In Geneva, Switzerland, an 8-meter sailing toilet is now running.
Among the participants was King Harald, captain of the boat “Sira”. He sails with a crew of six others.
After six out of ten flights, King Harald and his crew are currently 11th. There are a total of 24 teams competing in the tournament.
The win goes to the team that performed best after ten stages.
King Harald carried out his duties as king, while simultaneously training for this summer’s toilet tournament.
Photo: James Robinson Taylor
King Harald, who turned 85 in February, remained in training until the summer, in addition to carrying out his duties and functions as King of Norway.
During the spring, the King and his crew were training with Sera in the Oslovjord inland, Sven Geroldsen, assistant chief of communications at the royal court, told NRK. When it became known that the king would take part in the toilet.
Nor did a leg operation in January last year hinder the King’s participation in the World Cup.
– Geroldsen said the king is in good shape.
Former world champion
In Geneva, King Harald competes with boats representing a total of eight countries: Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Finland.
When King Harald and his crew aboard the Sera took an 8-meter water course in Germany four years ago, they took third place.
King Harald and his crew in the Serra finished third in their class when the 8m sailing course finished at Lake Constance in Germany in 2018.
Photo: FELIX KASTLE / DPA / NTB
Sailing is a sport in which the King has achieved many international achievements, and he can point to five medals in the waters: one gold, two silver, and two bronze. He is also a gold medalist in the European Championships.
He also represented Norway’s King Harald three times at the Olympic Games (1964, 1968 and 1972). His best Olympic result was eighth place in the 5.5m class.
The 8-meter toilet in Geneva is now scheduled to run from 25-30 July, depending on wind conditions.
King Harald started sailing early. Here he is with his mother, Princess Martha, in the summer of 1939, when the little prince was two and a half years old.
Photo: NTB
“The world’s most experienced sailors are 8 meters long”
King Harald is the honorary president of the International Sailing Federation as well as the International Sailing Federation of 8 meters.
According to the federation’s 8m website, it is the highest award that can be given to a person who has made a special contribution to the sport.
There, the king is described as “without a doubt the world’s most experienced sailor at 8 meters tall”.
“More than 80 years ago, in 1939, his father King Olaf took him aboard the 8-meter ‘Sira’, and that was the beginning of a deep, lifelong passion for sailing and the sea,” the association wrote, describing King Harald as a highly recognized and competitive sailor.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
