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The boat that just won't die

Fazisi, a boat unlike any the whitbread race had ever seen, has always faced challenges. designer vlad murnikov reflects on the life of the legend and how, even battered by a hurricane and plundered by thieves, you can never count the old girl out..

As it often happens these days, the news came through Facebook. The striking hull of a maxi yacht, massive yet graceful, laying on top of the salvage barge, looking very sad with all the deck gear stripped, hatches torn apart, stanchions and pulpits bent, yet looking hauntingly beautiful even in this distressed state. 

For a moment I lost my breath. It was  Fazisi , my dear boat bound for the scrapyard. Mine, not in the sense of the ownership, but the boat that I had conceived, designed and led in a famous race around the world. 

I knew that  Fazisi  was caught in Hurricane Irma in September. She was thrown ashore on one of the Florida Keys some 500 yards from deep water, miraculously undamaged with her rig, keel and rudder intact. Her owners were unable to come up with the money for a rescue operation and left her lying there for four months. Local squatters stripped off the deck hardware and anything of value.

Eventually the boat was picked up off the beach by one of the salvage companies contracted to do the post-hurricane clean-up and ended up on that barge sailing into what appeared to be her last sunset.

First there was a dream

Fazisi  came to life during the dramatic times of the Soviet Union collapse. In the mid-1980s I was an architect, part-time yacht designer and amateur sailor living in Moscow. I had big dreams of sailing the ocean, of racing in the greatest event in the sailing sport, the Whitbread Round the World Race, but I always thought of them as wild, impossible dreams. In the real world I was bound, just like all my fellow Soviet citizens, to live an ordinary and boring strictly regulated life.

But then Gorbachev came to power and things started to change. With little hope of success, I decided to take a leap of faith and launched the  Fazisi  project, trying to seize on the very first opportunity presented by Perestroika. Initially, when I shared my ambitious Whitbread plans with my sailing friends, most found the idea monumentally stupid, even dangerous. That was the reaction I had anticipated, but, surprisingly, a few of them showed encouragement, if not a commitment yet. 

Had I come up with such an idea just a couple years earlier no one would have even listened to me. There was definitely something in the air, brought by the winds of change blowing over Russia that made people start to think differently. We had realized that government control over our lives was easing, that there was a chance, however slim, that for the first time we might get away with a crazy idea like that. It was not very long before we found ourselves moving full speed ahead on a wild roller coaster ride chasing the dream. 

In a country that knew little about sailing and even less about entrepreneurship, I was able, in a short span of just 

two years, to put together a design team and create arguably the most innovative maxi yacht ever, a remarkable 83-foot beauty, to assemble the team of enthusiasts to run the project, build the boat and eventually sail her in the 1989-1990 Whitbread. 

Ours proved to be a turbulent voyage, on the high seas and ashore alike, with incredible ups and downs. We found initial sponsorship in the Soviet Union, enough to launch the project, but not sufficient to complete it. We started boat construction, but it progressed so painstakingly slow, mired by the Soviet inefficiencies, frequent lack of materials and inexperience in boatbuilding, it soon became obvious we were losing the race against time. 

And then, as the hull construction was nearing the end, a civil war broke out in Georgia on the Black Sea where we were building our boat, putting the entire venture in jeopardy.

A flight to freedom

And yet, just a few weeks later, we pulled off an impossible feat, arriving at London’s Heathrow airport to a hero’s welcome aboard a huge cargo plane. As soon as a Ruslan AN-124, the aircraft that brought our entire crew along with the unfinished hull (83 feet long and 20 feet wide) to England, finally came to a rest, its door was unsealed, and a crowd of journalists noisily climbed into the cargo hold. Blinded by camera flashes, confronted by the 

microphones and video cameras pointed in our faces, we felt cornered and overwhelmed by the first tidal wave of publicity. As the media circus continued, the plane’s crew worked quietly behind the scenes to unload the boat. As I stood there on the tarmac, taking in the view of the Heathrow’s hustle and bustle, it suddenly hit me: Yes, we’d made it, we’d managed to escape. 

On an adjoining runway, the supersonic Concorde jet was taxiing after landing. At some point it rolled behind our yacht and lined up with the Ruslan. As if by command, the armada of photographers tripped their shutters; the magnificent sight certainly deserved it.  Fazisi ’s exotic profile emerging from the womb of a Russian cargo plane, the elegant Concorde gliding through the gentle English twilight, the bright-red hammer and sickle on Ruslan’s tail, the British Airways logo emblazoned on the Concorde’s fuselage, all in one glorious shot. Perestroika summed up in a single photo.

At that moment I was both elated and torn by grave doubts. Yes, we’d made it that far, but we were way behind the schedule; it was hard to imagine we could ever make it to the start. 

The  Fazisi  crew performed a miracle. Working around the clock, we completed construction and launched the boat just a few days before the race began. We won the race against time and now anticipated a glorious voyage with strong wind in our sails. We hit the jackpot by landing big-name sponsorship from Pepsi Cola—in the form of a check personally delivered by Dennis Conner—for the pre-start period with the option to cover the entire race. On top of that, American sailor Skip Novak, an experienced Whitbread veteran, joined our team as co-skipper. The great joint venture was born. 

Fazisi-Pepsi without Pepsi

The morning I steered  Fazisi  toward the start line of the Whitbread Round the World Race was absolutely glorious. Jam-packed with spectator yachts of all sizes and shapes, press boats and cruise ships, chartered for the occasion by wealthy sponsors, the Solent was shimmering under the bright blue sky. Puffy, white clouds moved swiftly overhead, pushed by a fresh breeze. At least a dozen helicopters hovered above us. The start of the Whitbread turned out to be a great spectacle, and we were part of it. My great dream had come true. At the gun a magnificent yacht named Fazisi-Pepsi charged across the starting line with both Soviet and American flags waving proudly off her transom to the cheer of thousands of spectators. It was a jubilant start, but what only a few insiders knew was that the team was completely broke. 

 Anticipating a backlash in America for supporting the Soviets, Pepsi’s corporate executives in the last minute chose not to execute the option to continue the company’s sponsorship. It could’ve been a great marketing move for Pepsi, but its decision to withdraw support almost sank everything. In the end we prevailed and completed the race, in the process proving Pepsi’s marketing fears wrong when a few months later  Fazisi  arrived at the Whitbread stopover in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to the warmest American welcome.

But that came much later. And as  Fazisi  took the start and sailed away under a spinnaker with a giant Pepsi logo nobody knew how far we might go without any money.

Triumph and tragedy 

Improbably, the untried boat with an inexperienced crew finished the first leg in Punta-del-Este, Uruguay, in sixth place in a  fleet of 23 boats, beating most of the world’s best competitors. Considering that London bookies took 100-to-1 bets that we would never even make the start of the race, this was a major success.  We became international news overnight. 

 A few days later  Fazisi  made front-page news again after Russian skipper Aleksei Grishenko was found dead. The fight against never ending obstacles under enormous pressure and no respite in sight proved too much for him. He took his life, leaving a rambling note that explained nothing.  

The tragedy almost ended our journey. But perhaps the thing Russians are most capable of is to unite in the face of tragedy. Deeply shaken and terrified, we somehow summoned our last reserves of energy to continue the journey over the world’s oceans with Novak at the helm. 

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Maxi Farr Yacht design 82 Longobarda

• Reference ID 394
• Builder MAXI
• Model IOR Racer
• Farr Yacht design
• Location Portugal
• L.O.A. (mtr) 24.19
• Beam (mtr) 6.53
• Draft (mtr) 4.2
• Displacement (Kg) 44906
• Material Fiberglass / Composite
• Engine Volvo Penta

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Yacht description.

Longobarda  was a breakthrough IOR maxi that set a new standard in the class during 1989 until the early 1990s. She was the product of a successful combination of Bruce Farr design talent, SAI Ambrosini (Italy) build quality and a no-expense-spared budget, courtesy of her owner, Italian yachtsman Gianni Varasi (who had previously owned Raul Gardini's earlier yacht,  Il Moro di Venezia II ).

Now refitted into a fast performance cruiser

Complete refit:

Complete new paint interior/exterior:

• Topsides in Lamborghini Grigio Antares Titanium
• Deck in light gray awlgrip nonskid
• Hull completely stripped and faired, new antifouling
• New Interior with White/Gray/Carbon Black theme throughout

New Instrument Package w/ SailSteer and Race Start with fully integrated tablet/smartphone navigational control system: -new B&G H5000 CPU -new B&G Zeus Chartplotter w/SailSteer -new B&G Navigation Autopilot system -new B&G 4G Radar -new B&G ForwardScan Sonar -new B&G WiFi system -new gimballed radar pole mounted windvane & anenometer -redundant B&G Hercules 2000 ocean racing package with complete set deck & mast racing displays with new Masthead carbon 3 m Wand w/ wind vane & anenometer Updated deck plan for shorthanded sailing: -Fully integrated Lewmar Commander hydraulic winch system w/ grinder backup -Self tacking Jib track incorporating jib or staysail if desired Updated Interchangeable Sail Plan allowing for shorthandex sailing or racing: -Furling Headsail -Quick release Staysail -Masthead Furling Asymmetric ready -New SS bracketed Park Ave boom with lazyjack system allowing for quick dispatching of mainsail -New Bowthruster -New Liferaft Maintenance/Replaced: -New gel-mat low maintenance battery banks -Mast unstepped, completely serviced, painting in black awlgrip, all new sheaves and Hardware -All deck Hardware serviced including: -all winches runners and cars bearings replaced -windlass serviced -Navtec Sail Trim Hydraulic Rams all rebuilt -New Navtec hydraulic control panel -New Running Rigging with dyneema

Updated Interchangeable Sail Plan allowing for shorthandex sailing or racing:

• Furling Headsail
• Quick release Staysail
• Masthead Furling Asymmetric ready
• New SS bracketed Park Ave boom with lazyjack system allowing for quick dispatching of mainsail
• Mast unstepped, completely serviced, painting in black awlgrip, all new sheaves and Hardware
• Navtec Sail Trim Hydraulic Rams all rebuilt
• New Navtec hydraulic control panel
• New Running Rigging with dyneema

Accommodations

• 3 Owner's Stateroom Forward
• Captain & Crew Aft
• 3 Head & Shower setup

Layout moving aft:

• Forward Owner's area sleeping 6 in staterooms with convertible main salon race week accommodations for an additional 4
• Master cabin fwd w/ queen bed, separate head & shower
• 2 double bunk cabins forward w/shared head & shower
• Main salon with seating for 12 guests in port and starboard setttees with carbon fibre tables (converts to 2 queen berths for raceweek accommodations)
• new flat screens tv port and stbd with surround stereo
• seperate head & shower

Aft Sleeping quarters accommodating up to 10 for a total boat capacity of 20:

• Captain's cabin port w/chart table instruments & navigation
• 2 double bunks and one single for crew
• 6 convertible bunks for additional race week accommodations

Galley stbd w/ new custom electric SS range

• microwave, 24V fridge/freezer
• separate shore power 220V Fridge
• ample storage and counter space for professional meal prep

Deck and Cockpit

Updated deck plan for shorthanded sailing:

• Fully integrated Lewmar Commander hydraulic winch system w/ grinder backup
• Self tacking Jib track incorporating jib or staysail if desired
• All deck Hardware serviced including: all winches runners and cars bearings replaced
• Windlass serviced
• Aft cockpit retractavle bimini shade
• Convertible cockpit w/ seating for 12
• New gel-mat low maintenance battery banks, 7x 2017 Mastervolt 225amp
• Inverter Mastervolt 24/2000
• Generator Kohler 24kva, 553 hours
• Bowthruster electric New retractable 24V Max Power.
• Electric bilge pump 4x
• Bilge alarm 
• Bowthruster battery 2018 2x Exide 50Ah
• Battery charger Waeco 24/25, Mastervolt 24/100
• DVD player Sony DVP-SR760H, Speakers in saloon
• Life raft container 2x Life guard 6 p (2004)
• Last life raft survey exp: 04-2018 04-2015
• Safety harness 6x
• Lifebuoy, Danbuoy 
• Safety lines on deck 
• Fenders 
• Mooring lines 
• Fire extinguisher 3x 6 kg. Latest extinguisher survey exp 04-2018

Electronics and Navigational Gear

New Instrument Package w/ SailSteer and Race Start with fully integrated tablet/smartphone navigational control system:

• new B&G H5000 CPU 
• new B&G Zeus Chartplotter w/SailSteer
• new B&G Navigation Autopilot system 
• new B&G 4G Radar 
• new B&G ForwardScan Sonar 
• new B&G WiFi system
• new gimballed radar pole mounted windvane & anenometer
• redundant B&G Hercules 2000 ocean racing package with complete set deck & mast racing displays with new Masthead carbon 3 m Wand w/ wind vane & anenometer 
• Anchor Delta, Anchor chain galvanized
• Sea railing wire Stainless steel stanchions
• Pushpit stainless steel, Pulpit 
• TV 2x Philips 32" flat screen

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

Contact Details

• Name Site Broker | Racing-Yachts.com
• Email [email protected]
• Phone +31 (0)320 746046
• Instagram -

Design № 207

MAXI "LONGOBARDA"

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RACE RESULTS

FARR MAGAZINE

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AMERICA'S CUP

24.19 m/79.0 ft

19.98 m/65.60 ft

6.53 m/21.30 ft

2.50 m/8.20 ft

44,906 Kg/99,000 Lbs

27.94 m/91.67 ft

9.10 m/29.86 ft

24.89 m/81.66 ft

8.90 m/29.20 ft

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Description

Farr Yacht Design

100 Severn Avenue, Suite 101

Annapolis, MD 21403

©  2018

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Maxi Racing to the Max

• By Kimball Livingston
• February 21, 2023

Maxi racing in the Med is hot. Call it a lesson in the value of getting your act together. The game has grown and changed dramatically—and deliberately—with fleets of 50 as the new normal. Ten years ago, none of this was ensured. The secretary general of the International Maxi Association, Andrew McIrvine, tells us, “Rapid change was needed, or it was going to just die.”

How it didn’t “just die” is a story worth telling, and we lean on McIrvine for that. “The International Maxi Association was originally a social club for the owners of 80-footers. That generation was going out as I was invited in,” he says. “The racing had categories that were impossible to define, so people were always gaming it. What’s a racer-cruiser versus a cruiser-racer? And could we ever have effective class splits based on hull length?”

The answer to that, as proven, is no he says. “The categories are now performance-defined, using a single-number IRC rule that includes an accurate weight measurement, not a calculated weight. We photograph the interiors so we know who’s stripping them out. The database includes 155 boats, and it has checks on people who fly too close to the rules. That gives other people the confidence to come out and race.”

The 2023 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge offers a series of six events, wrapping up in August with the Palermo-Montecarlo Race. That’s 500 miles from Sicily to the Champagne at Yacht Club de Monaco—not to forget the fly-through gate at Porto Cervo along the way and the option of leaving Corsica to port or to starboard. It’s a sporty race in a sporty calendar.

“I truly believe the IMA has made a difference. We’ve attracted a new, younger membership. We’ve added events, and the compass has expanded from the Med to the Caribbean . Whereas we used to have a big mini-maxi contingent and not many boats 80 to 100 feet, in 2022 we suddenly had 12 of the 80- to 100-foot maxis racing, and racing on proper terms. At least two of the current owners are building new boats, which I believe is the sign of a healthy class.

“Then there are the Maxi 72s that have all been modified outside the box they were designed for, but they still race together. They’re more optimized than the other boats, so no one outside their group wants to race against them—they’re a threat—but we can usually give them their own sandbox to play in.”’

And what of the Wallys that seems to have disappeared?

“We gave that up. Wallys come in different sizes, different speeds. I can’t think of a single case of twin Wallys. Now they’ve rejoined according to their ratings, and I think, frankly, the Wally era is over. Luca Bassani’s success with Wallys is such that all designers have copied his concept. When he started, big race boats were neither ergonomic nor pretty, and the decks were bristling with winches. If you go aboard any boat now, it looks like a Wally.

“You could also go the way of Rambler and Comanche, where you pay more and more money to be more and more uncomfortable. Down below, you’re sitting in a carbon-black hole (black because paint adds weight) beside an engine that runs to power the canting keel and the winches. On deck—and it’s true with the Maxi 72s—you find they are exhausting boats to sail because they’re fast upwind at steep angles only. They’re on the edges of the hull to keep the wetted surface to a minimum. The hulls are so wide at the stern, all the crew is hiked hard at the aft end of the boat. And then, in a tack, you’re going from 45 degrees to 45 degrees, and if you don’t get it right running across the deck, you’re in trouble. On a clean deck, there’s nothing to grab on to.”

Placing itself somewhere in between the extremes of the grand-prix set and the ­leaning cruisers, Nautor has a new ClubSwan 80 it’s touting as a one-design class. Loro Piana brought Hull No. 1 to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup last year at Porto Cervo, and the boat performed well. Weighing the odds of developing a successful one-design, it’s worth remembering that the ClubSwan 50 had its skeptics, who were proven wrong. But the 80 is a take-no-prisoners statement. It’s a major turn for a company whose classic racing events feature boats with furniture. Now we’re talking all carbon with a canting keel, a tacking daggerboard, push-button controls, twin rudders, design by Juan K, and construction in Italy by Persico—very fashion-forward. I’m sure you had a look at that boat.

“It’s a fascinating project, and it looks extreme, but it has, theoretically, cruising potential,” McIrvine says. “Inside, it’s all black carbon—artfully crafted—accented with strips of mahogany veneer. No furniture, but you have the option of adding interior modules for cruising. And we shouldn’t overlook the carbon-fiber bidet in the owner’s head.”

Clearly, Nautor thinks the IMA has a good thing going, and it wants a bigger piece of it. Beyond rational class definitions, one very important thing is resonating, McIrvine says. The owners are driving.

“Our rule is critical, and we are strict about imposing it, with rest breaks allowed,” he says. “Generally, it takes a lifetime to amass the wealth to race a big boat. By the end of a day race, most owners are exhausted. Which is not to say that amateur drivers are on their own. An astonishing number of names you know show up to whisper, ‘A little higher, sir, a little lower.’ That keeps the standards high, and it’s a reminder that being a pro sailor is a dodgy profession. There are only 10 TP52s in the Med, for example, only nine SailGP teams in the world and five America’s Cup teams. However, we don’t restrict driving in the superyacht group at all.”

The other boat debuting at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was FlyingNikka , which raised the concern of foiling monohulls threatening the order. “ Nikka showed that she can sail in the fleet safely, so at St. Tropez we put her in a class where her rating was absurd. The boat would do 35 knots in the right conditions, but they couldn’t keep her on foils going upwind. Tacks were agonizingly slow. What Roberto Lacorte is looking for is line honors in longer races.”

The venues where maxis can and now gather are also a draw. The Caribbean was the inevitable expansion opportunity beyond the Med, where it’s obvious that people like to go to St. Tropez, Capri, Sorrento, Giraglia and so on. Neither coast of the United States can accommodate such a fleet.

“Water depth is a huge challenge for race committees,” McIrvine says. “A lot of the Bay of Naples is 1,200 to 1,500 feet deep. Off St. Tropez it’s much, much deeper. We’re using MarkSetBot, which is promising. It’s not 100 percent reliable, but an upside beyond remote control is that you can’t wrap your keel around an anchor line because there is no anchor line [on a GPS‑directed robot mark].

“Our people are selective about where they choose to race. One owner told me it costs him $750,000 to take his boat, team and containers to Porto Cervo for five days. No one wants to spend that kind of money on a badly run regatta, so it’s a conservative bunch.

“The IMA has a small board of directors backed up by a dynamic, insightful team. IMA costs are supported by membership subscription except for Rolex, which has been fantastic. When I started with the IMA, the Rolex people told me, ‘We’ve been giving you money, but your people just put it in the bank.’ I said, ‘I’m sure I can fix that,’ and I have. There is a lot of travel now, a much more glam yearbook, a lot of publicity. About half the boats racing last year were flying the IMA flag.”

So, everything is coming up roses? “There are still supply-chain issues around securing building materials. Outside of maxi racing, the 30- to 40-foot range is falling off a cliff, except for shorthanded distance racing. Looking ahead, we still don’t know if we are in a recession or a hiccup, but in previous recessions, maxi racing has gone on, looking good for two or three years longer than you might expect. Then the boats stay on the dock.”

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Frers design: The family dynasty behind some of the world’s most beautiful yachts

• December 2, 2019

Germán Frers and his son Mani are among the most popular and revered yacht designers of their era. Tim Jeffery finds out what makes them tick

Photo: Luca Butto

It was the economist J K Galbraith who said that there was “no absolute standard of beauty. That,” he added, “is precisely what makes its pursuit so interesting.” That interest in the pursuit of beauty is something that Germán Frers and his son Mani have spent their working lives striving to attain. In the process they have created some of the most revered yachts and are among the most admired designers of their era.

“It’s a gift in a way,” says Germán about the felicitous lines that mark out a Frers design. The essence of his work is in the emotion-stirring aesthetics. “It comes naturally,” he says. “But it’s also a belief I have that design should transcend generations. It’s easy to do something fashionable, something that has momentary success but doesn’t last very long.”

Mani tells the story of being in St Tropez last year when his father was racing Fjord III , the classic 50ft yacht built in 1947. “He said: ‘Come and see this boat. It was one I really loved as a kid’. So I arrived in St Tropez and it was full of white classic yachts. I didn’t know where Fjord was but I picked this one boat out straightaway. So there is some sort of connection. It was the first time I thought there might be something in genes and inheritance.”

Photo: Nico Martinez

Just as one line – the sheer – can define a boat, so it connects Germán and Mani. “I discussed sheer lines with my father and we see things exactly the same way. Yet he never taught me that. As a kid I was simply picking up a pencil and was in the design office every day, surrounded by photos of beautiful yachts and hearing all sorts of stories at the dinner table at home. There are plenty of guys in the office yet no one picks up the sheer that my father and I can draw.”

And how they can draw. Both Frers are responsible for some of the world’s most desirable yachts and Germán, now 76, has no thoughts of winding down. “I am not planning to retire,” he says, adding that he might “go gaga” if he did. “I’ve really enjoyed my profession and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.” Besides, the demand for his work is undiminished, particularly from clients of his own generation.

Mani is similarly committed to his craft. “We don’t realise the time it takes because we love what we do,” he says. “Then there is having the eye for it. We can work on a boat, review it, say it fits the brief but decide it is not the complete package. So we – how do you say it? – pull our sleeves up and do it again.”

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Mani and Germán now work less together: they are so close that they don’t need to. Across three generations the Frers family has been responsible for 1,300 designs. When Germán Sr was Germán Jr, his father was already a prolific designer in Argentina.

Back in the 1920s his father designed his first yacht, Fjord . Yachting was a nascent sport in Argentina, based mostly on imported International Rule inspired boats from the US or UK. Fjord was a Colin Archer style heavy double-ender, and it was Germán Sr’s idea of a proper yacht for ocean voyaging.

He later explored how plywood could be utilised, coming to similar conclusions as Ricus van de Stadt, Dutch boatbuilding pioneer. “He ended up drawing long waterline, hard chine, light displacement types,” explains Mani. “That was a huge step.”

Swan cruiser-racers

The influence of his grandfather and father is manifest: “My father took over my grandfather’s mantle and made beautiful, fast boats of every size. To keep this tradition and rate of development you have to go at an intense rate. But this must be done from a very solid base.”

The Frers name came to international notice in 1954 when one of his designs, the 40ft Trucha 11 came 2nd overall in the Bermuda Race. A string of successes followed for a series of Frers-designed and owned yachts with the name Fjord .

His son was equally drawn to design and at just 16 drafted his first boat. It was for a friend of his father who had returned to Argentina from the US excited about the new material glass fibre. “He wanted a design and my father said: ‘I’ll let Germán Jr do it. Just go ahead’.”

Shamanna , a Frers Nautor Swan 115. Photo: Kurt Arrigo

The 10m yawl was launched in 1958 and represented the younger Germán’s ideals: flush deck, clean lines, aerodynamic with a rounded deck-edge. It represented a big step away from the light, chined boats his father was drawing which, though popular, were not treated kindly by the CCA (Cruising Club of America) rule, which evolved into the IOR (International Offshore) rule.

The younger Frers studied naval architecture at the University of Buenos Aires and then worked at Sparkman & Stephens in the United States from 1965 to 1968. The ability to fashion a beautiful yacht that was optimised to a rating was something that Frers honed while working at S&S before setting up on his own in Manhattan.

In time, Frers returned to Buenos Aires to run the studio his father started back in 1925. The 1971 and 1973 yachts Matrero and Reculta were making names for themselves in the Argentine Admiral’s Cup teams and the son was now established in his own right.

The stunning lines and high performance of Barong D make her a formidable sight. Photo: Kurt Arrigo

By the mid-1980s he had become one of the most successful designers of the IOR era. The yacht names still resonate – Ron Amey’s Noryema , Ted Turner’s Tenacious King Juan Carlos’s Bribon – to name but a few.

Frers’s name was synonymous with success on the maxi circuit from the early days of Herbert van Karajan’s Helisar a, through to Bevin Koeppel’s Congere , John Kahlbetzer’s Bumblebee , Huey Long’s Ondine , Bill Koch’s Matador , Raul Gardini’s Il Moro di Venezia and Jim Kilroy’s Kialoa . One of his most famous designs was Conny van Rietschoten’s Flyer II , which won the 1981-82 Whitbread Round the World Race .

In the late 1980s Mani came to England to complete the renowned yacht design course at the Southampton Institute. After graduating in 1992, he went to Milan, where his father had opened a second office to service the 1992 Il Moro di Venezia America’s Cup  campaign. Germán had been travelling monthly from Argentina but with Mani now in Italy he could remain mostly in Buenos Aires. This is largely how father and son have worked for the past 20 years.

Prada/Luna Rossa

The different generations have different working practices as well as different offices. Germán has a long-standing and close-knit team, including designer Nestor Fourcade, who has been with him for 42 years. Mani, by contrast, uses a global network of 40-plus specialists, relationships built up especially during his time as designer, with his father, in 2000 with the Prada/Luna Rossa America’s Cup campaign and as sole designer in 2003 and 2007 for Sweden’s Victory Challenge. In an age when corporate teams had taken over, Mani was probably the last named solo designer.

Each has a different way of working, too. Germán is close to his team in Buenos Aires –“It’s bit like those old marriages!” – while Mani admits to being happier at the drawing table, pencil in hand creating lines, or running a design through advanced software programs rather than communicating between offices.

But both Germán and Mani have worked on numerous projects together. “To have Mani make a success of it in his own right is very nice,”says Germán.“As long as he is happy, we continue with our good relationship and continue to cooperate on a couple of projects, I am happy. I thought that we would continue to work as I did with my father but I recognise there are difficulties in that. Different generations do things in a different way. It was similar for me.”

German Frers on Rebecca : “We had to bend over backwards to please the owner, to the point the boat was started without a bow because we were still discussing whether to do a plumb bow, a long overhang or something in between. To my regret, I gave up a little too much to the client… a concession to classical aesthetics.”

The family thread remains a strong tie between the three generations. Germán has reworked (for modern construction methods) a 20m ketch that was designed by his father but never built due to wartime material shortages. She was Recluta II and will employ the contemporary rig and gear saved from the original Recluta , which was lost in a grounding.

In all there are over 10,000 yachts bearing three generations of the Frers marque. It is a hallmark of Germán and Mani that they eschew self-promotion, despite having created some of the most innovative and revered yachts of the modern era.

Between them, the body of work includes Horst Holmberg’s 1981 ketch Volador , which stood at the cusp of modern systems taming large rigs for small crews and Gianni Agnelli’s 1987 Extra-Beat , which heralded the trend for high performance daysailers.

German Frers on Stealth : “The brief was: ‘I want a boat that will give me pleasure. It’s going to be called Stealth . It’s going to be black with black sails.’ It was high-performance, good looking and pointed the way towards a new type of yacht.” Photo: Gilles Martin Raget

Other landmark designs have been Jim Clark’s 155ft sloop Hyperion , built in 1996, a fully networked vessel that had 60km of fibre optic cabling to her self-learning computer controlled systems. Then Agnelli’s Extra Beat follow-up, the 1995 Stealth – 98ft of pure speed and able to hold 30-knot speeds with minimal crew and scarcely more than a head, a sofa and means to boil a kettle.

One of the most beautiful designs is the 140ft classic ketch Rebecca , commissioned by owner Charles Butt in 1999 and still referenced 20 years later as one of the most soul-stirring and elegant yachts afloat.

Frank Gehry, the architect, chose to work with Germán Frers on his own, slightly eccentric flush-decked Foggy , launched in 2015, something that shows Frers is appreciated as much by the cognoscenti as by owners of humbler production boats. Asked about their popularity, Mani says: “Clients come to us because they could not find what they liked on the market. For them, none of the existing yachts were seakindly or efficient in terms of drag.”

The distinctive Foggy , was a commission for architect Frank Gehry

Many clients come for motorboats, too, often from a sailing background. In 2017 Baltic Yachts launched the first MY78, for which Mani was the designer. It utilises lightweight composite construction and Mani believes it is a breakthrough combination of low displacement, high performance, fuel efficient, seakindly hull forms.

Germán Frers says all the miles that three generations have logged at sea go to shape yachts that are not just practical and efficient but sensuous too. “My father once said to me that ‘between the faces of Sophia Loren and San Martin [an 18th Century Argentine war hero] is only a few millimetres of difference, but the effect is very different’.” It is with these subtleties that the Frers, grandfather, father and son, have excelled.

First published in the December 2017 edition of Yachting World.

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Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: Excellence and Evolution

Geneva, 22 August 2023  – One of the most important events on the international yachting calendar, the annual Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is synonymous with excellence. The regatta and its organizer, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), have been partnered by Rolex since the mid-1980s. A partnership of such longevity is rare in sport and lies at the heart of the event’s continuing evolution and ability to maintain the highest of ‘standards’.

Rolex Testimonee Paul Cayard, the legendary yachtsman from the United States and a past competitor at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, explains how the close partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and the YCCS is fundamental to the continued success of the event: 

“For four decades, Rolex and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda have forged a privileged relationship. These two partners stand for the highest quality and excellence in everything they do, and as a result, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup offers the ideal platform for owners and their crews to enjoy elite competition in a striking and demanding location . ”

YCCS Commodore Michael Illbruck agrees with Cayard that the historic partnership is at the heart of the event’s continued appeal:

“ The YCCS and Rolex have always worked together to evolve an event created with a very clear vision: to become one of the world’s most important and spectacular sailing events, one which entices the best sailors to compete and inspires maxi yacht owners and designers to continue to drive the sport forward . ”

The regatta is renowned for its professional organization, excellent sailing conditions and a first-class schedule of events off the water. In 2023, the 33rd edition commences on Sunday, 3 September and concludes with the final prize-giving on Saturday, 9 September. 

The event typically attracts about 50 yachts measuring from 18.29 metres (60 feet) in length to more than 40m (131ft). Divided into classes based on size and performance, and crewed by the world’s leading sailors, the yachts are a sublime combination of power, speed and elegance when racing. Thanks to the YCCS race management team, supported by the International Maxi Association, a recognized leader in its field, the week of competition is impeccably conducted.

Cayard confirms why sailors are perennially drawn to the event:

“The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is the very essence of superlative yacht racing – the most impressive yachts, sailed by the best sailors in the most perfect sailing environment. Victory at this regatta is one of the most coveted successes in the sport. The winners have overcome determined and skilful opponents across a demanding week of racing.”

Since its foundation, the event has been a showcase for both the potential and the evolution of yacht design and technology. It is considered the foremost proving ground for new launches and a place where designers, owners and sailors can meet to discuss innovations, developments and future projects. Success at the regatta confirms that passion and commitment have been well directed.

Completing the attractive package is one of the world’s most impressive sailing environments. The emerald waters, rocky outcrops and islets of north-east Sardinia’s Maddalena Archipelago offer an exceptional arena for yacht racing, with varied conditions and testing courses. Across five days of intense competition off Porto Cervo, crews tackle a programme of windward/leeward and inshore racing through and around the archipelago. Consistency in performance is critical, teamwork essential. For the top performers, recognition comes in the form of class victories and the associated trophies.

Rolex Testimonee and four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, another past competitor, highlights the event’s distinct spirit: 

“The setting inspires excellence. From a sporting perspective, precision is critical to successful performance in sailing. This is never more so than at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which has long showcased the world’s elite sailors using their skill and expertise to get the very best out of powerful, technically complex yachts . ”

For close to 40 years, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has provided the perfect platform for the world’s most powerful monohull yachts to perform to their full potential. And, thanks to the close and careful partnership of the YCCS and Rolex, it appears set fair to continue delivering for many years to come.

ROLEX AND YACHTING Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand's enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world's most famous harbours. Rolex's partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.

ABOUT ROLEX AN UNRIVALLED REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND EXPERTISE Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.

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Modern Version: Maxi 77

Discussion in ' Boat Design ' started by Heinrich Poigner , Jul 2, 2018 .

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Heinrich Poigner (He likes boats(and maths))

Hello, This is my first post to this lovly page (tho I've been readig allong for a bit) Does it seam like a reasonable idea to design a modern version of the Maxi 77? I meen by keping the basik shapes and "cutting away" half the weight. obwiosly that would lead to a horrible boat in itsself. The core of the question probably boils down to if that kind of hull design with its "overhangs"(?) on the siedes makes any sense? I'm sorry if this was already dicussed, I was unable to fine a thread on it.  

bajansailor Marine Surveyor

Heinrich, do you mean the 'little' sailing yacht designed by Pelle Pettersen, as per this link MAXI 77 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=497 Here is one for sale - 1976 MAXI Maxi 77 sailboat for sale in Outside United States http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/60792 Or do you mean a large Maxi class sailing yacht, 77' long?  

Jea.. thanks for pointing out that gaping information hole. I'm sorry to not having included enough info Yes I meant the one by Pelle Petersen This is the best I've found till now: https://maxiowners.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/maxi_pbo_589_2015.pdf (I think it's a bit too glorifying) Oh and if someone knows a good picture of its crosssection or if there is a name to those sidewards "overhangs"... I didn't manage to find either of those ...  

the boat has chines with a horizontal part right after like in the img above but the rest of the hull is curved. also the chines are only dominantly shown in the middle of the boat (~25-75% LWL) (chines are almost exactly on the waterline and don't rise) Is that a reasonable feature in a sailboat or is it only there to get more space in some way? Are they worth consideration and testing or are they just wasted space? Are they correlated to the good sailing qualities of the 77?  

This chine - step was for attaching the inner liner.  

HJS said: ↑ This chine - step was for attaching the inner liner. Click to expand...

This is not a result but a solution to a need. It was an easy way to place the inner line where they wanted it. It was a simply simplification in the production. That was what Pelle P told us when we asked him.  

So would it have been a better boat if instead of that step it would have a mor conventional chine or a U-profile? Or should the topsides be more inwards to kombat the high spability in light winds?  

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philSweet Senior Member

As far as making it lighter, no, I don't see that as a good thing. It looks a bit too light as it is. Compare to a Cal 25, which is older, 500 pounds heavier, 6" shorter, a tad narrower, and rated a fair bit faster. Those chines aren't good or bad. But they are fussy to get right from a design standpoint, and also fussier to sail well. They add roll damping, especially when the ballast is as low as it is in the MAXI 77. I agree with HJS that it is probably primarily a manufacturing convenience, facilitating liner location and a good bond where it is most needed. If building a one-off, there is no reason to do that.  

Modern Take on Old Ideas (Fluyt Ship)

Hull speed differential between a traditional full keel boat and a modern hull

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Modernize Old Boat Design

is this a real modern container ship hull shape? looks very unbalanced front to rear.

A modern classic..?

Modern Tug Midship Drawings

design a (25-27m) simple classic (sailboat-semiTrawler) in modern wood/epoxy system

Looking for an old boat with modern style hull

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5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

The first pavilion of Crocus Expo IEC hosted an extraordinary exposition of the 5th International exhibition of yachts and boats Moscow Boat Show. The show had been incredibly famous for five years already not only thanks to the specialists of the market segment as well as professional sportsmen but also thanks to those who consider sailing sport to be their hobby and well cherished dream.

Moscow Boat Show 2012

The organizer of the project was the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre. The show was supported by Aston Martin Moscow, Burevestnik Group logistics department and the Yachting specialized magazine.

The exposition space increased up to 30 000 sq m and was accommodated in all 4 exhibition halls of the fairgrounds! 280 Russian (Arkhangelsk, Vyborg, Kazan, Kaluga, Republic of Karelia, Moscow and Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod, Novorossiysk, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk region, Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Yaroslavl region) and foreign ( Denmark , Germany , Holland , Greece , Spain , Italy , Cyprus , China , Latvia , Poland , USA , Turkey , Ukraine, Finland , France , Montenegro and Croatia ) companies participate in the show.

Moscow Boat Show provided the perfect platform from which to preview new products, evaluate market trends, and establish long-lasting and commercially profitable partnerships. Despite the dynamic changes taking place in Russia and the rapid growth of the yachting sector, the show continued to complement and reflect the industry’s demand and is a promotional opportunity not to be missed!

Unique exhibits were presented at the show for the first time: exposition of private submarines from U-Boat Russia company, Marquis Yachts 420 SB motor yacht from Sport Bridge S. Marine series, SAGA-415 yacht from Saga Boats Norwegian shipyard, Jetlev-Flyer from MS Watersports.

Moscow Boat Show a Great Success

More than 400 yachts were displayed within the frames of the event including the largest boats ever exhibited in Russia – the 19-meter giant motor yacht Princess 54 as well as the Princess 50 yacht from Nord Marine and Baja speed boat from Burevestnik.

Domfinland OY unveiled a luxury project from Finnish real estate: a seaside premium class hotel in Hanko named consonant with the location Merihanko.

The trade fair was traditionally opened by a Gala Opening Ceremony. Arcady Zlotnikov, First Deputy Director Crocus Expo IEC, was the first to take the floor at the official opening ceremony. He greeted warmly exhibitors, guests and visitors of Moscow Boat Show. Nikolay Krjuchek, Deputy Chief of the State Inspection on Small size Vessels (GIMS) of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Russia, Georguiy Shaiduko, Acting President of the Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS), Olympic champion in Atlanta and Ekaterina Grishechkina, Director of exhibition Moscow Boat Show also spoke at the ceremony.

The high-ranking guests noted dynamic development of the branch which well reasoned the intensive growth of the exposition and appearance of rather unique “gems”.

A number of business meetings and negotiations were held within the frames of the project: the exhibition was visited by a large delegation of Greek businessmen for the purpose of establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Russian colleagues.

More than 400 yachts on display at the Show

Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS) celebrated its 100 anniversary within the frames of Moscow Boat Show and arranged an exposition of future sailing sport museum (rare awards, gifts, articles from private collections, pictures and etc.) which had been collected since 1912.

Due to carefully chosen running dates the show was visited by more than 26 000 people. The majority of the visitors were of targeted audience – vessel owners and specialists of the branch.

The work at the next edition of the show is under way! The show will be held in March 2013. The overall exhibit space will comprise 40 000 sq m. The exhibition will impress with exclusive exhibits and the latest technological achievements.

Moscow Boat Show was not only an entertaining but at the same time a business promotional event. Participation in the trade fair was a unique opportunity to present a company and products to a distinctly selected targeted audience of industry specialists. They were well prepared to discuss business in the Russian market and even to close a deal on-site.

The show helped representatives of yachting business to get acquainted with their Russian colleagues and gradually improved national yachting market to a new level. It is obvious that for 5 years of its running the project has turned to a status event of the international exhibitions calendar.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success ".

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