Pascal Maka, the interview

By beating the record of Crossbow II in 1986 on a fine July day in Sotavento in the Canaries, Pascal Maka made history once and for all, and windsurfing with him. The Frenchman turned speed into a discipline in its own right and is still the face of it today...

WAW: Do you remember when you started windsurfing?
PM: I started windsurfing in 1976 on a Windsurfer, and it was love at first sight when I set foot on the board. The rest is history...

WAW: What's your best memory of windsurfing?
PM: My best memory of windsurfing is the transition from big boards to small, short, narrow boards. The day I set foot on my first 8'6’ board, made by Jimmy Lewis, was love at first sight. But my best memory of a competition was on 21 July 1986 in the Canaries, still on a Jimmy Lewis 8'6’, when I broke the Crossbow record with a run at 38.86 knots, with all the competitors present.

WAW: How do you see the sport evolving?
PM: I, like other windsurfers, have lived through the whole adventure of windsurfing and its development, and it's clear that today's equipment is fabulous and varied for all conditions and all disciplines. It makes the sport accessible to everyone, and the fin is still very much in evidence, as can be seen from the number of entrants in the Défi Wind. The development of windfoil has also been fantastic. At the Olympics, the iQFOil is very sexy, high-performance and telegenic. On the PWA World Tour, they're filling in the gaps where we used to stay on the beach. The pros are impressive, and we have access to several types of support that give us one more reason to get out on the water.

WAW: What memories do you have of all these years spent windsurfing?
PM: I have very fond memories of the 15 years I spent organising the Mondial du Vent in Leucate in the south of France. Seeing all the pros at the Mondial, with numerous disciplines racing at the same time, until the day when windsurfing disappeared from the race programme...

WAW: What memories would you like to leave behind in this sport?
PM: I'd like to leave the memory of my early adventures in my region, Pas-de-Calais, and in speed racing in the good old days with all the international competitors of the time. They, like me, contributed to the development of the sport with the brands and organisers. But I'd also like to leave behind the memory of someone who gave back to his sport by getting involved in the organisation and development of the speed discipline. And encouraging young people to take up this demanding discipline that is so full of thrills...

Photo: Bernard Biancotto