In the 1960s, two California friends carried on a debate regarding the merits of surfing compared to sailing. Hoyle Schweitzer, vice president of a computer firm, argued that sailing was a better sport because surfers had to waste so much time waiting for the right waves and because the shore area was too crowded with other surfers. Jim Drake, an aeronautical engineer, believed just the opposite: surfers had the edge because their sport was so simple and much less time consuming than sailing.
Both men were creative thinkers who began thinking about some way to combine the positive elements of both sports into one new package--a sailing surfboard. Both men set to work. Drake exchanged new sailing ideas with another scientist, Fred Payne. Several ideas were discarded for one reason or another. In 1967, Drake and Schweitzer tried an enlarged surfboard, but they had problems steering it without a rudder like other boats had. They finally attached the mast to the board with a universal joint, which allowed the sail to turn freely in all directions.
No other sailing craft can be used like a windsurfer because of this universal joint: it makes it possible for the mast and sail to lie flat in the water or to tilt and turn in any direction. It lets the boardsailor shift the sail easily to maneuver with the wind. They also created a wishbone-shaped boom that allowed a standing sailor to keep the sail extended; it also provided support for the individual on the board. The two men called their creation a "free sail system." The board itself was first made of fiberglass, like surfboards of the time. But they came up with polyethylene because it was lighter, longer lasting, and less expensive. Today's boards are slightly longer than the traditional surfboard with straps on the top to anchor feet into and a skeg on the bottom to add stability. There is also a daggerboard, a small rectangular board, that plunges down through a slot into the water below to keep the board moving straight ahead.
Public reaction was positive; experts called it the first really original sailing idea in 100 years. Hoyle Schweitzer quit his job and devoted himself to turning out more of these windsurfers because the demand was high. One man who saw a windsurfer near the coast, stopped his car, ran down to the beach, and ordered six of them on the spot. Today, the windsurfer is very popular because it does combine the advantages of both sailing and surfing.
This is the complete article, containing 420 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
