Hooked! the book

20/04/2023

Windsurfing is an iconic sport that has captivated millions of enthusiasts around the world. But do you know the story of its development? The book "Hooked! It is a unique book that takes you behind the scenes of this fascinating sport. Through contemporary images and insightful commentary, authors Steve West and Maurits Huisman take us through the untold story of windsurfing, from European developments to Hawaiian influences.

The cover of "Hooked!" is the one that inspired many people to take up windsurfing in the late 70s. It shows Mike Horgan, Windsurfer's distributor in Hawaii, on his board with a custom sail and "storm" daggerboard. The photo, published in the New York Times, made a lasting impression and symbolised the desire for an attractive Hawaiian lifestyle and the speed and daring that made the sport revolutionary compared to boat sailing.
Mike Horgan and his team then experimented relentlessly with their equipment, pushing the boundaries of the sport. They heat-bent polyethylene boards to increase rocker and sawed boards to create new wave-friendly shapes. Later they developed the harness, footstraps and other accessories, and created even more sails for high winds. Together with Pat Love, they fused Hawaiian and European ideas to create better and better equipment. Mike Horgan named his new company Windsurfing Hawaii. He was joined by Larry Stanley, Ken Kleid, Pat Love and others.

On the beach at Kailua, the epicentre of windsurfing at the time, a young man, then 11 years old, made his debut in the sport: Robby Naish. 2 years later, he won the 1976 Windsurfing World Championship, beating 456 other competitors to become a legend. Robby Naish weighed just 41kg at the time and it was during this famous event in the Bahamas that he met a German entrepreneur, Peter Brockhaus. Soon after, Pat Love began working with Peter Brockhaus. The team worked out of a garage until 1978 when they moved into commercial premises. Thanks to their vision and daring, windsurfing has become what it is today, a spectacular and accessible sport that continues to attract new enthusiasts worldwide.
The 256-page book "Hooked!", richly illustrated by Ulli Seer, Steve Wilkings, Stephen Whitesell and Darrel Wong with pictures from the past, looks back on this incredible history and will appeal to all those who have ever ridden a windsurf board or dream of doing so.