Captain Charles M. Kithcart
The Americas Cup is the oldest sailing race in the world and is seen as the ultimate prize in sailing. Happening every 4 years, the Americas Cup features the fastest and most high tech boats in the world. Before 2013, Americas Cup sailboats were traditional monohulls (one hull) that were designed to sit deep in the water. They were heavy boats. This all changed in 2013 when hydrofoiling boats were introduced to high tech sailing. These boats had carbon fiber “wings” that would go into the water, and lift the rest of the boat above the surface when they moved fast enough. This made the boats faster, lighter, and more durable. This totally changed the sport of sailing.
Despite being born in North Carolina, Maritime Captain Charles M. Kithcart was raised in Maryland, Ohio, and Iran. His already international life sparked him to serve in the Marines, which started his lifelong passion for the water. Later, he was a member of the 1992 Americas Cup winning team on the America, where they won a best of 7 races. 3 years later, Kithcart served as project manager for the Age of Russia Challenge effort for the 1995 Americas Cup, a project that brought sailboat, Age of Russia, to the tournament. Following the success of this project, Kithcart was named Vice Commodore of the St. Petersburg Russia yacht club for the 1995-96 term.
Later, Charles Kithcart sailed all the way around the globe several times on research expeditions as an oceanic researcher. Currently, He is the CEO of African Diaspora Maritime (ADM), a Baltimore based non-profit and sailing team that seeks to integrate more black sailors in a white dominated sport. ADM has a mission to both make history and teach history by introducing the extraordinary yet unsung legacy of the black mariner and the complex math and science behind America’s Cup hi-tech sailing. The non-profit teaches yachting, math, and science to young people, aiming to increase Black participation in high-tech sailing.
Charles Kithcart inspires me because he creates opportunities for black sailors to train at a high level without any bias. The sport of sailing has a very small population of black athletes participating, and it often does not have to do with the skill level of the sailors. For example, Kithcart was denied a position at Golden Gate Yacht Club because of the color of his skin. He is determined to limit these interactions that happen too often with his company, ADM. Kithcart is shaping an inclusive, diverse, and innovative sport, where Black sailors are no longer a rarity.
By Jake Koss
Links:
https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2022/10/21/african-diaspora-maritime-and-the-americas-cup/
https://blueplanettimes.com/not-exactly-black-and-white/