because it gives me knee pain. I never have a problem with this when surfing. When I'm on holiday, I go swimming every morning at 7.30 a.m. - whatever the weather. It strengthens my lungs. I do all this to grow old healthily! But not without often having to keep my inner bastard on a tight leash!
But my diet also plays a very important role: I have never drunk much alcohol. For over 60 years, I have eaten muesli every morning - mainly oatmeal and spelt, various nuts, seasonal fruit and various dairy products such as yoghurt or cow's milk - prepared with great dedication by my lovely wife Helga. To top it all off, a coffee is a must. At lunchtime, I only eat a small portion of fruit or a salad. In the evening I eat a warm meal. Helga also prepares delicious, high-fibre meals from all kinds of greens. Fish and meat only make up a small proportion of these meals. Of course, I also always enjoy a pizza from the Italian restaurant.
What do your environment, friends and family think about the fact that you are still surfing at 87?
My friends and acquaintances where I live are uninformed when it comes to windsurfing. For this reason, I avoid talking about my surfing experiences whenever possible. This would probably be interpreted as me showing off. Many people in my age group are only out and about with a rollator or watch me "from above" as I jibe.
My family and close friends have now got used to the fact that I'm not just a senior citizen. My wife Helga is also very tolerant of my passion, although I have often put her nerves on edge. However, I warned her at the beginning of our relationship and told her: "Windsurfing brides are sometimes lonely." Unfortunately, she doesn't surf, but she always motivates me to buy new windsurfing equipment - along the lines of "instead of a rollator, a new carbon fibre boom".
Why are you still windsurfing?
My life motto as a native of the Odenwald: "I'd rather have a board on my feet than in front of my head!" Joking aside, windsurfing just makes my heart beat faster! The fascination I feel cannot be described in words ... Especially as surfing is not as commonplace for me as an inland dweller as cycling.
Then there's the contact with other surfing friends - most of whom could be my children - which I really appreciate. I always go on holiday alone or with my wife and have therefore met lots of great people on my surfing holidays. I'm in contact with many of them via WhatsApp.
Despite everything, the fun factor is of course at the forefront! My riding skills mean that I can now move confidently and without fear in almost all wind and wave conditions. However, I now only surf in senior-friendly, warm areas so that I don't get frostbite. The feeling of success I get from this inspires me and drives me to practise manoeuvres, train my motor skills and move my muscles and joints even in light winds.
What were your favourite windsurfing experiences?
I think of many, but especially of the small town of Icaraizinho in the north of Brazil. I travelled there in November 2015 because of the advertised wave spot. The infrastructure was mediocre, but the wind was blowing perfectly, the waves were great to ride and the surf equipment was the best. Everything just fell into place! I'm still living off that today.
I've been going to Rhodes to Jürgen Niens and Bertrand Crausaz's ProCentre at least twice a year for many years now. The wind is so incredibly reliable there - the centre and the hotel are perfect - and everything is so close. I've been there over 50 times now and have always booked through Surf & Action. I particularly enjoy it there in the late afternoon when the sun is a bit lower, when I'm almost alone outside and the water is a bit calmer. It doesn't get any better than that.
Did you have any dangerous moments?
In 2006, I experienced a very tricky event in El Yaque on the island of Margarita, Venezuela. My confidence was high and my surfing skills were at an advanced level. The board rental company from the spot organised a surf safari with a hip support boat to the neighbouring island of Coche, 16 kilometres away. Five interested surfers had signed up, one of whom was me. The wind forecast was promising. We were to set off and the support boat would follow. As I was gliding and floating over the turquoise blue water, a huge euphoric feeling came over me with the anticipation of doing a great deed!
But halfway down the course the gliding wind disappeared, but the choppy wave remained. From now on, balancing was the order of the day! The cramp increased from minute to minute. After looking round, I couldn't see my fellow surfers or the accompanying boat ... It was getting lonely around me. My mood ebbed and my worries grew. I could see the coast on the horizon, but there was still a long way to go. After several hours and total exhaustion, but overjoyed, I arrived at the harbour. The other fellow surfers also landed somewhere on the beach.
It turned out that the boat was not operational due to engine damage. For the return journey, it was very difficult to find a fisherman with a boat who would take us back to El Yaque without paying in advance. Fortunately, after long negotiations, we found someone. Shortly before we were due to arrive, the boat's engine started to splutter and finally failed! The petrol had run out and there was no spare canister on board. We all had to be towed ashore one by one. That was an experience I wouldn't want to go through again!
Have you had any major injuries and how did you manage to come back from them?
I had my most serious surfing injury in 2009 in Safaga (Egypt). It was evening, the sun was low, the water was reflective, visibility was poor, I was travelling too fast ...
An unexpectedly strong catapult sent me flying through the air, probably landing on the mast! A loose buoy line had become entangled in my fin!
I had a seven-centimetre cut and was surgically treated and stitched up. According to the doctor, I was now banned from surfing!!! Unthinkable for me ... The morning after - super windy - I bandaged my head with fabric tape, put on a cap and off I went again. Great healing process ... Since this painful experience, I only go on the water with a helmet!
In September 2021, I caught my left foot in a strap while windsurfing. The result was a torn bony ligament caused by severe overstretching. With relief, an orthosis and many hours on the exercise bike, I was fit again after about three months.
Do you still want to learn something while surfing or do you still have goals?
I would still like to have a loop (whether forwards or backwards) in my portfolio. Joking - I'm already happy if I manage the "unintentional" one without an accident after a catapult.
In the meantime, I'm no longer trying to make speed by hook or by crook and "tug on the pipe" when someone approaches from behind. All in all, I'm very happy with my current situation. However, I would like to perfect my jibes further, especially in light winds, to avoid having to "park" in the final phase of the manoeuvre.
You'll be back on Rhodes in September - maybe you should take part in my camp - you've already seen how it works twice. What do you think?
That's a good idea - I think I'll do that. I've already tried your simulator. From what I've seen, I'm convinced that your method with the practical simulator, the drone videos and the personalised instructions will lead to great progress.
What does windsurfing mean to you?
As already mentioned, this sport has already contributed to great friendships worldwide. It's very easy to strike up a conversation among windsurfers. This leads to the odd interesting conversation and of course you can also give each other a tip or two.
With all the other sports I do - swimming, cycling, skiing - I have already achieved a lot of success and I really enjoy them all. But although I've skied almost all the black runs in the Alps and have even been deep-snow skiing in the Rocky Mountains and done the odd mountain tour on my bike, windsurfing releases the most happiness hormones in me! Right from the start, I was keen to learn this sport, even though the processes are complex and time-consuming. However, the investment was more than worth it!
When the wind is good, the equipment is right and a perfect wave is coming up, there's no end to my jibing!
What else would you like to say?
I'm glad that I've managed to make windsurfing a part of my life - because it gives me so much! Especially as I can now practise the sport with my skills in areas that have age-appropriate temperatures on land and water.
Windsurfing was and is almost like my purpose in life, which has always driven me, and my motivation was to keep fit - to train my muscles, joints and motor skills to counteract age-related complaints. So I can say that windsurfing keeps me fit and young. And I can only recommend everyone to do the same. I will certainly do everything I can to keep fit so that I can continue to enjoy this wonderful sport. When I can no longer practise the sport, I will live the rest of my life with my wonderful memories ...
Thank you very much for this interview, Heiner!
It was a pleasure to surf and chat with you. I admire you for your motivation, fitness, zest for life and your windsurfing - you are my great role model! I know that you are a great motivation for many people who have watched you in Rhodes, for example, and learnt about your age. That also applies to me - I will do everything I can to stay fit and healthy so that I can windsurf into old age like you - because there is nothing better for me than flying over the water - preferably with friends like you. I would be very happy if you would really come to my camp.
