In the summer of ‘82 my friend Pierre Bouret gave me a windsurfing lesson in Hanalei Bay and that was it- my life changed. We windsurfed every day that summer. At the time I was the only shaper on Kauai who actually windsurfed and because of that I immediately had 4 orders for windsurfers before even having shaped one. The friends I was shaping boards for also needed the sail and rigging so we pooled our money and I went to Oahu and opened a dealership with Hugh England at Windsurfing Hawaii.

Charlie Cowden — Planters Speed Week, Sotavento, Canary Islands, 1987 — By Steve Wilkens