Kurt's role
Date of Birth: September 3, 1960
Birthplace: Oakland, Calif.
Nationality: American
Position: Engineer, structural design and analysis
Given a choice, Kurt Jordan would rather spend his time on the water than at his computer. That’s hardly surprising; the grass is always greener on the other side. But it’s the consequences that deter Jordan.
“Most days I’d choose the water if someone else could do my computer work and I wasn’t farther behind when I returned,” says Kurt.
A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Kurt learned how to sail on the bay with his family and later graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Most of his time is spent is running computer simulations via finite element methods, but he has worked on many projects utilizing composite materials in the marine, transportation, architectural and power industries.
Jordan came to the America’s Cup community in 1992 as an engineer for a carbon-fiber mast making company. It was at a time in Cup history when carbon-fiber was first introduced as a building material, and Jordan’s background with composites in the transportation industry gave him a good knowledge base entering a new industry.
ORACLE Racing represents Jordan’s third effort in multihull design. Previously he worked with the maxi catamaran PlayStation and also was a member of the Alinghi design team for the 33rd Cup in 2010. He’s been a member of four different Cup team and won the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007.
Career Highlights
2010: Joins ORACLE Racing
33rd America’s Cup, Alinghi, runner-up
2007: 32nd America’s Cup, Alinghi, winner
2003: Louis Vuitton Cup, OneWorld, semifinalist
2000: Louis Vuitton Cup, America True
1995: Citizen Cup Defense Trials, Young America, finalist