Nic Douglass cannot remember learning to sail.

There was no single first lesson or moment when she discovered the sport. Sailing has simply always been part of her life, largely thanks to her father, Robert “Rob” Douglass.

“I genuinely don’t remember learning to sail. I have always sailed,” Nic said.

Rob, however, can remember some of those earliest outings.

“Nic was a passenger with me a few times on the Laser when she was very young,” Rob said.

“I remember a Marathon Race out of Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club when she was around five, which was probably her first real race.”

A highly accomplished sailor in his own right, Rob won the Manly Junior National Championship in 1973 and finished second at the Apprentice Laser World Championship in 1996.

However, it is the Tasar class where Rob and Nic built one of the most successful father-daughter partnerships in international sailing.

“I do remember learning to race, and that lesson continues every day,” Nic said.

Nic was just 11 when she contested her first Tasar World Championship with Rob in Melbourne, in a regatta where it blew 20 knots every day except the last.

“Apart from the fact that Nic was tiny, she was super functional, even when she was 11,” Rob said.

“That was just a strength and size thing. We first started doing well at the Port Lincoln Nationals, but it had started before that. I don’t know, it just happened and morphed into us getting better and better because we kept working at it.”

The pair sailed Tasars together continuously for more than 25 years, winning eight Australian Championships and three World Championships.

Their first world title came in Darwin in 2005, followed by another in Wakayama, Japan, in 2009. Ten years later, they returned to the top of the podium at Hayling Island in Great Britain, winning their third Tasar World Championship in 2019.

Tasar Worlds 2019

Their World Championship record also includes three second-place finishes, one of them decided on countback, and a third-place finish.

For Rob, their victory at Hayling Island stands above them all.

“Winning at Hayling Island is my proudest moment. It has to be that,” he said.

“It was all against us, and we did it with a race to spare.”

“We have travelled all over Australia and around the world to sail together,” Nic said.

“Winning three World Championships and eight Australian Championships is incredibly special, but it is all of the experiences around those results that mean the most.

“The road trips, packing boats into containers, solving problems, the people we have met and the adventures we have shared are all part of our story.”

Rob’s contribution to sailing extends well beyond his own results.

Across more than two decades with the NSW Tasar Association, he served in roles including measurer, race secretary, treasurer, vice president and president. A qualified National Race Officer, Rob is now Vice President of the VX One International Class Association and is working towards International Race Officer accreditation.

For Nic, he has also been a father, teammate, mentor, training partner and constant source of support.

Their partnership has evolved over the years, alongside Nic’s own extensive career in sailing.

Nic watching her father race Lasers aged 3 and 33

From the little girl sailing on her dad’s Laser, Nic became a three-time open World Champion and eight-time Australian Champion in the Tasar. She also forged a successful international match racing career, competing at the highest levels of the sport and securing multiple Grade 1 victories.

Her sailing experience has extended across a wide range of boats and disciplines, while her professional career has seen her become one of sailing’s most recognisable storytellers.

Through Sailor Girl and her work as a presenter, commentator and communications professional, Nic has covered the sport around the world while continuing to race whenever possible. She is also a Regional Judge working towards National Judge accreditation.

Nic’s contribution also extends beyond racing and media, with long-term volunteer roles across classes, clubs and regional sailing groups, advocacy for women and girls, and recognition through Australian Sailing and SheSails awards.

Through every stage, Rob has remained part of the journey.

“We have really been sailing together for 40 years and racing together for around 30, with 25 of those years continuously in the Tasar,” Rob said.

While the pair no longer sail Tasars as regularly as they once did, they have never stopped sailing together.

They now race aboard the VX One Dollop, joined by a third crew member, most regularly Garth Bickford or Josh Griffith. In August, Rob, Nic and Josh successfully defended their VX One division title at Airlie Beach Race Week, proving the father-daughter combination remains as competitive as ever.

“We still love racing together,” Nic said.

“After more than 25 years in the Tasar, being able to move into another class, keep learning and continue sharing those experiences with Dad is really special.

“We are both incredibly competitive, but we also have a lot of fun. To still be sailing and winning, sometimes, together after all these years is something I never take for granted.”

Their story reflects the inspiration behind Play Like a Girl Australia’s inaugural Like Father, Like Daughter Father’s Day celebrations, celebrating the influence fathers, father figures and allies can have in empowering women and girls through sport.

Across sailing, that influence can be seen in countless forms. It is found in the dads towing boats across the country, helping in the boat park, volunteering at clubs, coaching from the shore and encouraging their daughters to keep going.

For Nic, it is found in a lifetime spent sailing alongside Rob.

“I would not be the sailor or the person I am today without Dad,” Nic said.

“He never treated me differently because I was his daughter or because I was a girl. In fact, I did not really notice a difference until I moved to Sydney for university and suddenly girls and boys seemed much more separate.

“We were a team, and he always backed me to work hard, make the best decisions and be the best sailor I could be.

“I feel incredibly lucky that sailing has given us so much time together. We have achieved some amazing things, but the greatest part is that we have done it with family and extended our family beyond the people on the boat.”

Rob’s advice to other fathers is simple: give children the opportunity to find their own way.

“Wait and see,” he said. “I have three girls. One is Nic, one sometimes sails and the other doesn’t sail at all.

“Don’t put any pressure on them. You will be stunned at how much enjoyment you can get from sharing and learning with your kids, whether they are boys or girls.”

This Father’s Day, SheSails celebrates Rob and Nic Douglass, and all the fathers and father figures helping women and girls find their confidence, community and potential through sailing.

Words by Amelia Smith