Solo Racing Festival 2010 - Simon Rogers Profile

“I blame my father, Jeremy Rogers for permitting me to use tools at around 18 months and allowing me to help build real boats! Although at the time it was hard for others to believe, I was an accomplished boat builder by the time I was 18 years old, having worked alongside him during every available free hour at Contessa Yachts. 

My father is also a highly accomplished international yachtsman and he believed, through racing, that this was the ideal way to innovate and improve his yachts. As a result of this, I was privileged enough to be fully immersed in racing at the highest level and took part in many of his high profile campaigns such the Admirals Cup, One Ton Cup and Sardinia Cup amongst many others. It’s not difficult to see where the roots of my passion originated from!”
 
Following formal design training at the world renowned Southampton Institute, Simon worked in the studios of well known designers on racing projects such as the Whitbread yacht - Rothmans, and numerous IOR racing projects. It was this ‘total immersion’ that provided Simon with a solid platform to launch his own design company and in 1990 with his soon to be wife – Reb, they launched Rogers Yacht Design.
 
20 years hence and that same passion and commitment still lies at the heart of Rogers Yacht Design. The company can boast an eclectic portfolio which unbeknown to many includes innovative marine products and commercial vessels. However RYD is best known for its high profile performance race boats that include Open 60s, IRC racing machines and arguably the most competitive Class 40 yacht available today –The Rogers Class 40. ‘Outside the box thinking’ at RYD is common place, not only from a pure and obvious design perspective but also through the cross fertilisation of ideas, inspiration and technologies, well beyond the marine industry.
 
Simon has been a member of the RORC Main Committee, RORC Special Regulations and Technical Committee for nearly 15 years and more recently, an adviser to IMOCA Open 60 class. Forums have also been part of his repertoire, the most recent being a panellist at The World Yacht Racing Forum held in Monaco last December and last month the opening guest speaker at the IRC Forum in Hamburg, Germany.
 
Simon is now delighted to have been invited to talk at this year’s Solo Festival and present ‘The thinking behind the Rogers Class 40 MkII’.