Sport Today

A couple of years ago the American Windsurfer site
posted an article that was a lecture delivered by Jim Drake
to a convention of engineers. It was about the invention and
development of the windsurfer. Unfortunately its no longer
there.
I have to give a brief talk and I thought the invention
of the windsurfer would be a good topic to speak to.
Does anyone have a copy of that paper. I'd be most
grateful if you could email me a copy.

Wal

You're going to want to get ahold of the subsequent American Windsurfer issues
that came out, which basically established that Jim Drake, while responsible
for creating a successful product and launching an industry, did not invent the
windsurfer.  A guy named Newman Darby did.  This was detailed in two issues
American Windsurfer published.  The New York Times also ran an article about
this a few years back.  Online, check out:

http://home.pacifier.com/~wiltonh/darby/timeline.html

http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/mag/back/airmail5.2.html

<< A couple of years ago the American Windsurfer site
posted an article that was a lecture delivered by Jim Drake
to a convention of engineers. It was about the invention and
development of the windsurfer. Unfortunately its no longer
there.
I have to give a brief talk and I thought the invention
of the windsurfer would be a good topic to speak to.
Does anyone have a copy of that paper. I'd be most
grateful if you could email me a copy. >>

Michael
US5613

Barney Kenney wrote<< Darby's rig has as much in common with a windsurfer as a
rowboat does with
an unlimited hydroplane. Regardless of any court decisions, Darby did not
invent windsurfing. >>

I'd say you haven't seen the film footage of him sailing his gear back in the
60's.  The footage is jaw dropping if you think (as I did) that Drake invented
the thing and that Darby's drawings were simply interesting.

No court decision ever went Darby's way in this matter, as far as I know.
Quite the opposite.  And I don't think Drake disputes Darby's claim anymore.

Michael
US5613

From what I can remember, Windsurfer (Inc.) won one patent suit and lost another
one.  Darby was not directly involved in either suit.  I have not seen any film of
Darby sailing but I am prepared to believe that Darby invented the windsurfer -
the next time I see one of his rigs in a surf zone.

I sailed with an articulated sail on a 6-foot board in about 1953, at
Phillips Inlet in the Florida panhandle. I don't think that makes me the
inventor of windsurfing. It just means I sailed with an articulated sail on
a 6-foot board before Darby or Drake or Schweitzer did. OTOH, the fact that
my sail was a beach towel, my board was an air mattress, and my universal
joint was my shoulder joints does not mean I have any less claim to
inventing articulated sailing that Darby does. (Or does it? You folks figure
it out if it's that important.) But Drake developed working hardware,
actually used it recreationally if I recall correctly, and "owned" the idea
sufficiently that Hoyle paid him $10,000 (or $20,000; I've forgotten which
figure Jim told me in about 1985) for sole rights to the concept. Then Hoyle
turned the concept into millions of bucks and millions of sailors. In my
book, that makes Jim the inventor, Hoyle the developer/marketer, and Darby a
guy with an idea who never went anywhere with it.

It's much like dirt. God invented it, but never made a cent from it. Cave
man, the Vikings, Columbus, et.al., recognized its usefulness but never went
anywhere with it commercially, and now the realtors and developers have made
gadzillions of bucks from it. Only the guy what makes us think we have to
have it makes the big bucks, unless the inventor has a patent and a good
agent.

Mike \m/
To reply directly, remove the SpamDam.

Mike,
   "Inventor" and "developer marketer" mean drastically different things.  You
can't invent something that already exists.  Drake developed working hardware
long after Darby developed working hardware.  That Drake got somebody to pay
him for the idea doesn't mean he invented it.   Darby invented the windsurfer.
That fact upsets a few applecarts.   If the Wright Brothers didn't make a dime
off of airplanes, does that mean that Mr. Boeing is the inventor?

For a guy who speaks so harshly about lawyers, you sure argue like one.
Michael
US5613

Sounds like you've got me confused with the Dog. But that's probably a
compliment (to me).

Mike \m/
To reply directly, remove the SpamDam.

Either way, let's face it, boards were pretty bad back in those days.  No
wonder the inventor has kept quiet all these years and just left us to have
our annual "who done it" argument!

Den

PS:  And did you see the sails!!!

PPS:  And the dagger boards which I had to hang over my shoulder!  They
would beat hell out of my knees as I sailed along WAy overpowered in a force
2.

Yeah but ya gotta start somewhere with something. Just think
what Jim had to sail during the development. Its a wonder he
could get up at all. That guy must have some physical smarts
and some perseverance.

Wal

Wal wrote<<  Just think
what Jim had to sail during the development. Its a wonder he
could get up at all. That guy must have some physical smarts
and some perseverance. >>

You should see the footage of Newman Darby sailing his board back in the
60's...he's damn near freestyling.  Tacks, jibes, backwinded tacks, very
nimble and not at all as clumsy as you'd think.  And of course, having to
invent the technique to do it all.

Michael
US5613

And...take a look at the board designs that Jim Drake is involved with
NOW! I think he is a great designer, whether of planes or windsurfing
boards. In the past 2 years, some more of his ideas have brought about
some significant changes in windsurfing. He is fascinating to talk to.
  I learned on the original Windsurfer, and now I'm on a Starboard
Formula, 2 boards at opposite ends of the design spectrum for
windsurfing. So far...
  Ellen

On a symantic point: the term "windsurfer" has nothing to do
with "surf" per se. I don't think JD went anywhere near the
waves before the production Windsurfer was released. The name
seems to owe something to an analogy with surfboards,
something like surfing without surf or surfing with wind
instead of waves.

Wal

A week late, but perhaps you're still interested in taking  a look:

http://www.computerknowhow.com/darbyweb/index.html
Michael
US5613

This is an interesting webpage, dedicated to proclaiming Darby as the
inventor of the windsurfer.  Evidence can also be found there, however,
to support the argument that Darby was simply sailing a variation of a
Swedish skate sail from a scow.

From one of the images on the page entitled "More Proof" I quote,

"... square rigged, rather than a fore and aft Marconi rig like that on
small sail boats that you have known.

What about safety?  A basic requirement is that you be a really good
swimmer.  You are sure to spend quite a bit of your learning time in
the water.  Second, if you feel the wind is too strong for you, simply
throw the sail kite overboard (make sure it's secured to the sailboard
by a lanyard so you can retrieve it once the gust has passed)."

Now that doesn't sound much like a windsurfer to me - no fore and aft
sail, no double-sided boom, no universal joint.  In fact, no universal
joint was required because the vertical location of the center of
effort was at the height of the horizontal spar that was held by hand
while sailing from the back side - just like a Swedish skate sail.

Unlike windsurfing, which all of us have learned without ever having to
spend an extended amount of time in the water... ;)

And that, to me, is the crux of the matter. Using an unstayed rig and
universal joint was a stroke of genius. Note that the patent actually
focused on that, and for good reason, as it was a true innovation.
Disconnecting the board from the rig yields a very different kind of
animal (maybe a predecessor to kitesurfing, if you wish). The genius of
windsurfing is that it allows a very favorable tradeoff between
complexity and performance - much more favorable than any stayed rig
could ever provide in a any singlehanded sailing craft. That was made
possible by using a universal.

Andreas

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