The big test took the surf team to Hurghada to thrash all kinds of flat water material across the Red Sea. The no-nose trend is still relatively tender, the top dogs are still the classics F2 Sunset and Mistral Screamer. "It will probably outlive them all," writes the test team about the Sunset, "it probably doesn't smoke or drink." The Screamer was even on the hit list and was reprieved at the last moment. Internally, F2 Axxis and Mistral Energy provide a breath of fresh air, but according to the test impressions, they already noticeably follow the tendency towards bitchy fidget spinners that drove some people to despair back then. The Energy is "very nervous and burdened with control problems", while the Axxis requires a "higher level of riding ability" than the Sunset. At Fanatic, the new Ray is also in a completely different league to the retired Rat. In the parallel group, the F2 Sputnik 280, which is only one year old, has to let the fresh 275 sail pass it by. With the Race Pro sails - which are reminiscent of cling film with their high proportion of transparent mono film - there is a risk of "lumbago" as in the lead story. This is because the professional cloths sometimes require "indisputable" trim forces of 100 kg, sometimes even too much for the ropes. On the other hand, the toned-down slalom sails, including classics such as the North Infinity or the NeilPryde V6, are much more suitable for the masses.
The windsurfing industry takes stock
Admittedly, having fun and great days out on the water and analysing market figures are quite different things. surf meticulously analyses the manufacturers' sales figures. A good summer gave a boost, the manufacturers' association sees the market as stable - around 44,000 boards are said to have been sold in twelve months. However, the golden age is still some way off. Supposedly small things also play a role here. Fanatic's "animal groomers" lacked a bestseller, while the 257 from niche brand Tiga is "already considered an image piece on the coast". Mistral's new, discreet design ("yuppie outfit") provided a boost, as did the World Cup successes of the F2 boards. North is the clear market leader in sails, followed by ART and, for the first time, the then still young brand GunSails. Their direct sales concept with attractive prices is apparently very popular with customers - but less so with surf shops: "I used to change my Porsche every three years," one shop owner is quoted as saying. "Now I've been driving the same car for six years."
Robby Seeger has a change of heart
Love is in the air: Robby Seeger was the best German in the 1992 World Cup, and his new flame Sascha played a not insignificant part in this - reason enough for a slightly cheesy partner portrait. The American with Mexican roots taught the enduring talent consistency and mental strength so that he didn't lose concentration and motivation on the water again and again. Instead of becoming part of the "whingeing scene" when there is little wind - as many professionals seem to do - Robby now sees the world in a positive light. It works, Seeger has never been better. Nevertheless, his former sponsor kicked the Hawaiian-by-choice out "on the grounds that he just didn't look German enough anymore" (his place in the team was then taken by "Surf-German" Bernd Flessner). While he secretly films and analyses Mark Angulo on Maui in order to emulate the style master, Jürgen Hönscheid is his role model when it comes to family planning: "He leads a modest, happy life, without any ego trips," enthuses Robby. He also wants to marry his Sascha soon - married by ex-professional and preacher Craig Maisonville and with a pack of dolphins jumping over the couple as they say "I do".
You can click through the entire magazine in the gallery above!
And what else?
- Advertising pearls: "Germany is running out of champagne!" announces West Fashion directly on the cover - Team Germany, sponsored by the tobacco clothing label, had won the then still established World Team Championships the previous year. The label allegedly paid two million marks for the German professionals
- Helicopter crash on Maui: Photographer Jonathan Weston crashed onto the reef during a photo shoot off Spreckelsville. Machine totalled, pilot and photographer uninjured, camera soaking wet. Jonathan reported in detail about the crash in the surf interview a few years ago
- Comeback for "Tommy's great guys": Because surf readers love the cult diatribe by Tommy Brandner better than the hidden object-style "Tommy's Tohuwabohu", the fun bouncer returns - to this day, by the way!
- At the 1996 Olympic Games, the athletes can not only win medals in the windsurfing competition, "they now also have the chance to glide," jokes surf. Instead of the Lechner displacer, Mistral One Design will be used in the USA.
- surf integrates "Surfing": The magazine, which had previously reported on windsurfing "in the second market position", merges into surf due to financial difficulties.
- Björn Dunkerbeck explains how to optimally set up NeilPryde sails in a video - for 29 Marks on VHS!
- "Have breakfast with Dunkerbeck, stand on the beach with Naish": surf offers tips for fans who want to follow the entire 93 PBA tour
- A lull at the World Cup final on Maui, only a few stalled course races were possible. During the few wave heats before Hookipa, Pete Cabrinha, Laird Hamilton and Mike Eskimo got in the way: Because they had not been allocated a starting place, they were driving around in the competition zone. "Some riders took the problem into their own hands and simply drove over the troublemakers in their heats."
