Børge, the paternal figure who founded the yard in 1967 is still very present. He is a talented designer and craftsman who fell in love with trimarans when he temporarily immigrated to Canada. Today Jens sits less than 15 feet away from where his father worked at the historic Skærbæk headquarters. He praises, as much as I think he admires, his father’s «old school» side of woodworking. He likes the school of empiricism, of the intimate knowledge of materials, of their resistance, of these countless experiments which, successful or failed, helped to forge a conviction. Confronted with theory, with the academic knowledge of talented architects, each one learns from the other to obtain the best possible final result. Making a success of a multihull is complicated, Jens admits. You have to combine rigorous discipline, impeccable technique, attractive design, and solidity. You’d almost think that he was talking about a symphony orchestra. It’s a metaphor that would not be lost on his teacher, Dick Newick, and his favorite skipper Tom Follet, whose magnificent Rogue Wave remains a landmark for Jens.
Conducting is a little like his job today. It’s not so long ago that there were only three of them in the office. Just ten years ago. But that was not sustainable. Now it’s a matter of making sure that all the functions are well coordinated so that the company of about fifty employees can run smoothly. Or rather, play fair. Of course, Jens always has his head in the projects, his nose in development. The door of his office opens onto the workshops, and no boat is delivered without his own quality inspection. Finally, there would have to be a compelling reason for him to miss the slightest sea trial, be it technical or commercial, whatever the weather.
A developer is a developer at heart. He likes nothing more than bringing design and function together. The best illustration of this is the float folding system, designed in 1989 with his father. It took three years to develop, but since then the concept has remained the same, only necessitating slight adaptations for larger yachts such as the Dragonfly 40. He tested this last model during the last summer vacation. At Quorning, business and family life are intimately linked. And there is nothing better than a few weeks with family and friends to really test the boats, even though he knows every detail from the bottom of the daggerboard to the masthead.
Of course, in over 50 years, everything has changed. And at the same time everything is still respected. The hangars have gotten bigger, but there is no bigheadedness. It is still only possible to build three models at the same time, and there are only four in the range. The price reflects the very high quality that they strive to achieve. And it is a sine qua non condition for survival in the shipyards. Denmark is on the podium of wage costs in Europe. So as a shrewd manager and visionary heir, Jens is ploughing his own imperturbable furrow. At the Quorning company, success remains discreet despite the fact that more than 100 models have been sold. There is no question of compromise. Excellence is part of their DNA, and they always have an ear and a smile for the customer. Because on a multihull in general, and on a Dragonfly in particular «there’s no need for a speedometer, just measure the width of the helmsman’s smile! « Jens confides to us with a great burst of laughter. All these smiles, all these extraordinary encounters over the years are his best memories. Jens is a real enthusiast: he admits that he would do anything to go out on an Ultim trimaran. So now you know!
