Review: These were the highlights in surf 4/1977

Tobias Frauen

· 19.08.2023

34 Images

Photo: surf-Archiv

On the surf cover in summer 1977: A "skilful head dip, photographed by Michael Garff".

We go back into the archives and take a look at old issues! Here we show you the best finds, remarkable test results, bizarre anecdotes and much more! In this episode we go back to the year 1977!

It goes back to the birth of surf: the July/August 1977 issue is only the fourth issue ever, and therefore one of the first in the main season. Instead of an editorial address, there are still two presumed private addresses in Munich and Hamburg in the masthead. There is a lot of focus on associations and regulations, for example the legal counsel of the Sailing Association is interviewed about the threat of nationwide surfing bans. But there was also much lighter fare and a piece of windsurfing history!

Riding technique body dip

"There is hardly anything in surfing that is more useless," admits the author of the riding technique right at the beginning. But: "Body dip, that's extreme strong wind surfing!" When the spectators on land still think that the daring board artist has fallen into the water, he is already travelling on in a cloud of spray. After a kind of "bum dip" as a preliminary exercise comes the "almost acrobatic movement sequence" of the body dip or body check. If you overdo it, you can also practise the water start. For real pros, the head dip is the ultimate challenge, where the head is thrown into the waves with a hollow back. The most important tip for the dip: "Make sure there are no obstacles in front of you beforehand!"

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The legendary Skagerrak crossing of the Charchulla twins

One of the pioneering feats from the early days of windsurfing came to public attention in 1977: Manfred and Jürgen Charchulla report exclusively on their tandem crossing of the Skagerrak. The project had already been launched in autumn 1976, but the conditions did not allow a start until May 1977. Instead of starting in Hirtshals as planned, the brothers now started in Hanstholm because the pilot had moved there in the meantime. When they arrived in Hanstholm (known today as one of the best wave spots in Northern Europe), three masts and twice the "clutch for the mainsail" broke. The importance of the equipment should not be underestimated: two waterproof neoprene kidney bags contained a "pipe, tobacco, safety lights, telescope, knife, packets of sandwiches and a bottle of gin each."

After a relaxed start and a five-hour lull in the final phase, the crossing itself turned into a battle: the brothers jumped over the huge swell at 20 knots, and every restart after a fall cost them time and energy. Shortly before reaching the Norwegian coast, the Charchullas then managed to get on board the escort vessel, which had to be towed into the harbour of Mandal by the coastguard due to a lack of fuel. There, the final hurdle awaits in the form of the immigration authorities. Nobody had thought to take a passport with them.

Debacle for numerous test boards

surf and its sister magazine Yacht tested 16 boards from the "almost unmanageable" range in spring. Conclusion: "Even the best are not good enough", hardly a board without glaring defects. A taster? The Sailglider runs full of water and weighs 12 kilos more after the test, the rigid keel (!) of the Starsurfer deforms in the sun, the test rider's foot breaks into the deck of the Jet-Surfer, the Windward is obviously only a kit and runs full of water after half an hour, so that it almost sinks. All the other boards have weaknesses with the base plate, the daggerboard or the durability.

Fashion for windsurfers

If you want to show that you are one of these new, trendy windsurfers, and not just with a board on the roof of your car, you will find a wide range of windsurfing fashion for the beach and everyday life. surf presents the most remarkable pieces in a double-page portrait format (!) photo series. Mistral's range includes a red, tight Lycra wetsuit and a blouson with "port"/"starboard" prints on the sleeves. A French manufacturer called LSD offers pieces with the original Windsurfer lettering.

You can click through the entire magazine in the gallery above!

And what else?

Disputes from the depths of association politics: Who is allowed to issue surfing licences? While the German Sailing Association (DSV) issues its members with virtually free licences, the VDWS relies on training courses. Who is recognised by whom and when will remain an issue for a long time to come
Pearls of advertising, I: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king! Who is this one-eyed man? Jack O'Neill! [...] The king of all wetsuit manufacturers!"
In the letters to the editor, Graf von der Schulenburg, representative of the German Sports Federation's water sports commission, argues in favour of using the term "sailing surfing" instead of "windsurfing" because "the connection to sailing is better emphasised".
Showmaster Michael Schanze came 7th at the World Windsurfing Championships in the Bahamas and is now getting his own watch collection
Windsurfing or "board sailing" is also booming in the GDR: VEB Waggonbau Ammerfeld delivered "600 complete sailing boards" and regattas are becoming increasingly popular
With the Algarve and the Oortkatener See near Hamburg, surf introduces a then still quite exotic and an after-work destination
You can travel to the European Windsurfing Championships in Sweden on a special surfer train
Advertising pearls, II: The back of the magazine features a Windsurfer advert that is more reminiscent of a court or patent file: "We would like to make one thing perfectly clear... Windsurfer is a trade mark" it screams at you. As well as showing all the details, the advert warns against showing up at a regatta with another board.

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