In Defence Of A Small Industry

Harty poses the question of how, in a modern world, does windsurfing stack up against other industries?

- Peter Hart

You absolutely can’t stand your little brother, who since he was 2 years old has found ways to push your buttons relentlessly. Then one day you hear someone you don’t know, speaking ill of him. How dare they? The demon rises within you and with a mild threat of violence you find yourself defending the virtue of this person you’d travel to Timbuktu to avoid at the Christmas table. So strong is the family bond that to trash one of us is to trash us all. The truth is that your brother may well be an odious little sh*t, but you’re way too close to make an objective judgement.

I sometimes feel equally defensive about the windsurfing family who I’ve been in and around for the past 40 years. If it were that little brother I would concede that, yes, he had once been deeply annoying, but he’s now a fine, honest likeable (if somewhat quirky), member of society … but I’m way too involved to opine.

WELL SERVED?

In a post sailing chat, I recently asked a group I was coaching if they felt they were well served by the windsurfing industry. You can frame a question to get the answer you’re hoping for. We’d had a great day in glorious conditions, people had improved, no one had broken anything despite numerous whitewater falls and one bloke in particular had fallen deeply in love with his new board. It was sure to be a love fest. The initial responses were mildly positive: “better than it used to be … really robust … massive choice … etc.”