WINDSURFING

also called Boardsailing, sport that combines aspects of sailing and surfing on a one-person craft called a sailboard. The earliest prototypes of a sailboard date back to the late 1950s. Californians Jim Drake (a sailor) and Hoyle Schweitzer (a surfer) received the first patent for a sailboard in 1968. They called their design a Windsurfer, and Schweitzer began mass-producing sailboards in the early 1970s. The sport quickly spread throughout North America, and by the late 1970s it had become widely popular in Europe. Its popularity soon spawned a thriving sailboard manufacturing industry in Europe, one that has come to dominate the windsurfing market. The first world championship of windsurfing was held in 1973. There are currently several competitive windsurfing circuits that hold regattas, slalom races, and wavesailing competitions (a subjectively judged style event). Olympic windsurfing features sailors racing over a traditional triangle course and was first contested in 1984, with separate competitions for men and women introduced in 1992. A sailboard is composed of a board and a rig. The early Windsurfer boards measured 12 feet (3.5 m) long and weighed 60 pounds (27 kg). Current boards range from 8 to 12.5 feet (2.5 to 4 m) and weigh between 15 and 40 pounds (718 kg). Long boards (more than 10 feet ) have a small keel, also called a centreboard or a daggerboard, and a skeg (rear bottom fin) but no rudder. Short boards (less than 10 feet) have a skeg but no centreboard. The rig consists of the sail, double boom, mast, and mast base. Sails may vary in size (3.5 to 10 square metres) and function (race, slalom, and wave). The mast connects to the board through the mast base, which has a universal joint that allows the mast to be moved in any direction. The boat is steered by changing the sail's position relative to the wind and to the centreboard. This is accomplished by adjusting one's hold on the double boom in order to rake the sail forward or aft, windward or leeward. In the early days of windsurfing, sailboards were capable of only modest speeds and were used close to shore. However, the sport has evolved to the point that experienced sailors, using specialized sailboards, have reached speeds over 40 knots and have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.