To be honest there is a large selection of snow and road racers at Inocean too.  The ones who spend their lunch breaks eagerly discussing oxygen absorption, carbon rims for their bike tires or the nuances of the art of waxing skis, depending on the season. But at a neighbouring table sits a different group. They're more concerned about whether wind velocities will be sufficient for planing and reports of five-foot breakers at Saltstein.

It's windy

"I'm one of the latter," admits John Namork (photo below), managing director of Inocean Engineering. He glances at the penants fluttering hard on the flagpoles at Aker Brygge, the harbour area where Inocean is headquartered.  "That means that there's good sailing at Drøbak and Larkollen," he explains.  Windsurfers and kiters are constantly aware of wind conditions. When whitecaps are visible right outside office windows, surfboards can be more enticing than keyboards.

Inocean's true elements

Namork kites in the winter and in the summer he combines kiting with windsurfing. "Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against endurance sports. On the contrary, it's brilliant that people stay in good shape. But now and then I think it is to much focus on executives who are exercising four times a day and maintaining 20 pairs of cross-country skis in their garages.  Personally I think it's pretty cool being part of a company where so many of the staff have hobbies relating to the sea, waves and wind. These pastimes are more playful and action-packed," he says with a grin. "And of course these are Inocean's true elements."

I am out of office today

Jonas Rekstad (photo left)) is another of the windsurfers in the company. "If you checked you'd detect a close correlation between wind speeds on the fjord and when I choose to take my comp times off from work," he says. "It wasn't totally out of the blue when my workmates gave me a trapeze for my 40th birthday recently. I can't complain of being overlooked or misunderstood." Jonas explains that his summer vacation this year will be on Grand Canary Island together with his family. The great windsurfing spots there might have had some influence on their holiday choice.

Hoping for some good breakers

"I started surfing right after graduating from the Skiing High School," explains Jorunn Seglem (photo - surfing big wave).  "The top surfing spots I've been to are Last Stop, Guru, Meemu and Jailbreak in the Maldives. Bakio in northern Spain is another favourite. Unfortunately these sites aren't so readily accessible. But some that I can get to more easily are here in Norway: Hemnesstranden and the Molo at Karmøy, Kvassheim at Jæren and Ervika at Stadt. I'm hoping for some good breakers at Stadt and Jæren this summer," she says. 

PS: In addition to windsurfers, kiters and wave surfers, Inocean also has its share of regular yachtsmen and the company has its own First 40.7 class sailboat.