Innovations   In the early days, many innovative sailors adapted their standard Windsurfers to the environments in which they lived. This allowed them to sail in high winds, in the waves or even on ice. Innovations like the harness, foot straps, high-performance sail designs and board designs, coupled with new stronger and lighter materials enabled sailors to sail longer, harder, and in more extreme conditions.   It was becoming clear, even within the first ten years of the sport, that locations like Hawaii with its high winds, would demand innovations to handle these conditions. It wasn't long before modified equipment designed to handle both high winds and wave riding was being attached to surfboards and smaller sailboards, and an entirely new sport emerged.   Windsurfers were now able to sail out through larger line-ups and access waves that had previously been inaccessible. The foot strap allowed windsurfers to interact with speed, air and surf. Today, the use of foot straps has crossed over into surfing. Surfers use them to stay connected to their boards and for control in big waves at high speeds. And the ability to surf larger waves has led to tow-in surfing, on even larger waves. Foot straps and the harness also made kite sailing possible. Both were huge innovations in allowing windsurfers, surfers and kite boarders to challenge their abilities.