The Highlander is a large (20 foot
LOA
( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerate ...
) high performance
one-design racing dinghy
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
, also used for day sailing, popular in the United States. It was designed by
Gordon K. (Sandy) Douglass in 1949, to be a more comfortable alternative to the
''Thistle''.
[Douglass, Gordon K., "Sixty Years Behind the Mast: The Fox on the Water". McClain Printing Company. . pp. 231-34] The ''Highlander'' was the last boat built by the
Douglass & McLeod company. It was later built by Customflex Inc., and is currently built by Allen Boat Company. ''Highlander'' features an 88-pound
centerboard
A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised to ...
. The ''Highlander'' sails with a main, jib and spinnaker. With over 1000 boats built, the ''Highlander'' has gained reputation for being stable and secure. There are currently 14 racing fleets of ''Highlanders'' located in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Douglass'
''Flying Scot'' is known as the little sister to the ''Highlander''.
External links
Official class page
References
Dinghies
Sailboat types built by Douglass & McLeod
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