Winds of Change
Legendary waterman Robby Naish on corporate freedom, rediscovering his windsurfing roots and riding life’s next wave.
story by Todd A. Vines
photographs by Erik Aeder
Late-morning trades sweep across Hoʻokipa Beach Park as sails flash against the whitecaps. Maui’s Robby Naish steps from the sand to the sea, board under his arm, grin easy and familiar. For him, it’s still about the wind.
For half a century, the name Naish has been synonymous with wind, waves and water sport. He began his extraordinary career in 1976, claiming his first world windsurfing title at age 13. He went on to secure 24 world championships across multiple disciplines and cement his place as the sport’s most influential figure.
When kiteboarding emerged in the late 1990s, Naish embraced it, leveraging his expertise to design groundbreaking equipment and propel the sport to global prominence. He did the same for stand-up paddling, and again for wing foiling, which combines an inflatable wing with a hydrofoil board to glide above the water.
Time and again, Naish has chosen to harness the wind rather than hide from it. Now, at 62, the air around him is again in motion. Having sold his company, he’s reflective, free and back to the element that started it all.
LESS STRESS, MORE STOKE
“As you get older, your outlook on life changes – at least mine did,” said Naish, fresh off a session at Keoneʻōʻio Bay (La Perouse), reflecting on life after business.
Naish, who has called Maui home since 1987, founded Naish Sails Hawaii (later Naish International) in 1994. He began by making sails for windsurfing, then expanded into kiteboarding and stand-up paddling. The hard-charging athlete became a pioneer in designing gear that pushed the limits of what riders could do on water.
“The goal wasn’t to get as big as possible or to make as much money as possible,” he said. “It was to make stuff that was fun, that we enjoyed – and if we could make money doing it, great.”
After nearly three decades of running the brand, Naish realized the business had begun to define him more than the ocean did. In 2023, Naish sold the company to Dutch-based Kubus Sports, its largest distributor, while retaining the rights to his name and brand.
“I started stressing over things that never used to bother me,” he said. “The fun and games, the design, the graphics, the testing – I loved all that. But the business side of business was dragging me down. It wasn’t healthy, and I needed to pull the plug.”
Naish still consults with the company, tests prototypes and joins the occasional board meeting, but his routine now runs on salt and trade winds, not spreadsheets.
“The sale has had a huge impact on my demeanor and health,” he said. “I’m back to enjoying the sports. My outlook and purpose are back to what they were when I was 16.”
Naish has inspired and mentored generations of riders, including Maui’s Kai Lenny, who carry his legacy and influence into new disciplines around the world.
PRODIGY OF THE WIND
Naish grew up on Oʻahu, the son of surfer and board-shaper Rick Naish. He surfed, skimboarded and sailed Hobie Cats across Kailua Bay until, in 1974, locals introduced windsurfing to the North Shore. The 11-year-old was instantly hooked.
“When I started riding, there was only one windsurfer – ‘the Windsurfer,’ ” he said. “It was like if there was only one car – ‘the car.’ You could only get one board, one sail, one mast, one boom. That’s what it was.”
Hawaiʻi soon became a windsurfing mecca. Naish trained daily, won local contests, then nationals in California, and finally the 1976 world championship in the Bahamas. The 13-year-old phenom stunned the sport with his fluid control and fearless speed, becoming the youngest world champion in history.
He defended his title three more years – Sardinia (1977), Cancun (1978) and Florida (1979) – then dominated the 1980s and ’90s. When kiteboarding arrived, Naish again led the charge, winning world titles in slalom (1998) and in both slalom and jumping (1999).
By the time he left competition, Naish had racked up more than 150 victories. He was inducted into the Professional Windsurfers Association Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Hawai‘i Waterman Hall of Fame in 2019 – honors that confirmed his place among the greats.
NORTH SHORE NOTABILITY
Competition first brought Naish to Maui. After turning pro in 1981, he began entering events on the Valley Isle.
“Some of the first pro events in the sport were over here,” he said. “As the equipment got better and the level got higher, you needed more wind, so the sport polarized to places that were consistently windy.”
He found Maui’s North Shore – especially the blue water fronting Hoʻokipa Beach Park – offered the perfect laboratory for innovation. The combination of steady trades and powerful surf allowed him to develop his revolutionary style, and he soon made Maui home, settling in Haʻikū.
“That stretch between the airport, Kanahā, Spreckelsville and Hoʻokipa became the focal point for the sport – not only professionally but for anyone wanting to ride.”
Maui became the stage for many of Naish’s greatest victories and the global epicenter of windsurfing. His mastery of Hoʻokipa’s challenging waves earned worldwide attention.
“I know the lineup so well it’s really an unfair advantage,” he said with a grin. “I could surf it with my eyes closed.”
The annual Aloha Classic at Hoʻokipa – held each October or November and often called the Super Bowl of windsurfing – became the sport’s premier event, with Naish often winning before hometown crowds.
“Millions of eyes were looking at Maui because of its connection to windsurfing, kiting, stand-up paddling and wing foiling – all of which we started here,” he said. “These sports have spread everywhere, but in the early years, Maui was the focus.”
As an ambassador of wind and wave, Naish has inspired generations of riders and mentored many through his brand’s programs – Maui’s Kai Lenny among them. Over the years, Naish has quietly mentored a generation of riders – from windsurfers and kiters to foilers – many of whom now carry his influence into new disciplines around the world. His giveback spans from global to local: he’s a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which promotes sport as a force for good, and he often visits the Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center to sail with kids whose boards still bear his name.
At 13, Naish became the youngest windsurfing world champion in history by winning the 1976 title in the Bahamas. Over the course of his career, he’s claimed more than 150 victories.
HOME AT HOʻOKIPA
Though Naish has always embraced change, he’s found renewed joy in the sport that started it all. He’s back windsurfing nearly every windy day at Hoʻokipa.
“Whenever a new sport comes in, I tend to really get into it,” he said. “I’ll grow it, push it, have fun reinventing myself. But the things I have passion for always cycle back. Windsurfing has come full on – I’m having a blast again.”
The future doesn’t seem to concern him much. The day’s forecast does. Ask Robby Naish what’s next, and he just smiles.
“I’m more of a dreamer than a goal-setter.”
Naish’s acrobatics may not be as radical as they once were, but he’s still swift across the water – and his life on land has found its own rhythm.
“[I’m] not doing crazy things. Carving out a healthy path. I’m enjoying life a bit more. I’m spending more time with family. I’m trying to be a different person in terms of how I view the universe around me, and the appreciation for how lucky I am.”
To younger riders watching from shore, Naish remains proof that mastery isn’t about conquering the elements but learning to move with them.
As the wind rises along Maui’s North Shore, Naish glances toward the whitecaps. For a man who has built his life on motion, standing still has never held much appeal.
Though his competitive and business days have passed, Naish can still be seen in the wind at Hoʻokipa – a living reminder that the spirit of the sport is timeless.
Aside from his achievements on the water, he ran Naish International, a brand known for pioneering sails, boards and equipment for water sports, for nearly three decades. After selling it in 2023, his new routine runs on salt and wind instead of spreadsheets.
