STILL HUNGRY
The truth is Monty Spindler’s career spans almost the entire history of the sport. And it’s a fascinating tale. Because that time served has seen him developing some of the earliest ever equipment alongside windsurfing co-inventor Newman S. Darby, right through to still being on the cutting edge of modern sail design via more titles and alongside all the main legends (Naish, Winner et al. and countless record breakers) for many of the main brands’ lofts.
But this wise American’s not just the longest-standing designer in the sport, but also a fascinating example of how someone so ‘time-served’ is still so active on the water, in touch with the highest levels of performance, in love with the simple act of speeding across the water and testing at a high standard with his core R&D team in Tarifa. There have been other illustrious designers – many of whom Monty has learned from – that have retired or moved on, but few would have the energy levels and simple desire to sail and sail better everyday as he has. ‘I’ve been fortunate to work with many of the very best windsurfers in the world. It’s been a pleasure and, along the way, I learned a lot’ he reflects.
It might sound strange, but although race-winning and record-breaking sails are super technical, like a true artisan, Monty still loves to design and prototype by hand when making his patterns – even though the same figures eventually come out of the most modern Computer Aided Design (CAD) plotters in the mass production facilities. ‘The truth is I’m a little bored of looking after numbers in a computer. I like real scale and I like flexing sticks and I like feeling what I’m making’ is his view. Although Spindler can and has used the most sophisticated CAD systems, his point is that ‘everything ultimately is determined by the quality of data going into the process’. Although Loftsails’ manufacturing procedures are still automated and consistent in terms of manufacturing process, he simply prefers to illustrate profiles and determine the calculations eventually input into the machinery manually. And why not? This keeps him in touch with the original feel his apprenticeship gave him, which translates directly into the unique sensations his sails seem to provide their plaudits.
According to Monty, ‘the real craft in windsurfing sail design is to manage to optimize them [design parameters] and come up with designs that have the largest possible wind range and best possible performance – and that’s a craft, when you consider all those parameters and all those ideas being generated, it’s a full-time fascination for me. I do what I do. I try to find curves that animate rigs.’ Spindler’s love affair and life’s ‘work with the wind’ began early with success in sailing boats at junior and college level in his native United States. You can visit the Loftsails website to see in depth details of his credentials, but, when you’re talking to a man with over 30 years experience, it’s hard to argue that a machine can do a better job.