Today’s largest sailing superyachts are so much a world unto themselves that they lead a sort of independent and supra-national existence. The name of Argentine-born designer Juan Kouyoumdjian (an ancestor was Armenian) may be best known in Ireland for his direct creative connection to George David’s Rambler 88. But in terms of big boat development, Rambler 88 is now history and small with it, while of late Juan K has been working in conjunction with Kinsale-based designer Rob Doyle on some decidedly large-scale projects.
In fact, they’re on such scale at 54 metres LOA that it’s difficult to grasp their size, particularly when you know they’re going to step just one cloud-piercing mast which will be well north of 130 metres in height. That will inevitably restrict their cruising areas, as there are many major sea-channel-spanning bridges which they won’t be able to pass under. But at the moment, there seems to be something of an arms race in the top stratum of sailing superyachts to have the boat which can list the largest number of non-negotiable bridges. So as far as the Argo 54 is concerned, that’s all right then.
His design decisions affect budgets of many millions – Rob Doyle at work in his Kinsale office
The beautifully-made aluminium hull was launched last week in the heart of Dutch suburbia, and with consummate skill was negotiated down a canal seemingly no wider than the River Dodder in Dublin, until more open water was reached and the voyage to the completion yard in Greece could get under way.
The new Argo 54 hull afloat for the first time. The locations of some of the leading Dutch boat-building facilities can be surprisingly suburban – can you imagine coming upon something like this in the middle of Sandymount?
As we said, it’s not so much international as supra-nationals, and at next week’s METS in Amsterdam, the movers and shakers in this extremely rarefied world will be getting together to negotiate superyacht deals for sums significantly larger than the GNP of some of the smaller Polynesian island nations. And in the midst of it all, there’ll be Kinsale brains and talent at work, moving way-out dreams along the first steps towards reality.
“Meanwhile, right beside Sandymount Green…..” No matter how you look at her, the Argo 54 is a serious biggie
