Robert "Rob" Douglas (born 1971) is an American professional sailor known for using a
kiteboard
Kiteboarding is a water-based, kite-powered sport
Kiteboarding may also refer to:
*Snowkiting, a snow based, kite powered sport
*Kite landboarding, a land based, kite powered sport using a four-wheeled board
See also
*Windsport
A windsport is ...
in
speed sailing
Speed sailing is the art of sailing a craft as fast as possible over a predetermined route, and having its overall or peak speed recorded and accredited by a regulatory body. The term usually refers to sailing on water, even though sailing on land ...
records attempts. In 2008 Douglas broke the world
speed sailing record
Speed sailing records are sanctioned, since 1972, by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). Records are measured either by average speed over a specified distance or by total distance traveled during a specified time interval. The three ...
on a kiteboard, hitting a top speed of 49.84
knots
A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines.
Knot may also refer to:
Places
* Knot, Nancowry, a village in India
Archaeology
* Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life.
* Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot
Arts, entertainmen ...
. Douglas again became the holder of the speed record in October 2010 when he was clocked at 55.65 knots.
Biography
Early years
Rob Douglas was born June 16, 1971 in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
,
, USA to a family which operated a sailing business.
["ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year Awards: Rob Douglas (USA),"]
International Sailing Federation, www.sailing.org/
Speed sailing record holder
In 2008, Douglas became the first person to set an outright world speed sailing record aboard a kite board, hitting a speed of 49.84 nautical miles per hour.
This record proved to be short-lived, however, as another kiteboarder soon broke Douglas's mark, topping the 50 knot sailing barrier for the first time.
Later in 2010 Douglas set three new American speed sailing records, being clocked at top speeds of 50.95, 51.88, and 52.58 knots.
Another new speed record was set by on October 28, 2010, at the
Lüderitz Speed Challenge
The Lüderitz Speed Challenge is an annual speed sailing event, held since 2007 in Lüderitz, Namibia, during the southern hemisphere spring. It is observed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) and the International Sailing Federati ...
in
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...
. On that date, in perfect conditions, Douglas was one of five kiteboarders to top the previous record held by a
trimaran
A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recrea ...
named ''
Hydroptère
''Hydroptère'' is a French experimental sailing hydrofoil trimaran imagined by the yachtman Éric Tabarly. The Hydroptère project was managed by Alain Thébault, the design done by naval architects VPLP design and the manufacturing by a grou ...
.''
Douglas was the fastest of the fivesome on that day, setting a new world mark of 55.65 knots (103.1 kilometres per hour).
Douglas used a
Cabrinha
Pete Cabrinha (born September 13, 1961 on Oahu, Hawaii) is an American big-wave surfer, windsurfer, kitesurfer and artist. He is the founder and brand manager of Cabrinha Kites.
Career Windsurfing
In 1985 he won the world wave sailing champ ...
Switchblade kite and a custom speed board. Douglas's record setting prowess led to him be nominated by the
International Sailing Federation
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
for its 2011
ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards The World Sailor of the Year Awards were launched in 1994 by World Sailing (formerly the International Sailing Federation) to reward individual sailors for outstanding achievements in the sport. The awards have been sponsored by Rolex
Rolex ...
.
In 2012, Douglas won the International Kitesurfing Association Speed World Championships in
Salin-de-Giraud
Salin-de-Giraud is a village located in the commune of Arles in Bouches-du-Rhône (canton Arles-Ouest), approximately 40 kilometers from the city center of Arles.
History
Salin-de-Giraud lies southeast of the Camargue delta, on the right bank ...
, France. In 2016, he defended his 2012 world speed title by winning the 2017 International Kitesurfing Association (IKA) Speed World Championships in
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes th ...
USA. In 2018 Douglas won his third speed sailing world crown by winning all 5 races and averaging over 50 knots in
Masirah Island
Masirah Island ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مَصِيْرَة, Jazīrat Maṣīrah), also referred to as Mazeira Island or ''Wilāyat Maṣīrah'' ( ar, وِلَايَة مَصِيْرَة), is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the ...
, Oman at the IKA world championships. In 2019 Douglas set another kite speed world record (his 3 world record) by sailing an average speed of 39.04 knots over the nautical mile in
La Palme
The Sieur de la Palme was the Governor of Plaisance (nowadays Placentia) in the New-France (french: Nouvelle-France) colony in Newfoundland from 1667 to 1670.
In 1667, the King of France, Louis XIV, learns of the irresponsible behaviour of th ...
, France.
Footnotes
External links
* (uploaded November 18, 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Rob
1971 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Boston
American kitesurfers
Male kitesurfers