Robbert Das passed away on 18 May 2026 in the south of France, as announced by his daughter Monique. The graphic designer and illustrator shaped the image of YACHT for decades. To mark his 95th birthday in 2024, we published the following profile, which paid tribute to the work of this very special man:
The news hits like a bombshell: in 1952, the Dutch twin brothers Robbert and Rudolf Das are accused of espionage by the British press. The reason for this is the publication of detailed perspective drawings of the Royal Air Force’s new and top-secret fighter jet, the Vickers Supermarine Swift, in an international aviation magazine. The drawings of the turbine and weaponry are so incredibly precise that nothing other than treason can be assumed.
However, following a brief period of turmoil at government level, the brothers were able to prove that they had worked exclusively with publicly available information. Thanks to their advanced technical knowledge, they were able to resolve any unclear details. Nevertheless, they had to give a solemn promise “not to do anything like that again”.
Warships are painted on wallpaper
The twins were born in Haarlem in 1929. Their father, Henk Das, was a successful furniture and interior designer who recognised his sons’ talent for drawing at an early age. To keep the boys occupied during the dark days of the Second World War, he provided them with rolls of wallpaper on which they could let their creativity run wild. One would sit at one end, the other at the other, and in this way they worked their way towards the middle.
The brothers are fascinated by large warships, which they draw in pencil from various perspectives. This sparks a passion that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
After finishing school, the two decided not to follow in their father’s footsteps, but to train as pilots. However, due to Robbert’s slight vision problem, this idea had to be quickly shelved, and instead they set up a small technical illustration agency.
An espionage scandal as the starting point for his career
The scandal surrounding the British fighter jet and the resulting media attention mark the start of a brilliant career. Her talent for producing highly precise technical 3D drawings, some of which contain as yet unknown details, is suddenly in such high demand that she is inundated with requests.
But the Das brothers don’t just want to churn out commissions. They also design – even by today’s standards – visionary concepts for aeroplanes, ships and entire cities that seemed like science fiction at the time.
Even back in the 1960s, sustainability and clean energy were major concerns for the twins. Their first book, *View of the Future*, became a bestseller and led to new commissions from companies keen to have the brothers illustrate their own vision of the future. Some concepts, such as the ‘living hills’ – structures standing freely in the unspoilt countryside and designed to harmonise all aspects of living, working, care and recreation – were actually taken up and realised many years later.
Even on his wedding night, Robbert went sailing
Whilst Rudolf continues to specialise in architecture, Robbert becomes increasingly interested in sailing. He becomes a keen regatta sailor and takes part in the Fastnet Race on several occasions. Naturally, he designed his own boat, the ‘Ros Beiaard’.
“His urge to sail became so strong that he even sneaked out of the house at five o’clock in the morning on his wedding night to make it in time for the start of a race,” recounts artist Ludo van Well. “But he and his wife had a good marriage, and that remained the case until her death in 2020. She lived to be 101.”
Before that, it was considered impossible to test yachts
In 1965, Robbert Das and his mate Lex Pranger turned up at the YACHT editorial office in Hamburg and presented a programme they had developed with Delft University of Technology for testing sailing boats.
Until then, it had been considered impossible to test and compare yachts. Whilst Das presents sketches of testing equipment for measuring heel and speed, Pranger tries to make an impression with his steel-blue suit, yellow tie and an aura of irresistible charm. Despite initial scepticism, they convince the then editor-in-chief, and so, in the very same year, the very first YACHT test in the magazine’s history takes place. On the IJsselmeer, a Victoire 22 is put through its paces with seemingly miraculous instruments such as an electronic tow log, a heeling angle gauge and a stopwatch. The tests, which from this point onwards appeared every two weeks, were crowned with a 3D drawing of the respective boat by Robbert Das.
The new section quickly becomes so popular that circulation figures soar to unprecedented heights. Robbert is on board for many of the tests, both to get a feel for the boat and to make sketches, particularly of the cramped spaces that are difficult to photograph.
Accident during the first catamaran test
Harald Schwarzlose, who later became editor-in-chief, recalls: “Robbert was a special colleague who was a real gem to us, not only because of his talent but also because of his sense of humour!” With tears of laughter in his eyes, he recounts an episode that took place after a test in Schilksee: “Our crew decided on the spur of the moment to visit a venue in Kiel where, alongside striptease and cold drinks, there was also good food. We wanted to really let our hair down! Robbert was very taken with the ladies and suddenly disappeared. When, after a short pause, the stage curtain opened again to loud fanfare, there stood Robbert, clad in nothing but a pair of pink underpants, performing his antics. The room was in stitches. He was always up for a laugh!”
Events took a far more dramatic turn in the spring of 1968 in Medemblik, the Netherlands, when an English Iroquois-class cruising catamaran was due to be tested. Das, Pranger, Schwarzlose and another female editor set out onto the IJsselmeer despite a strong wind warning, even though none of them had any significant experience with twin-hulled boats at that point. Far out at sea, the boat capsized. The four testers had to leave the flooded cabin and take refuge on one of the floats, which lay just below the surface of the water, whilst the other rose high into the sky. They clung on to the trampoline. In the rain, cold and storm, the air chambers of the float prove to be leaking, causing it to sink slowly. The water rises first to their knees, then to their stomachs and finally to their chests. “We thought we were going to drown like rats,” recalls Schwarzlose.
Suddenly, a light aircraft appears; although it quickly disappears again, it has evidently called for help. This arrives in the form of a dredger, which pulls alongside the stricken catamaran and picks up the completely hypothermic survivors. With the catamaran in tow, the captain drops the crew off back in Medemblik. Even though the boat was a write-off, the test is eventually published, and the results contribute to the further development of the catamaran.
This is also a feature of historic ships
In the 1970s, Robbert moved to the south of France and worked on an assembly line. Like a simultaneous chess player, he was able to work on several drawings at once, jumping back and forth between them depending on a flash of inspiration or his mood.
In addition to his commissions for *YACHT* and the Dutch sailing magazine *Waterkampioen*, for which he mainly illustrates contemporary boats, he is also interested in all historic vessels that were technically innovative in their day or with which record-breaking voyages were achieved. Whether it is Columbus’s “Pinta”, the J-Class “Endeavour” or even the microboat “Vera Hugh”, in which Tom McNally crossed the Atlantic – he immortalises them all in his very own style.
His paintings capture the ships in a way that no computer programme can – they capture their very soul.
For his 3D views, which always offer a glimpse into the inner workings of the ships, he uses pencil, ink and watercolours for the colouring. His trick for illustrating even the smallest details is as simple as it is ingenious: he enlarges them without it being obvious to the viewer. He draws on whatever paper seems suitable or is currently to hand. If there isn’t enough space on a sheet, he simply sticks another piece of paper onto it with sticky tape. “His pictures show the ships in a way no computer programme can – with their soul. And you can also see the dedication with which Robbert has painted them.”
Rumours surrounding the Volvo Ocean Race
But the tech-savvy regatta sailor is also drawn to high-performance racing yachts that plough across the oceans. Even when he was denied access to the Dutch Volvo Ocean Racer ‘Black Betty’ in 2006, he refused to be deterred and promptly sketched the boat from the pier. The interior springs from his imagination and his understanding of the technology and construction of a racing yacht. Like a detective, he pinpoints the exact positions of the rudder, forestays and hull rivets, and puts everything into context. Here, too, the result comes astonishingly close to the original; only this time, he is not accused of espionage.
However, the rumour persists to this day that the then 77-year-old noticed some fiddling with the permitted ballast weight – without ever having been on board.
Visionary ideas become reality
However, Robbert Das’s artistic explorations of early seafaring also serve to help him understand technical developments and to venture a glimpse into the future. As early as 1972, he was drawing a sailing yacht with a swivel keel, and ten years later his spectacular designs for foiling racing yachts and rigid wing sails were published.
Although initially met with derision, many years later these ideas would play a key role in the design of today’s racing goats and would become an integral part of them. Once again, the illustrator proves himself to be a visionary.
Despite his penchant for technology and futuristic concepts, he detests the digital world. Das doesn’t own a computer, let alone a mobile phone or even a calculator.
The free spirit never gave a thought to making provisions for his old age, an oversight that was to come back to haunt him bitterly later on. The self-made Frenchman never paid into the Dutch pension fund and always relied on his art and the fees it brought in.
CAD programmes are driving this to the brink of ruin
But then something happened that even he hadn’t seen coming: computer-aided design (CAD) programmes, which allow 3D models to be produced very cheaply and quickly, rendered his drawing skills obsolete overnight. Robbert Das’s fortune begins to dwindle, and to his own amazement, he even outlives his kindred spirit of a brother, Rudolf, who passes away at the age of 91.
Today, Robbert Das lives a secluded life in a small village near Nice. His sole source of income comes from the sale of his old paintings and the book *Ocean Pioneers*, published by Dokmar, in which he pays tribute to the pioneering achievements of great sailors and their boats. In 2018, the Dutch Maritime Museum in Amsterdam decided to preserve Robbert Das’s legacy and recognise his art as part of Holland’s nautical cultural heritage. Dozens of paintings are purchased for this purpose and will be displayed in a special exhibition in 2024. He is also admitted as a member of the exclusive Association of Dutch Marine Painters.
At the ripe old age of 90, Robbert Das is proving – presumably for the last time – that he is still capable of transporting himself into other worlds. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he is travelling back in time once again to illustrate the ‘Caudicaria Navis’ for an art and replica project in Zeeland – a 1,800-year-old Roman coastal cargo sailing ship that plied the waters between Holland and Britain.
This picture, too, with its lovely warm colours, has something that no CAD programme will ever be able to produce: a soul.
Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama