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"These things would fail any surf test!" was the first impression of Pascal Maka's legendary speed needle. Uli Stanciu, surf founder and editor-in-chief at the time, gets to ride the original equipment with which Maka had recently set the world record of almost 72 km/h. The board only has a volume of 50 litres and is fully designed for Maka - including the loops, which Stanciu has trouble threading his feet into. But once inside and on a space sheet course, the fascination of speed can be felt in every fibre. Rig, board and rider in harmony, and everything around them blurs, the eye can no longer take in the details on the beach, everything happens so fast. "I remember an interview with Pascal Maka in which he said that you can feel his speed very precisely," writes Stanciu. "Now I know what he means!" The fascination is so great that he just keeps going, well beyond the end of the 500-metre strip. But when a mini-swell appears on the next sandbank, he has to jibe - jibing at full speed in 50 cm deep water is simply not an appealing alternative. The jibe is easy, but outside the board sinks, and with it the rig. "This sail was not designed for waterstarts", the sailmaker had said - he was right, of course. After an extensive swim and an arduous upwind run, it's straight back onto the speed strip. And again, and again, and again... Later in the test, the Maka board has to hold its own against standard speed boards - which can keep up surprisingly well!
Robby Seeger, the new top talent from northern Germany
The most important question is clarified right at the beginning: Yes, Robby really is called Robby, his nickname is not an appropriation of Robby Naish, but obviously comes from the official name "Robert". But in the windsurfing scene, a Robby is of course good for attention, and Robby Seeger was increasingly in the limelight at the end of the 1980s. After finishing secondary school ("I used to go to grammar school, but when I spent most of my time on the water, things went downhill."), the man from Preetz joined the Fanatic team and was on the verge of a great professional career. On his first trip to Hawaii, he let go of the rig out of sheer awe and took down his namesake Naish, but then the reality check came quickly: "Of course a Mark Angulo stands out from the others, but you can find something like that here in Heidkate too," says Robby. The goal: to hit the ground running, get as many pictures as possible in magazines and sail in as many regattas as possible to gain experience. He feels a little left alone by his sponsor: "They don't support me properly," he says, "I always wanted to do team training, but there was never time."
The story of the "sinker mouse"
"Cute sinker mouse, 22, blonde and slim, looking for unusual surf freak for front loops and other manoeuvres together", read an advertisement in the personal ads section of surf magazine (yes, there used to be such a thing!). Behind it, however, was a bait-and-switch from the surf editorial team. The reactions were remarkable, "apparently there is a huge demand for sinker mice", as author Karin Stanner realised. The girlfriend, who fully understands the costly and time-consuming hobby and supports the brave warrior, is a (wet) dream for many, "the free 'market' doesn't offer much". However, the candidates that the author meets in real life in a café in Schwabing (recognisable sign: surf magazine!) are only briefly irritated that the sinker mouse had purely professional interests. One of them tells his tale of woe with girlfriends who are critical of windsurfing, a newcomer to Munich is simply looking to make friends, and they all claim that they "don't really need it".
The unveiling of Klitmøller
Today, every surfer in Europe knows Klitmøller, the small village in the north of Denmark that aggressively markets itself and its surroundings as "Cold Hawaii" (according to legend, a quote from Josh Stone). It wasn't always like this: "We'll collect money for you so that you don't report on Klitmøller," the locals offered the surf author during his visit. "Sorry to let the secret out. Klitmøller is simply too good to withhold from surf readers," writes Andreas Tholund in his introduction. The charms of the spot are well known by now, and the development of the place is particularly exciting: no lobster huts, but of course the small fishermen's huts, and instead of fully equipped seven-metre Hymers, there are VW T2s, T3s and station wagons in the car park in front of the surf shop. "The car parks on the beach are undisputedly the liveliest place in the sleepy fishing village," is the apt description. The conclusion: "Once you've had a good day in Klitmøller, you'll gladly make the long journey again!"
And what else?
- Advertising gems: "The secret of the looped jibe", says Club Aldiana, accompanied by the question: "What does Bobby Kraish do when he retires for a few weeks?" and a photo from the Duke Kahanamoku era. What are they trying to tell us?
- Thanks to relaxed "import regulations for trade journals" as part of Erich Honecker's state visit, surf can now also be sent to the GDR
- In the age of fully battened sails, roof boxes are becoming increasingly popular for transport, surf has compared the models
- The "Snow surf" special explains the basics of the new snowboarding trend. The Gun Sails also advertises its own boards in the adverts
- Dramatic night on the Baltic Sea: in surf, Stefan A. reports how he drifted away from Pelzerhaken and only made it back to shore at dawn - in Grömitz, 12 kilometres away
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