Designer of 'Alinghi'
Swiss Americas Cup 2003 winner

Nationality: Dutch
Date of birth: 25 December 1946
Status: Married to Dorit with two children, Julian & Alexander
Position: Architect

"I've always sailed. At university, I raced Finns and Yole OK etc . . . Becoming a naval architect was a logical step. I started out doing the odd job here and there for a local sail loft, designing their sails and helping them to develop their models. Then I studied mechanical engineering before going on to study naval architecture in Delft. Around 1974 I met Eckart Wagner who owned North Germany. I'm Dutch but lived in Germany for 25 years. Thanks to Eckart I began sailing bigger boats. He invited me to sail his Half Tonner, through which I met Doug Peterson, a turning point in my career.

Over the next few years I must've spent at least ten weeks a year sailing. It's really important to sail if you're going to be a good naval architect. It helps you understand the way the hull moves through the waves, all about heel, etc... It was an extraordinary time in my life but also one of great responsibility. I was in charge of designing the hull, over-seeing the build, recruiting the crew and finally the helm. I set up a firm of architects along with Friedrich Judel. We very soon became one of the biggest firms in Europe, probably the best counterpart to Farr.

Since then, I've designed hundreds of sailing boats, I don't know exactly how many.

What I like best of all about this business, is the continuity. I'm proud of the success my designs have had. But I really get a kick out of the relationship of trust, which has developed over the years with certain owners. In fact, whilst having a great design is essential to winning, it's not enough. Success is all about a human relationship built with an owner or a team, then an exchange with crew. That's how things move forward."

Rolf Vrolijk is one of the designers most in the public eye at the moment.

Amongst others, he designed Bravo España for the 2000 edition of the America's Cup, a boat that many believed to be the fastest in the fleet. He also designed several 60 footers for recent Whitbread.