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JUAN K
Fotografije / Photos: Juan K design Nautor’s Swan Studio Borlenghi
JUAN KOUYOUMDJIAN
STRAST ZA BRZINOM / PASSION FOR SPEED
Od ranog djetinjstva jedrenje i more oblikovali su život i karijeru jednog od vodećih svjetskih pomorskih arhitekata. Argentinski genijalni um dizajnirao je osvajače olimpijskih zlata, pobjednike Volvo Ocean Racea i inovativne ClubSwanove jedrilice Since his early childhood, the life and career of one of the world's leading naval architects have been shaped by sailing and the sea. The Argentinian brilliant mind has designed not only yachts that have won Olympic gold medals and Volvo Ocean Races but also the innovative ClubSwan yachts
Juan Kouyoumdjian ili Juan K. strast prema nautici pretvorio je u profesiju. Nakon što je diplomirao na Sveučilištu Southampton u Engleskoj, počeo je raditi na brojnim jedriličarskim projektima, a 1997. godine osnovao je studio za dizajn. Danas je jedan od vodećih svjetskih pomorskih arhitekata čiji su brodovi osvojili dvije zlatne olimpijske medalje i tri legendarne regate, poput Volvo Ocean Racea, sudjelovali u šest kampanja za America's Cup te obarali brojne rekorde u offshore jedrenju. Rambler 88, ABN Amro I, Ericsson 4, Groupama 4 samo su neki projekti koji su proslavili argentinskog genijalca. Juan Kouyoumdjian dizajner je i ClubSwan jedrilica poput ClubSwana 36 na kojima se jedrila prva ClubSwan regata u Hrvatskoj – ClubSwan 36 ACI Cup, ClubSwana 50, ClubSwana 80 i gotovo 43 metra duge „zvijeri” – ClubSwana 125. Juan Kouyoumdjian, or Juan K, turned his passion for sailing into his profession. After graduating from the University of Southampton, England, he began working on numerous sailing projects, founding his own design studio in 1997. Today, he is one of the world's leading naval architects, whose yachts have won two Olympic gold medals and three legendary races, such as the Volvo Ocean Race, have participated in six America's Cup campaigns and have broken many offshore sailing records. Rambler 88, ABN Amro I, Ericsson 4, Groupama 4 are just some of the projects that made the name for this genius from Argentina. At the same time, Juan Kouyoumdjian is also the designer of the ClubSwan yachts: the ClubSwan 36, on which the first ClubSwan race in Croatia – the ClubSwan 36 ACI Cup – was sailed, the ClubSwan 50, the ClubSwan 80 and the almost 43-metre-long 'monster', the ClubSwan 125.
Od ranog djetinjstva jedrenje i more su poput vještog kipara oblikovali život i karijeru Juana Kouyoumdjiana. Odrastanje u Buenos Airesu obilježile su mu brojne offshore regate na kojima je jedrio sa svojim ocem. „Jedrenje je moja strast, a pomorski arhitekt oduvijek je bilo zanimanje kojim sam se želio baviti. Nikada nisam razmišljao o nečem drugom jer je plovidba jedno od posljednjih područja koje nam omogućuje da budemo slobodni na ovom planetu. Dizajniranje brodova, boravak na moru i sam doživljaj jedrenja omogućuje nam da zadržimo taj kontekst slobode koji svakim danom sve više gubimo i da ostanemo što više povezani sa slobodnim svijetom”, započeo je Juan Kouyoumdjian svoj strastveni ekspoze o jedrenju kao načinu života. Sa 17 godina nakon završenog prvog semestra na argentinskom tehnološkom institutu Juan je krenuo put Engleske, na ugledno Sveučilište u Southamptonu, gdje je nekoliko godina kasnije stekao diplomu inženjera. Budući da je praksu tijekom studija odradio kod legendarnog Philippea Brianda, dobio je priliku raditi na francuskom izazivaču za 29. izdanje America's From early childhood, the life and career of Juan Kouyoumdjian were shaped by sailing and the sea, as by a skilful sculptor. His growing up in Buenos Aires was marked by numerous offshore races, in which he sailed with his father. 'Sailing is my passion, and being a naval architect has always been a job I wanted to do. I have never considered anything else because sailing is one of the last domains that allow us to be free on this planet. Designing boats, being on the sea and the very experience of sailing allow us to preserve this context of freedom that is being lost more and more each day, and to stay connected as much as possible with the world of freedom,' Juan Kouyoumdjian begins his passionate account of sailing as a way of life. At the age of 17, after completing his first semester at the Argentinian Institute of Technology, Juan set sail to England, to the prestigious University of Southampton, where he earned an engineering degree a few years later. As he did his student practice with the legendary Philippe Briand, he was given the opportunity to work on the French challenger for the 29th
Cupa. Potom je još pet puta sudjelovao na projektima vezanima uz najvažniji jedriličarski trofej na svijetu. „America's Cup sam je vrh jedrenja. Traži posebnu vrstu energije, posvećenosti, kreativnosti i žrtve kako bi cijeli tim bio uspješan. Na početku karijere imao sam tri cilja. Pobijediti na olimpijskim igrama, što mi je uspjelo dva puta, zatim osvojiti regatu oko svijeta, što sam učinio tri puta, i slaviti na America's Cupu. Ovo posljednje još čekam…”
Kako biste opisali svoj pristup dizajniranju brodova?
„Dizajn brodova ples je između znanosti i umjetnosti jer je brod podložan aerodinamici i hidrodinamici. Ključ je uspostaviti ravnotežu između njih i transformirati u energiju kako bi jedrilica uspješno jedrila. Pronalaženje te ravnoteže umjetnost je pri dizajniranju brodova. Za razliku od tzv. komercijalnih brodova gdje je marketing edition of the America's Cup. He then participated five more times in projects related to the most important sailing trophy in the world. The America's Cup is the pinnacle of yachting. A special kind of energy, dedication, creativity and sacrifice is required to make the whole team successful. At the beginning of my career, I had three goals. To win the Olympics, which I have managed twice, to win the race around the world, which I have done three times, and to celebrate victory at the America's Cup. This last one I'm still waiting for...
How would you describe your approach to designing yachts?
Yacht design is a dance between science and art because a boat is subject to aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. The key is to strike a balance between them and transform them into energy so that the yacht can sail well. Finding that balance is an art in boat design. Unlike so-called mass-produced boats where marketing is, in many cases, more important than creativity and performance, competitive projects are the ones in which we can express ourselves the most, taking into account the rules of a class. We have great freedom of expression because, in many ways, what we are talking here are unique yacht specimens. In design, a great open-mindedness is needed, in which you try to change the rules of the game and come up with something new and radical. Computers can help here with some simulations, but the human factor remains crucial.
Dizajn brodova ples je između znanosti i umjetnosti u kojem pokušavate promijeniti pravila igre i smisliti nešto novo i radikalno. Yacht design is a dance between science and art, in which you try to change the rules of the game and come up with something new and radical.
u mnogo slučajeva važniji od kreativnosti i performansi, u natjecateljskim projektima možemo se najviše izraziti, vodeći računa o pravilima klase. Imamo veliku slobodu izražavanja jer je po mnogočemu riječ o jedinstvenim primjercima brodova. Za dizajn morate biti mentalno otvoreni, pokušavati promijeniti pravila igre te smisliti nešto novo i radikalno. Pritom računala mogu pomoći u nekim simulacijama, ali u dizajniranju je ljudski faktor i dalje presudan.”
Dizajnirali ste brodove za America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Vendée Globe. Kada biste trebali izabrati samo jedan projekt koji vas opisuje, koji bi to bio?
„ABN Amro I, pobjednik Volvo Ocean Racea 2005./2006. s velikom razlikom. Pred start regate bilo je je nepovjerenja jer se taj brod uvelike razlikovao od brodova Brucea Farra koji su dotad dominirali scenom. Imao je, primjerice, dva kormila. Osim toga bio sam vrlo blizak s timom i to je projekt koji mi je iznimno drag. Moram spomenuti i ClubSwan 125 nazvan Scorpio za koji nam je trebalo četiri godine da ga razvijemo.” You have designed boats for the America's Cup, Volvo Ocean
Race, Vendée Globe. If you had to choose just one project that best describes you, which would it be? 'ABN Amro I, the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race winner by a wide margin. Before the start of the race there was some mistrust because that boat was very different from the Bruce Farr yachts that had dominated the scene until then. It had, for example, twin rudders. Besides, I had a very close relationship with the team and it's a project I'm very fond of. I must also mention the ClubSwan 125, called Scorpio, which took us four years to develop.
What has changed in the world of sailing since you started your career?
'For me, sailing is like a giant canvas on which anyone can express their ideas. From classic classes, such as the Star, or radical America's Cup projects and the new IMOCA yachts, which, in my opinion, are the driving forces of technological development. There is also the development of foiling, which has begun to spread to all types of yachts. As you can see, design offers a sea of opportunities for both those who race and those who just want to sail. This diversity
Što se tijekom vaše karijere promijenilo u svijetu jedrenja? „Za mene je jedrenje poput golemog slikarskog platna na kojem svi mogu izražavati svoje ideje – od klasičnih klasa poput zvijezde ili radikalnih projekata za America's Cup i novih IMOCA brodova koji su, prema mom mišljenju, nosioci tehnološkog razvoja. Tu je i razvoj foilinga koji se počeo širiti u sve vrste brodova. Kao što vidite, u dizajnu je more prilika i za one koji lete i za one koji i dalje žele ploviti. Treba slaviti tu različitost jer ne postoji sport ili vještina koji su toliko otvoreni, plemeniti i zahtjevni kao jedrenje.”
Kada smo kod foilinga, ClubSwan 36, a potom i veći modeli poput ClubSwana 80 i 125 upotrebljavaju tzv. C-foil? „Nautor's Swan poseban je brend upravo zbog strasti za jedrenjem i inovacijama, a ClubSwan jedrilice predstavljaju inovativan put u jedrenju. ClubSwan 36 okretan je i brz poput sportskog automobila, a istodobno jednostavan za upravljanje pa i jedriličaru amateru omogućuje postizanje ekstremnih performansi. Izniman osjećaj surfanja brzinom od više od 20 čvorova u potpunoj sigurnosti treba doživjeti da biste povjerovali u moju tvrdnju. Veza između čovjeka i broda emocija je koja se prenosi putem kormila, a upravo u tom segmentu ClubSwan 36 pruža čaroliju.”
U svibnju 2020. prvi ste put posjetili Hrvatsku tijekom Europskog prvenstva u klasi zvijezda. Kakvi su vam dojmovi? „Puno prijatelja ispričalo mi je veoma lijepe stvari o hrvatskoj obali, no ono što sam vidio u Splitu nadmašilo je sva moja očekivanja. Grad koji živi uz more, mediteranski mentalitet, izvrsna gastronomija, a istodobno otvoren i strastven za jedrenje s vrhunskim uvjetima za regate. Koliko znam, u Splitu se nalazi i prvi svjetski ClubSwan 36 trening centar. Nadam se da ću imati još prilika uživati u jedrenju u Hrvatskoj.” should be celebrated because there are no sports or skills that are as open, noble and demanding as yachting.
Speaking of foiling, do the ClubSwan 36 and the larger models like the ClubSwan 80 and 125 use the so-called C-foil?
'Nautor's Swan is a special brand precisely because of its passion for sailing and innovation, and ClubSwan yachts represent an innovative course in sailing. The ClubSwan 36 is as agile and fast as a sports car, while also easy to steer, allowing even an amateur yachtsman to achieve excellent performance. You need to experience the extraordinary feeling of surfing at speeds of over 20 knots in complete safety in order to believe what I’ve said. The link between a person and a yacht is an emotion spread through the rudder, and it is in this aspect that the ClubSwan 36 creates magic.
May 2020 was the first time you visited Croatia, for the Star European Championship. What were your impressions? 'A lot of friends had told me very nice things about the Croatian coast, but what I saw in Split exceeded all my expectations. A city that lives by the sea, with its Mediterranean mindset and excellent cuisine, which is, at the same time, open to and passionate about sailing, offering perfect conditions for races. If I’m correct, the world's first ClubSwan 36 training centre is situated in Split. I hope that in the future I will have more opportunities to enjoy sailing in Croatia.
