Windsurfing Harness

The windsurfing harness is one of the most important innovation since the birth of windsurfing as a sport discipline (along with Footstraps ). The harness turns windsurfing into a long lasting activity.

The first truly functional harness was developed by Pat Love and Larry Stanley of Windsurfing Hawaii in Kailua Hawaii in about 1974. It consisted of a vest-like nylon jacket to which a hook was attached. The sailor used the hook to attach to lines attached to each of the wishbone booms.

When future world champion Robby Naish began using a harness in Kailua in 1975 when he was twelve years old, he had problems with his chest being painfully squeezed by the force on the hook. Mike Horgan and Larry Stanley developed a spreader bar to balance the load and prevent the harness from squeezing the wearer's chest. The spreader bar is now in almost universal use.

Many companies have developed the harness over the years with major innovations coming from Da Kine and Winsdurfing Hawaii.

Windsurfing harness is basically a girdle-like contraption around your hips which connects the windsurfer to the rig by a line attached to the boom.
The harness makes it possible to rest your arms by taking the weight of the sail off your arms. Windsurfers wear the harness around their hips.
Hooking in the harness is done by pulling the sail to the body and hooking into the harness-lines on the boom.

More information about harness can be found at:
http://www.watertrader.co.uk/magazine/tutorials/windsurfing/technique.htm

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Windsurfing Harness