38 years, 35-fold world champion – Björn Dunkerbeck definitely is an exceptional talent. No other athlete, no matter which sport, ever gained more world champion titles than he did, which means that he is the most successful professional sportsman ever. But one big goal is still pending: “To make 50 knots before somebody else does it.”

Mass and Class
Whoever stands in front of Björn Dunkerbeck faces a Viking: 1.91 in size and more than 100 kilos, with hands the size of an excavator shovel. The stubbles of a three-day beard flashing in the sun, blond hair that covers his forehead like the waves of the sea. Maybe it is his body that brought him the mass of titles. The stronger the wind, the higher the waves, the more Björn is in full cry. Then he riggs bigger sails than his competitors, surfs faster and jumps higher. 

But maybe it is also his strong will to win that has catapulted him into the front row. Whenever he shows up at a competition, he wants to win it. That counts not only for water sports – no matter if it is golf, go-kart or running – Björn Dunkerbeck wants to reign supreme.

The Surfing Dutchman
"Dunki“, as his friends and half of the surfing world call him, had had the basics of a globetrotter right from the cradle: Dutch mother, Danish father. Born in Denmark, he has a Dutch passport. Having been raised in Grand Canaria, he grew up in the whole world. He lived on the Canary Island since his sixth birthday. Here he spend most of his time. According to him, it is the Hawaii of Europe. His parents, also passionate surfers, moved from cold Denmark to the warm south of the Canary Islands to establish a surf-school. What could have become of the small, blond boy other than a world class surfer?

More than Talent
Nevertheless, to become the most successful windsurfer ever requires more than talent. “My mother herself was runner-up world champion in windsurfing. My sister Britt also has a considerable collection of world champion titles. By the age of 16 I had already spent several hours practicing on the water. You have to start early”, reveals Dunki. His parents, Ulla and Eugen, have supported him wherever possible. Nevertheless, he had to finish school. In 1986 he surfed the world cup for the first time. One year later, with only 17 years, he gains his first world cup title in San Francisco. “Fuck, he did it”, Robby Naish, surf legend, is reported to have cried afterwards.  

More successful than Michael Schumacher
Naish watched "el nino“, the small one, as they called Dunki back then, already in the 1980s when he surfed at the world class spot Pozo on Gran Canaria, and assumed that the boy he saw there would be a rival of special format for him. And indeed, the small one not only grew steadily, but fulfilled with the years what no one else did before him: twelve-fold world champion in all surf disciplines (overall-title) – and that in succession.

Not even Michael Schumacher, formula 1 prominence, managed to do that. Dunkerbeck has dominated the surf sport like no other and has lent him not only a face that will never be forgotten within the surf world, but also a sail signature that will last long before their eyes: E-11. Last year, however, Dunkerbeck changed his residence for Switzerland and since then SUI-11 covers his sail. Now Pozo on Gran Canaria is not longer his home spot, but Lake Silvaplana near St. Moritz with its famous thermal wind called "Maloja".

Today, more than twenty years after his debut as a professional windsurfer, he doesn’t join every race. Meanwhile, he prefers caring for his two kids, which he has with his wife Maria: daughter Alba and son Liam. On his trips round the globe, the three join him whenever possible.

Houses on Grand Canaria and Hawaii
Through the years, Dunkerbeck was able to gather a considerable fortune by means of sponsor fees and winners’ awards and afforded houses on Grand Canaria and Hawaii – a state that few professional surfers ever reach. How much the legendary Nutella ad really gained him is a secret, but that every child in Germany knows him ever since is an undisputable fact.

His board brand "Proof", which he owns together with Shaper Carlos Sosa and professional surfer Orjan Jensen, is another source of income for him, although he is not as successful with it as his former archrival Robby Naish, who also owns his own firm.

The Magic of Speed
What does a man, as successful as him, wish to gain on top? To break the magic 50 knots-line (92,6 km/H)! That’s the sonic barrier in speed sailing. Nobody managed to race as fast as that on top of the water without a motor, not even the gigantic high-tech trimaran racing yachts, which also chase this record. A world record over the distance of a nautical mile (1.852 meters) has already been established by Dunkerbeck in 2006, now it’s all about the crown discipline, which means 500 meters.

He fulfills the prerequisites for the high speed race on the windsurfer like no one else: a lot of weight, sufficient experience and high quality material. After several years of success with his sails sponsor, the number one in the sails line, Neil Pryde, Dunkerbeck changed for the strongest competitor, North Sails. The sails of this brand are currently the most successful material in the professional circus. Three times in a row, North Sails was able to win the Constructors' World Championship. Now Dunkerbeck first of all has to be in the right place at the right time.

1000 Flight Lessons
Nevertheless, he is still drawn by the breakers at Pozo. Movie-like jumps are then guaranteed for his fans. “I have completed at least 1000 flight lessons here”, declares the world champion with a broad smile. Björn Dunkerbeck has won here many times: “At least ten times. I don’t know the exact number.”

He takes it easy with regard to his project "The Search", in which Björn goes on expeditions with friends for several months. Fidji, Bali, Sumatra, Kaulapapa are just some of the stations he dreams of. “It’s really funny to be the first who surfs there.” The trips are filmed – another source of income.

Party, Rock Music and gigantic Steaks
To keep fit for the races, Dunkerbeck rides the board almost every day. If wind and wave won’t allow that, he rides his mountain-bike or lifts weights. After three days without windsurfing at the latest, he starts getting ungracious.

But Björn is also known for his unceasing mood for partying, his preference for rock music and oversized steaks. Although he didn’t go to school very long, the born Dane speaks seven languages – the result of years of travel round the globe.

How he keeps alive his pleasure for windsurfing after all these years of success? “It’s the way of life, the endorphins, the adrenalin”, says he. When Björn comes out of the water, his face tells a thousand stories. There is a constant reflection of the deep blue of the seas in his eyes, which whispers of the remote beaches of this earth. This shines through, although he has surfed around the globe twelve times in his life, according to his own calculations. 

When it’s about winning, Dunkerbeck shows a killer-instinct:
12 x PWA All-in-One World Champion (1988–1999)
12 x PWA Race World Champion (1988–1999)
7 x PWA Wave World Champion (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001)
1 x PWA Freestyle World Champion (1998)
1 x PWA Speed World Champion (1994)
1 x PWA Slalom World Champion (2005) –together with Micah Buzianis
1 x ISA Speed World Champion (2005)
2006: Minimum Speed for the nautical mile with 41,14 knots/76,19 km/h
2007: Minimum Speed Fehmarn-Round 2 hours, 54 minutes

Links
Website of Björn Dunkerbeck