His Majesty Crown Prince Haakon used to sail a lot in the Oslofjord and has been an active windsurfer from back in the 80’s. On this particular board The Crown Prince sailed Tuesday regattas in Asker Seilforening (the sailing club of Asker) and other local regattas.
Fun no matter the wind
The Crown Prince's surfboard, Mistral Competition SST, was launched in 1986. In the marketing material from back then, it is made clear that it also sails well under light wind conditions. Under the heading "Fun instead of frustration in light winds" it says: “Whilst the others sit around on the beach, active all-wind enthusiasts can have real fun with the new Competition SST”.
In the magazine “Askermagasinet” Crown Prince Haakon told in 2021 that it was nice to grow up in Asker. He went to school in Oslo, but sports tied him close to the local community. After a few years playing football, he started to surf in Asker Seilforening, “It was a good community” he said. The photo is taken in 1988. He is 15 years old.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing originally came from Hawaii and was introduced in Norway in the 70’s. Asker Seilforening was a factor in the early days and several world champions started their careers in the club, Anders Føyen and Jan Wanggaard amongst others. In the 80’s windsurfing became very popular, but the popularity abruptly sank in the 90’s. Windsurfing was almost about to die out. Around the turn of the millennium new designs with lightweight materials in both surfboard and sails were launched and again the popularity of the sport increased.
Artifact chosen by His Majesty Crown Prince Haakon