Windsurfing
Origins
Windsurfing (or boardsailing) became possible with the advent of new materials in the 1940s. The sport was born in Pacific Palisades, California, when a group of sailors, surfers and skiers sought to devise a craft which would combine the best of all three sports.
In 1969 Hoyle Schweitzer and Jim Drake succeeded. The hull was a plastic shell filled with polyurethane foam. A fibreglass mast and sail was joined to the board with a pivot that could move in all directions. The rider could steer by tilting the mast and sail rather than by using a rudder as on a boat.
New Zealand’s first windsurfers
The first windsurfers arrived in 1973, and in the summer of 1974–75 John Bangers produced the first New Zealand board. The New Zealand Boardsailing Association began in 1980 and organised races. The sport became more popular with the development of short boards, which allowed sailing in big waves.
International success
From the 1980s New Zealanders began to make their mark:
- 1982: Santha Patel became World Women’s Champion.
- 1984: Bruce Kendall, who had graduated from small boats, won a bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.
- 1988: Bruce Kendall won an Olympic gold at Pusan, Korea.
- 1994: Aaron McIntosh won the world championship.
- 1992–2000 Olympics: Barbara Kendall (Bruce Kendall’s sister) won New Zealand’s only gold at Barcelona (1992), silver at Atlanta (1996), and bronze at Sydney (2000).
As with boat sailing, the international success of New Zealand windsurfers has kindled further interest.
Windsurfing today
Windsurfing is a minority sport, with only 300 club members in the early 2000s, but it attracts enthusiastic devotees. They are to be found on harbours (especially Auckland and Wellington), on lakes such as Taupō, or around the coasts in the Bay of Plenty or Taranaki. New Zealand’s premiere event is the Taranaki Wave Classic.
Some participants focus on going fast – up to 45 knots – while others are interested in freestyle acrobatics. In 2005 there were 11 windsurfer clubs and almost 50 retailers catering for the sport.
