frank gehry designs his first wood-clad sailboat with germán frers

frank gehry designs his first wood-clad sailboat with germán frers
photo by todd eberle for town and country

in collaboration with argentinian naval architect germán frers and developer richard cohen, frank gehry designed his first sailboat – the ‘foggy’. according to town and country magazine, the canadian-born architect had been considering the idea since 2008, and mentioned it to cohen, who was looking to build a large racing yacht. they then brought in frers who is renowned for having designed some of the most elegant vessels in the world. things were pretty much ‘smooth sailing’ until it came time to deciding what they would use to line the boat. frers suggested carbon fibre for its rigidity and lightness, while gehry wanted to render it in wood, recalling more classical boat making techniques. after some discussion and research, the team made a compromise and utilized a cold molding process which involves sandwiching wood around a high-tech core. the robust material is lightweight assisting the boat’s speed and manoeuvrability, yet offers a warm, traditional feel, which gehry appreciates. to compliment the timber structure, titanium details and distinctive patterns can be found in and around the main cabin. the interior is furnished with vibrant colored carpets and sheepskin covers, gehry and cohen both love sailing, plan to take the ‘foggy’ sailboat for a tour down the east coast towards cuba and panama, and keep it docked at the marina del rey in california where they aim to race the boat on sunday afternoons.

read more about frank gehry’s yacht here.

interior cabin details of the frank gehry sailboat
photo by todd eberle for town and country