Gabriel Dantes writes a literary myth inspired by windsurfing

July 31, 2018 | Windsurfing
Gabriel Dantes: he blended windsurfing with soccer | Photo: Dantes Archive

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if windsurfing was as influential to the culture as soccer is?

Or have you ever read an amazing book like Harry Potter and wondered how great it would be if the main characters were windsurfers too?

In Gabriel Milano Dantes' fantasy book "The Love of Nessa and Kêlet," the author conceives that world.

In the publication, Kêlet, a beautiful violet-eyed noblewoman tells the story of her beloved Nessa, and how he became a world-famous windboarder - windsurfing, but with additional competitive rules - how they met, and what at last became of them in their love.

"The uniqueness of this book is that the main character is a famous windboarder, which is basically windsurfing, except the riders' goal is to throw a ball into a large net. Kind of like quidditch, but on the water," Dantes tells SurferToday.

Map of Yophea: Gabriel Dantes created a fantasy world for his book | Illustration: Dantes

The rigging and equipment of windboarding are identical to windsurfing, though with antiquated materials more similar to bamboo rather than foam or fiberglass.

The additional competitive rules include how the windboarders must throw a small ball into the large goal net. Thus, there are two teams with two goals on either side of a windy lake.

The wind current runs perpendicular to the direction of the players. If the wind changes direction significantly, then the goal docks are adjusted by large pulleys and gears.

The story is a delightful and dramatic reimagining of what windsurfing could be in a world not wholly unlike our own.

The Love of Nessa and Kêlet: a book by Gabriel Milano Dantes

"I believe out of all windsurfing literature, this is the one book that will actually be the most intriguing and gratifying for windsurfers to read," notes the author.

"The reason is that it provides for the first time a rich literary myth behind windsurfing. It provides an imaginative world of what windsurfing could be."

If you wish to get a copy of "The Love of Nessa and Kêlet," find Gabriel Dantes' book in Kickstarter and reserve a copy.

Discover the best windsurfing books of all time.

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