Windsurfing’s Untold Stories

How did windsurfing develop, and who were the individuals behind the genesis of some leading brands? Further, to what extent has the sport influenced the development of other board sports? To answer these questions, researcher Steve West has combined interviews with Mistral, F2, Naish and Windsurfing Hawaii pioneers and broader research to provide fascinating untold stories from the sport over 50 years.

The sport’s evolutionary journey goes far beyond the equipment and on-water technique advances. It explores how the boom years of windsurfing were uniquely influenced by culture, image, competitive drive and a Hawaiian catalyst. The iconic images of Ulli Seer, Mistral’s principal photographer for some twenty years and other leading photographers of the time, show the sport’s progression through the decades, from basic wooden booms to carbon-enhanced performance.

Mistral’s ups and downs throughout the book, by way of example, include the impact of six different owners (1976 to 2022), tensions between individuals and how a brand can survive through the highs and lows. This engaging visual and anecdotal book, told through personal stories, may remind you of your own personal journey in the sport. Hooked might entice you to wash the dust from your old

Comments

“Hooked is a vibrant and colorful look into the most profound era in windsurfing. The worldwide windsurf community, with its tight knit friendships, visionaries, and spectacular action, propelled this rapidly growing movement into one of the most dynamic water sports of all time. This book beautifully captures the essence of windsurfing’s greatest time and how the sport developed since then”. (Pete Cabrinha, artist and designer, World Wave Champion 1985)

Wow! “Steve - What a fine job you’ve done putting my scattered thoughts and anecdotes into order. I thank you for the effort and for not trying to rewrite history.” (Larry Stanley, founder of Windsurfing Hawaii and windsurfing innovator)

Ado Huisman,Owner & CEO of Mistral 2009 - 2022:

This wonderful book touches on the origins of windsurfing and the introduction of the Windsurfer® into Europe, and ultimately, Mistral‘s contribution to the sport. Beautifully written by Steve West and edited by Ben Oakley, the book is the result of committed interviews with various individuals [if still alive] from the early days of Mistral and beyond, drawing upon many publications from this early period. Ulli Seer, the well-known water sports photographer, long associated with Mistral in the 1980s and 90s and responsible for the beautiful Mistral advertising during these years, compliments this book with his images and layout to create a unique document.

Steve West is an award-winning ocean sportswriter, author, educator, and accomplished ocean athlete; his diverse career originated as a pioneering professional windsurfer, freelance journalist and photographer. More recently, his on-water activities and high-profile publications have been dedicated to the Pacific-wide sport of outrigger canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding. Since 2013, he has been a senior consultant to Mistral in the areas of marketing, production and design, which in part, led to this body of work amassed from interviews, first-hand experience and research.

Ulli Seer, a keen sailor from childhood, began windsurfing in his early 20s while studying graphic art and photography at Augsburg and Munich Technical College. He became one of Europe’s first certified windsurfing instructors. From his first job as a windsurfing instructor in Fuerteventura / Canary Islands in 1976, he brought home his first windsurfing images, subsequently published in Peter Brockhaus’, ‘Windsurfing Magazine’. Ultimately, this led to becoming art director of the magazine. Fascinated by the new sport of the time, he would become one of the world‘s first, full-time freelance windsurfing photographers, which coincided with working with the newly established Mistral brand as primary photographer and graphic designer, responsible for worldwide advertising over a period of 20 years.

Ben Oakley is a Professor of Sports Performance Education at the Open University (UK). His original career was in windsurfing. He won the 1985 Mistral One Design World Championships and was British Olympic Coach, 1987 - 95. He supported Steve and Ulli as editor and co-wrote chapters 15, 17 and 19.

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