Legend of Windsurfing History

Robby Naish has had a long and high profile career in windsurfing. He moved with his family to Kailua on Oahu in Hawaii in 1968 at the age of 5. In 1974, at age 11, he began windsurfing. He won his first overall World Championship title in 1976 at the age of 13 and remained the #1 ranked windsurfer in the world until 1987. With his trademark pink sail with the number US1111, he was nearly invincible on the water, whether jumping, riding waves or flat out cruising.

"What I really enjoy most is jumping."

He won 24 world titles before his retirement from competition in the 1990s.

Robby Naish is a keen competitor but he doesn't brag on himself. The record is there for everyone to see but he is quiet about who is the best. It is his modesty combined with his winning personality that have made him universally loved in windsurfing and an international sports celebrity.

"I have so many plans for the future that it is impossible to even list them. But the main thing is waking up tomorrow healthy…that’s the only way it works so that’s every day my goal: stay happy, healthy and alive. Every day above ground is a good day!"

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The Legend of the Gorge

Windsurfers cannot resist legends. And, when it comes to wind, the Columbia Gorge in the Pacific Northwest of the United States has been generating legendary tales nearly since windsurfing began.

Why? The massive canyon that cuts through the Cascade Mountains creates a wind tunnel that sucks hot air from the inland desert to the cool ocean. At a small town called Hood River, the cliffs come the closest together. This results in a venturi where winds rip through at speeds up to 40 mph and the flow of the Columbia River against the wind spawns galactic waves. The result? Perfect conditions for world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding. Experts catapult off white-capped waves into high, whirling jumps.

Combine this with the rugged natural beauty of the Cascade temperate forest and hot summers and you have the makings of a legend.

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