The earliest prototypes of a sailboard date back to the late 1950s. Californians Jim Drake (a sailor) and Hoyle Schweitzer (a surfer) received the first patent for a sailboard in 1968. They called their design a Windsurfer, and Schweitzer began mass-producing sailboards in the early 1970s. The sport quickly spread throughout North America, and by the late 1970s it had become widely popular in Europe. Its popularity soon spawned a thriving sailboard-manufacturing industry in Europe, one that has come to dominate the windsurfing market. The first world championship of windsurfing was held in 1973.
Windsurfing, as a sport and recreational activity, did not emerge until the latter half of the 20th century. Long before this modern moment, there were small scale sailing craft that have used wind as the driving force, many of them sourced to the Polynesians who have been riding the wind and waves for centuries. Early accounts suggest island peoples were undertaking day trips over oceans standing upright on a solid board with a vertical sail. In the early 19th Century, people in logging communities around western Lake Michigan were purportedly fixing sails to logs as part of log float control and for recreation.
Windsurfers are often classified as either shortboards or longboards. Longboards are usually longer than 3 meters, with a retractable daggerboard, and are optimized for lighter winds or course racing. Shortboards are less than 3 meters long and are designed for planing conditions. While windsurfing is possible under a wide range of wind conditions, most intermediate and advanced recreational windsurfers prefer to sail in conditions that allow for consistent planing with multi-purpose, not overly specialized, free-ride equipment. However modern windsurfing boards can be classified into many categories.
Professional World Titles are awarded for the overall winners from elite World Cup events around for Slalom, Wave and increasingly Foiling and Freestyle. Amateur World Titles come in many forms with many differences classes and disciplines of windsurfing equipment. The major titles include course raicing disciplines such as the original Windsurfer Class, the high speed long board Raceboard CLass, the faster shorter board Fprmula Class, and the Olympics that will use the new Windfoiling Class for France in 2024. Amateur world titles are also offered for highest speed racing known as slalom.