I’ve known timwalsh__ my whole life, in fact, we’ve been connected since before we were born, just as twinkles in our fathers’ eyes. My dad was one of the few windsurfers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during the ’70s. One day, while windsurfing in the bay, he spotted a boat with a windsurfer on it. Curious, he rode over, showed off a few cool moves, and met the family on board. They didn’t quite know how to use the windsurfer, so my dad taught the young boy, Des, on the boat, how to set it up and ride. Fast forward 30 years to Maui, I was at Kite Beach, still learning to kite surf with my brother and dad, when a bearded man approached us and asked, ‘Joel Richman, is that you?’ It was Des Walsh, the boy from the boat, who had become the head of R&D at Naish Kiteboarding. When I got sponsored by Naish, Des was also the team manager. Over the years, Des has helped me grow into the person I am today. He’s known for being the nicest and coolest person alive in any situation. His son, Tim, h...