Invented by the inimitable and colourful Maui based windsurfing legend Josh Stone the vulcan was the very first new school aerial freestyle move, and is the foundation for many of its follow on tricks, such as the spock.
Essentially a vulcan is an upwind aerial with a mid-air sail transition. Landing backwards, switch stance, the rider then aims to slide tail first before sheeting in and switching feet. Although there may have been incarnations of the trick prior it was Josh that took it to the technical level we now associate it and added a touch of style.
Leading on from the vulcan Josh also pushed further and before long was making the full 360 – now called the spock – as well as willy skippers and a bunch of other transitions. Even though Stone is a noted wave sailor – his local spot being Ho’okipa, Maui – he’s widely regarded as the godfather of modern freestyle and helped spawn a movement that’s still popular today.
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