Windsurfing business fights the waves in Honeydew

Windsurfing and Boating Africa is a business struggling against the financial tide, despite a windsurfing veteran as its owner.

Boudewijn Lampe (65) leads the business, many years after he led 25 South African windsurfing teams overseas as captain, and individually windsurfed at 15 world championships, reaching seventh best windsurfer in the world during his peak.

But this time round his ship is in a deep trough, so to speak.

“What you see now is the left-overs of a worldwide exporting windsurfing manufacturing business,” he says with a noticeable degree of disappointment.

Lampe explains that he previously owned a highly successful factory in Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, that he claims manufactured

22 000 windsurfing vessels, more than any other exporter in Africa.

In the ’90s the City of Johannesburg constructed a road to connect Barry Hertzog Avenue and Annet Road, which ran through his factory. Lampe was forced to relocate to the new premises.

He allegedly wrote letters to various officials in the government, asking for compensation but received no response. Lampe started again from scratch, losing a great deal of money and employees, and the new premises could not manufacture nearly as many vessels.

“My friends said I was wasting my time trying again,” he said. “This is part of business, to against all opposition believe in what you believe.”

Lampe grew up in the Netherlands, performing manual labour on his father’s 1819 Dutch Barge and worked his way through the sporting and business world.

Now he makes a handful of windsurfing vessels and refurbishes and repairs any kind of boat for an ever-decreasing client base.

He shows off his rescue boat called Do it, which he used to rescue sailors during competitions in years gone past – a scenario ironic of his situation now.

Details: Windsurfing and Boating Africa 083 793 7777.