As I was born toward the end of the 80's I don't really know much about the 'boom time' of windsurfing. I've heard stories of hundreds of numbers of windsurfers driving to different towns every weekend to hold wave or slalom comps and basically running amuck in the quiet unsuspecting places. And other races like the Esperance Wylie bay classic etc
I'd like to know a bit more about the iconic windsurfers of this era and I'm chasing some names and perhaps a small description. Kind of like the Bob McTavish, Nat Young and Bernard Midget's of the local windsurfing era. Feel free to PM. Names/links/whatever. Cheers!
Funny how this guy seemed to have been missed.
Previous World wave champ.
Scott McKercher
Sail#: KA-181
Age: 40
Nationality: Australian
Residence: Australia
World Cup Debut: 1992
Mal (now in Vic) and Trev Wright
Bruce Andews from Mandurah
As far as events, Leighton to Trigg, Woody's Pt speed trials, Bridge to Bridge, Nanga to Denham, Rotto return...... ah the good ol' days
Rob Welbourne-(legend has it he was looping/cheese rolling ages before the hawaiians!!)
Nic Poll - dominated every thing in the early days- west oz version of Robby Naish
Peter Dans - speed legend and captain of srm..
Don (Williamson?) i think - from Gero used to be smoking fast in slalom.
Brad Hiles had the official speed record for a long time at a blistering 29 knots.
Jay Wild
Roger Goodwin on the tooheys blues team with Simeon
Terry T and Russell, Victor and Robby Vealfrom bunbury
hey greeny and gazza - those two are just old and were making up the numbers, someone has to fill the back of the fleet.
One of the other dads at netball was telling me about 'Tidal Wave Ted' - often on the northern reefies - sounded like a bit of a legend, and a maverick to boot.
Geoff Hillwood would have to be in there somewhere, late 80's every man and his dog was riding a scalpel in Gero.
WA heritage & icons [not yet mentioned]
80s/90s
Mike Galvin
Ash Nichol
Clive [Snake] Ellis
Lach Simpson
Ado [as a junior]
late 70s / early 80s
Paul White [on a comeback]
There was a fantastic WA marathon/slalom circuit running from about 1987 through to about 95 [perhaps longer but I dropped out in 95 with a new baby]. Events ranged from Esperance in the south [historically new year] to Denham in the north and with Perth, Safety Bay, Lancelin, Leeman, Gearaldton in between. Every event was an extravaganza with great competitive sailing as well as numerous wild nights of booze fueled madness [no one did drugs in those days]!!! Names of participants other than those already mentioned include Byron Marsh, Svien Rusmussen, [the late] Per Andersson, Bruce [Sailworks] Peterson, plus many other stars and punters I have forgoten.
The stalwart organiser of much of the of the WA circuit was the loveable Quentin Little and we owe him a lot of gratitude - which we probably never gave him 20 odd years ago!!
Last I heard Dave Sheen was running his boat charter business [ex pearl lugger] along/off Cable Beach.
Snides - showin ya age with that one - Ken Ikenberg's Hi Winds shop in Jarrad Street!! that's going back!
Speaking of Shark Bay, here's the news story out of the "West" of 25's effort at Shark Bay (1992?) Who can forget those seasnakes wrapping themselves around your fin!
As for Sheeny, spoke to him last year after getting back from sailing around the world - a few pics here - (number 80) http://multihull.com.au/site/PDF-Archives.html
