70 masts in breakage test
The "first major breakage test in the history of testing": 70 (!) masts are bent in the surf lab until they burst with a deafening bang. For a week, tester Helmut Schellinger destroys masts on an assembly line as part of a service contract - and is completely exhausted: "You'd have to be a sadist not to be affected by this procedure," he moans. Because a broken mast is normally a nightmare for every surfer: a long swim, broken material, holiday over, replacement purchase. Killer forks" are identified as the main cause of broken masts: The quick-release fasteners were not as sophisticated at the end of the eighties, the fibres of the poles were crushed in rows, making them a predetermined breaking point. And another realisation: a defect-free mast does not break on flat water under normal use - only when washing in the wave are the forces so great that the breaking strength is exceeded.
Wallflowers: Cheap boards and standard sails
During the test in the summer of 1988, surf focussed on the wallflowers: Back then, hardly anyone bought the standard rigs from the board manufacturers (buying just the board was still described as "semi-complete"), but separate sails instead. surf tested seven supposed emergency solutions and came to the conclusion: "The times when traditional sailmakers put their expertise exclusively into their own collections and only cut the cloth for the series boards in a cheap style to utilise capacity are over."
"Cheap and heavy" was the unflattering but perfectly apt headline for another test. In addition to the top brands, there were several manufacturers offering affordable low-tech boards for occasional windsurfers. "Grainy PE or plain ABS and a weight of up to 20 kilos are reminiscent of historical surfing equipment" was the unadorned first impression - even if the shapes themselves are thoroughly modern. Fittingly, a test candidate is hoisted into the water for the photographer with a boat crane. And even in practice, most of them are not really convincing; the Bic Calypso ("according to initial estimates, one of the best-selling boards on the world market") fails completely without a modern mast track, non-functioning centreboard and braked handling.
"North Sea murderers are among us"
"With black, sad beady eyes, the dying seals look into the television cameras" - the article about the pollution of the North Sea starts with a club. Even the less than squeamish headline reads "The North Sea murderers are among us". As brutal as the piece comes across, the background is serious: in addition to the seal mortality accelerated by a virus, the North Sea is suffering from massive pollution caused by environmental toxins. That's why the aim is to show what every surfer can do to help the environment: use cleaning products without harmful substances, avoid rubbish, shop consciously.
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And what else?
- Klepper, once the market leader in Germany, is on the brink of collapse after two years of massive technical problems. The parent company wants to sell, and there are several interested parties.
- After a number of serious accidents, Fanatic is the first manufacturer to offer a rubber cover that is designed to defuse overly sharp board noses.
- Several brands announce that they will stay away from boot 1989 - in protest against the "dealer bazaar". Motor yachts are therefore also to be placed in the surf hall.
- For real fans: If you would like an autograph from Jenna De Rosnay or Jill Boyer, surf will provide you with the appropriate postal addresses.
- Advertising pearls: "Being a leader starts with the yarn", boasts neoprene manufacturer Gul and talks about "the finest fibrillated polyamide yarns"
- Laird Hamilton, a little-known Hawaiian up-and-comer at the time, takes part in Speedweek on Fuerte. To everyone's astonishment, Hamilton twirls a loop with the needle in knee-deep water at full speed over a micro swell - and continues unimpressed.
- Landings for the brave: In the jump riding technique Maui Meyer shows, among other things, the nose dive - "elegant and super soft"
- Sand between your teeth instead of salt on your skin: the "surf Fun Training" programme includes waterstart exercises that can be completed entirely on the beach. The goal: a water start in 20 hours.
- 10 against 317: A windsurfer with super-light wind equipment (10-metre sail, outrigger on the board) and a racing yacht (317 square metres of sail area, crew of eight) compete against each other on Lake Chiemsee. After two races, there is a draw and the 50 litres of beer on offer are shared - in a ratio of 8 to 1.
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Tobias Frauen
Editor
