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Windsurfing sails have evolved more than any other type of sail making todays sails look dramatically different than they did in the beginning. This is because of the sailor’s active participation in transmitting the sail’s force to the board. When you can feel the wind in your hands, fantastic advances in sail efficiency and function are the result.
Because of this, the best sailors have been dynamically involved in sail design. Sometimes they even have become sail designers. And some of them have become legends.
A few of the sail makers in the sport were already established yacht sail manufacturers.
In 1957 a young engineer named Lowell North founded North Sails in San Diego, California. Today it is one of the world’s premier sail makers. In 1981 German Eckart Wagner initiated North Sails Windsurfing with world-wide R&D activities and series production facilities in Sri Lanka.
In 1897 Gaastra Sails began with 22 year-old Douwe Gaastra in the small Dutch town of Sneek and acquired international renown in the sailing world. It was Frank van Beuningen who was responsible for Gaastra’s foray into windsurfing equipment in the early years and building it into a leading brand in the industry.
Neil Pryde also began with yacht sails in 1970. It took him three years to become the world’s largest supplier to yacht builders. By 1975 Neil Pryde was making boardsails for early windsurfing board manufacturers. In 1982 Neil Pryde began building it’s own board sails.
See a nice selection of sails from these big windsurfing sail companies here.
However, others have built a solid reputation in windsurfing alone.
MauiSails founder, Barry Spanier , opened his first shop in Maui in 1980. His was one of the original windsurfing equipment companies on the Hawaiian Islands. Barry’s basic ideas and innovations have led the industry for nearly three decades.
In the mid 1990s Robby Naish, preeminent windsurfing champion, left Gaastra with his design teem to form his own company. Naish Sails Hawaii enjoys success as a hands on company that is involved in every part of the design, development and building of every product they sell. There slogan is, "We don't buy champions, we make them." In 1999 Robby's father, Rick Naish, left Mistral to join him and concentrate on building new board designs and other windsurfing equipment for Naish Hawaii. Since then they have also expanded into kiteboarding with a innovative line of kites and boards.
David Ezzy is another sail designer who made his first windsurfing sail in 1983. In 1985 he caught the attention of North Sails who hired him to create their wave sail line. He soon was in charge of all their windsurfing sails and worked for North for 7 years before founding Ezzy Sails Lanka in Sri Lanka.
In 1983, research physicist Bill Hansen and sail maker Bill Sistek founded Windwing Designs, Inc. to build high performance sails. With his unconventional understanding of aerodynamics, Bill Hansen’s unique sail designs caught on and soon Windwing became the largest producer of windsurfing sails in North America. It is now based in Hood River, Oregon. Hansen has since formed a new San Fransisco based company, Hansen Sails, with the same driving passion for performance, wind and quality that gave him so many loyal customers in the beginning.
Hot Sails Maui was established in 1985 by Jeffrey Henderson who is the sole owner. His commitment to quality and attention to detail has made him an industry leader. Hot Sails Maui has developed sails through the years with many top level windsurfers. They continue to innovate and lead in new directions as is seen with their revolutionary Superfreak sail.
In 1981, after spending a year at MauiSails, windsurfer Malte Simmer formed Simmer Style Sails with one of MauiSails' top seamstresses, Cindy Allen. Malte’s brother Klaus, who also worked at MauiSails, stayed on with the company through their merger with NeilPryde in 1983. Klaus worked as part of Neil Pryde’s R&D group before coming to Simmer Style in 1985 to head up the marketing and business end of operations. They produce popular and competitive sails.
Windsurfing equipment has been a passion for Monty Spindler in a long career of sail design starting in 1976. He has worked with many top names in the industry and designed for companies such as North and NeilPryde. In 1999 he started The Loft which is windsurfing’s new brand but the fruit of Monty’s lifelong experience and passion.
In the mid 1980s Eberhard von Osterhausen “Ebi” founded Gun Sails. With his passion and energy for windsurfing, he built Gun into a leading sail company. He died in a plane crash in 2004 but his company, formed around designer Renato Morlotti, is still a creative force in the industry.
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