we no longer require all of the counter- weight from the keel. You don’t need the maximum specified bulb weight or to push to the maximum cant angle. SH:What would the beam be on your ideal hull without the outrigger limitation? JK: It is a delicate question that I will not answer. But I can say the trend is to decrease beam as much as possible, both for reasons of drag and also the weight of the boat. SH: But it does seem that you are enjoying the rule!! JK: The design of an Imoca is a great challenge; it is a great matrix within which you play around with numerous variables. The rule is very interesting – if you used it as the foundation you could successfully extrapolate it for boats for the Volvo and even go further to extend it to the America’s Cup. It would be exceptional if the same base rule could be used for different boat sizes and other events. SH:What about scows? JK: The scow shape has been around for a long time, it’s nothing new. The Mini 6.50s began to explore the concept seven or eight years ago but the Imoca class wanted to restrict it. I do not really understand why, but they added a new rule that limits beam at 1m from the bow to a maximum of 1,120mm. I think we will all look at that limit in the new designs. SH:Do foil rake systems represent the greatest challenge in the Imoca class? JK: In the Imoca no, because they will continue to be Archimedean boats since the flight of the boat is very limited, practically
impossible in fact if the rudders do not have foils. So active control is not necessary – we will have simple hydraulic systems but noth- ing sophisticated, far from what was done in the America’s Cup catamarans. If the boat does not fly active control is not necessary… but when you fly then the story is different.
Olympic classes SH:You are a rare exception among boat designers who dare to stick their noses into the world of Olympic boats. Are you happy with your experience designing the Finn and the Star – all within one-design constraints? JK: Yes (laughs), easy question. Firstly for the results and secondly because for me the true Olympic classes are a challenge. Some of the new Olympic classes are a sort of lie. SH:Can you explain? JK: What World Sailing do with these new classes with a single manufacturer seems to me an absolute nonsense, it is a brake on development. With this policy there will be no more Paul Elvströms in the future. Great sportsmen who have been able to win medals using more than just their talent as sailors, who have been able to optimise their ‘mechanics’ (boat, sails, systems and so on), will no longer exist. They are closing this door. It seems to me
an aberration; plus with the manufacturer one-designs there is, as you know, an on - going dispute around European anti-trust laws. We will see what happens but it is a bad situation for the sport. Having said that, the Olympic classes really seem very interesting to me because
the level at which they sail is extremely high. Therefore the technical differences that one can provide must be carefully matched to how the sailor operates. The way the boats are sailed now the dynamic aspect is much greater than it once was, which takes you beyond the pure numerical simulations and other predictive tools that we use. You have to exercise your intuition, and
that fascinates me – it puts you to the test in a context where there is a lot to lose and little to gain. Making improvements in a class like the Star after so many years of development is very difficult and there is a big risk your design is at best no better than what is there already. SH: Juan, forgive me a little here, but you have always been a bit anti-establishment, you had problems with measurement rules in different classes. So are you comfortable working in something as restrictive as an Olympic class? JK: On the contrary, I take it as a compli- ment. I would say that more than anti- systems my spirit is anti-mediocrity. When the rules are clear and well executed they do not bother me; on the contrary, they motivate and excite me. What bothers me is when the rules have a mediocre character or are interpreted with mediocrity, in the sense of looking down on or blocking any attempt at innovation. The rigour of a rule does not worry me as
long as it is applied without politicking or mediocrity in management. It is a challenge. The rules never bother me – I have problems with humans, not rules!
w
Team Cloud Solution
Olympic Sailing Yacht Racing Class Events
SEAHORSE 47
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