The concept of the Windsurfer derives from what Jim Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer felt were the virtues of their respective pastimes: sailing and surfing. Surfing was free of maintenance and set-up time, but relied on waves and weather. For Drake, sailing offered the freedom to escape, and wind was more common than waves. Between them a new form of sailing was born.

In the late 1960s, they started shaping boards from tandem-sized polyurethane-foam surfboard blanks, giving birth to a final design that offered maneuverability, stability and flotation, while conforming to roto-molding capabilities of the time.

The standard Windsurfer free-sail system was a simple device with three principal components: the board, the daggerboard, and the sail assembly. Drake knew that any small sailboat could be sailed well if the principles of sail trim could be harnessed. Attempts at several rig/daggerboard systems finally led to the articulating rig and its key components: the universal joint and wishbone boom.

Although invented in California, the sport failed to catch on there at first. It was not until the boards arrived in Europe during the early 1970s that sales began to soar. Windsurfing’s popularity spread like wildfire across the continent and around the globe – where there was wind and water, there were Windsurfers

No other sailboat has come close to the Windsurfer at introducing more people to sailing. Over 350,000 of the original design were sold, and it’s estimated that 1.5 million people are windsurfing variations today.