the father of windsurfing
La presentazione della prima tavola a vela da parte di James Drake.
In 1969, RAND aeronautical engineer James Drake took a brief vacation from his defense systems work to write a RAND document in which he described a new water-sport vehicle. Explaining the sport, Drake noted, “A different sailing skill is required, more akin to surfing and skiing — boredom is completely eliminated — and once wind-surfing is mastered, it gives a unique and heady blend of sporting thrills.” After many years of extracurricular mental toying, Drake had come up with a craft that was ridden in a standing position and steered by a handheld sail assembly. He successfully tested his invention along the coast a few miles south of Santa Monica, California, where he lived and worked at RAND. The sail was designed so that the driving and turning forces were sensed and controlled directly by the rider, with no rudder necessary, and the board “surfed” on swells even in the open ocean. RAND supported Drake’s writing and illustration of the document and published the result. The activity went on to become a major, worldwide sport and Drake is heralded within the windsurfing world as “the father of windsurfing.”
Quante cose sono cambiate, quante vele srotolate e pinne avvitate!!! GRAZIE ANCORA JIM
