Sails, sails and more sails - the surf team tested a total of 73 cloths for the March 1992 issue. The big topic was handling, also with regard to camber. In the foreword, editor-in-chief Gerd Kloos and test manager Kutte Priessner advertised modern material: "Sport needs development, where there is none, there is peace and quiet. The standardised sailing classes are a deterrent example. Every batten is regulated there, and that's why these classes are veterans' clubs!"
Fall of the champion
Who was overthrown? The announcement on the surf cover arouses curiosity, behind it lies one of the most iconic images of the sport: Björn Dunkerbeck's giant rim in the boom is shown and described in detail over a total of seven pages. A sequence that was featured in the opening credits of the PBA/PWA videos for years and has been seen millions of times. "I've done a lot of crashes, but this was one of the better ones," commented Björn on his exit from Hookipa. "I just didn't want to let go. [...] A board without a surfer on the rock makes no sense."
Mega sailing test
73 sails from seven groups were flogged across the Red Sea by the surf test team in Safaga. As already announced in the editorial, the material took a big step back then: Loose leech still needs to be explained, and trimming aids and pulleys are also required for the necessary luff tension - something that has long been standard nowadays. Fittingly, there was also a large assembly and trimming tutorial in 1992. Every reader can determine their own personal test winner using the "preference matrix". Eye-catchers were, for example, the fluttering spikes on the leech of the Gaastra Heat Wave and the foam profile on the mast sleeve of the Five Star Race Slalom Wing ("the outstanding feature is its poor workmanship"). A turning point can also be observed in terms of materials: Whether and how much mono film is installed differs greatly.
It is noticeable that some Euro Wave sails were already fitted with camber, and from the Wave Slalom sails onwards the braces are almost a standard feature. The realisations are very different: North Sails has the soft camber that has been praised for years, Gaastra allows you to adjust the camber while surfing (!). Race camber sails from back then are very similar to today's camber sails in terms of how they work - but all too often they are a horror to handle: "Even rolling out a camber sail caused so much pity among other surfers that they spontaneously offered to help with rigging."
Tailcoat or freak
In 1992, the Swiss Christian Herles was the boss of the PBA, the predecessor of the PWA. surf accompanied the "hectic boss" for a day and asked him about his big plans for the World Cup. The former F2 team boss took over as chairman of the new PBA after the manufacturer World Cup was cancelled and was jetting around the world at the time to collect sponsorship money "I have organised 23 million dollars this year, [] with another 20 to 30 million on the line, which will only go to drivers and media!". He is also flying to Paris ("100 kilos of oysters and white wine!"), Portugal, the USA and back again ("back to Basel on the 6th to fondle my girlfriend."). He wants to make windsurfing a "middle-class sport" and lobbies TV managers to get windsurfing on television. Herles describes himself as a "cross-culture manager" and wants more "blood and tears" for media impact. By 1996, the PBA was over-indebted and bankrupt.
And what else?
- Bernd Flessner won the third World Cup of the 1992 season in Barbados and thus led the overall standings - ahead of Ralf Bachschuster and Björn Schrader. However, Naish, Dunkerbeck and co. had not yet competed in any of the events, but had extended their winter break.
- boot 1992 was only worth a small report in surf, as the majority of brands were not represented at the trade fair. Right next to it, the 1991 annual results of the surf industry were announced: An estimated 44,000 boards were sold and German manufacturers made 160 million marks in sales. After heavy losses in the previous year, this meant only a "slight contraction".
- Surf tester Saskia Stock was featured in a C&A advert as a trendy windsurfer
- DIY tip: To transport small items on the water, one of our readers had sewn a small hip bag onto his harness
- Surfing mnemonic for the trim of loose leech sails: "Wrinkle-free - not at the front. Slack leech - super speed!"
- Does mono film age faster than conventional sailcloth? surf sacrificed one of the test sails and found out: twelve per cent loss of strength after 50 hours of surfing and 350 hours in the sun - that was still satisfactory.
