Started in 1897 in the Netherlands. The Sneek (castle logo) was founded by Douwe Gaastra and this logo became synonymous with the worlds top water-sport brands. Starting in the 1970's Gaastra was the leading windsurfing brand in the market providing high quality and top end performance products. Combining this with leading designers as well as professional team riders, Gaastra has been one of the biggest players in the windsurfing industry for the last 15 years.