1982. Interview with German Frers. The boats speak for him

Welcome to the special section “GdV 5th Years.” We are introducing you, day by day, An article from the archives of the Journal of Sailing, starting in 1975. A word of advice, get in the habit of starting your day with the most exciting sailing stories-it will be like being on a boat even if you are ashore.

Interview with German Frers. The boats speak for him

Excerpted from the 1982 Journal of Sailing. Year 8 no. 8, September-October, pp. 32/33.

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American designer German Frers has designed many winning boats. “People only care that my hulls look good, win and last.”

German Frers became the world’s most famous designer. Everyone wants him, he gives a confessional interview to GdV in which he explains his secrets and how he became the most sought-after and beloved. Like when he explains how he designed Flyer that just won the Whitbread World Tour.

Argentinian by birth and New Yorker by adoption, German Frers is one of the most internationally acclaimed boat designers. His boats this year have won everything possible. Suffice it to mention Flyer, overall triumphant at the Whitbread Round the World Race, and Retaliation, which came out on top in no uncertain terms at the last SORC. His designs, which are never extreme, are an evolution of the sleek, fast yacht-design characteristic of Sparkman & Stephens’ boats, which Frers derives from his years of collaboration with the famous New York firm.

German inherited his love of the sea from his father, who participated in challenging sailing competitions overseas in the 1960s. In conclusion, it is great technical preparation combined with a great passion that makes German Frers design hulls that easily rise to prominence on the international sailing scene. We mention Blizzard, Gitana VII, Bumblebee IV, Tatoosh (now Rroselavy), Guia 2000, Kriter I, Evergreen and Regardless, but the list could go on much longer. Frers is unanimously considered one of the world’s greatest yacht designers, yet the commitment he puts into each new project is that of the enthusiastic neophyte. Finding him and stealing some of his time for an interview is a difficult task, because he is almost always traveling the world, following the construction of his boats closely and in detail. Warm and friendly, but also quite reserved, he is always very concise: he answers even the most complex and articulate question in a few words.

Frers’ interview with the Sailing Newspaper

“My best interviews are the boats,” he declares, “it is useless to dwell so much on concepts. People only care that my hulls look good, go fast and last more than a few seasons.”

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GdV – So Mr. Frers, Flyer wins the World Tour, Retaliation the SORC, Evergreen is considered the most important novelty of the season, Morning Star is on the U.S. Sardinia Cup team. What is the “recipe” for your boats?

Frers – Professionalism in design, with a little luck led me to the results listed. I believe that it is essential for a modern designer to have a thorough knowledge of the most advanced construction methods; in fact, today the use of certain materials makes it possible to create hulls that are extremely lighter and safer than those of a few years ago. Finally, at least as far as I am concerned, I always try to examine the reasons why the client asks for a particular boat. When Conny van Rietschoten came to me he wanted a boat that would win the World Tour, and I studied for him a hull that would first of all be safe, solid, and provide habitability for a crew of fourteen for more than a month. So Flyer was born, which also proved to be extremely fast.

GdV – How much part does the designer play in the success of a boat?

Frers – It is difficult to answer. The success of a boat depends on many factors. I think the designer has to offer a hull that is as well designed as possible for the use the owner then wants to make of it and that is adapted to the latest changes in regulations. Of course, since sailing is a sport, the results of the boat are largely determined by its crew. Sails and equipment now all equal each other at some level and are chosen according to the owner’s taste. Indeed, it can happen that you design a boat thinking it is superfast and then find that it achieves no results and success perhaps comes from a boat on which you had placed less hope. This paradarosso serves to exemplify what I was saying earlier, but as far as my designs are concerned, all are designed to capture maximum results.

GdV – II SORC is the sporting event that inaugurates the offshore racing season. It is there that the new designs, construction and equipment that will characterize 1982 are previewed. Can you give us your comments on this year’s edition?

Frers – Without exaggeration, I think the SORC is one of the most interesting regattas in the world; basically because the Americans have, for the past few years, been the leading nation in offshore sailing. This year I have only witnessed two of the five scheduled regattas, so I have little information to answer your question. From what I saw I can say that there were many extremely fast boats, although I think the weather conditions this year favored the small boats. What impressed me most was to see how hull construction techniques have now become preeminent over other factors that make up a modern racer. Whether in fiber, aluminum or wood, I saw hulls that are truly cutting edge in this respect, which is crucial for the development of the sport and for boating in general: experimenting with new solutions allows us to acquire data that no calculation or laboratory can give us.

GdV – Before the start of these regattas, one of your boats, Evergreen, was given as one of the favorites for the final victory; then another of your projects, Retaliation, won, about which little or nothing had been said in the predictions. Can you tell us about these two boats?

Frers – A lot has been said about Evergreen more because of the personality of its owner, Mr. Green, than because of the actual novelty of the design; however, this is certainly a boat that deviates from the standard of my “style” mainly because of the solutions found for the deck plan; the open stern; a large cockpit where the steering wheel rigging and hydraulic power unit are gathered aft of the helmsman; a four-cutaway mast specially designed by Stern. These solutions, indeed interesting, impress the press and the public and that is why, Evergreen has been much talked about. Evergreen is a very sophisticated boat and needs a lot of fine tuning, which she did not have yet in these regattas; however, her “overall” achievement in the Lipton Cup proved what this boat is worth. As for Retaliation I think there is little to add to the fact that she won, except that it is a classic boat, without forcing. An evolution certainly, of everything that has been changed in the regulations and from experiences with my other designs of the same size. A great crew (Dennis Connor at the helm and Ron Love as sail-trimmer ed.) and a little luck did the rest.

Need more clarity in the rules

GdV – Once again this year there was a problem with stamina: Victory, which had won, was disqualified because it was irregular according to a later inspection. Is it possible in your opinion to solve this problem?

Frers – I think it is very difficult if the current tonnage formula is maintained, which by necessity is extremely complicated because it has to take into account so many factors. That is why I think there can be a difference between successive measurements made by different tonnage planners, subject to the good faith of the owners. It is logical then that all crews and even we designers try to get the most favorable rating possible but this does not automatically mean bad faith or ineffectiveness of the current tonnage formula.

GdV – In which boat have you placed the most hope for the future?

Frers – In all of them. Each of my designs is designed to make the most profit with respect to the purpose I am asked to serve.

Text and photos by Bruno Belli

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