Interesting Angelenos

Jim Drake, father of windsurfing was 83

jim-drake-windsurfing.jpgJim Drake is another example of an aerospace industry worker who pioneered the Southern California outdoor sports scene. Drake, an engineer who worked at RAND and elsewhere, didn't invent the sailboard, but he and a partner, Hoyle Schweitzer, perfected the design and got a patent for the Windsurfer. People in the sport call Drake the "father of modern windsurfing." Here's a 1967 film clip of test runs Drake made in Marina del Rey.



World of Windsurfing
Windsurf Press
LA Times obit


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