Foster designs a fleet of yachts - down to the teaspoons

Developer YachtPlus will sell annual five-week time slots on the 41m luxury yachts Outdoor areas will be plentiful, and the design makes the most of light and views Foster has responsibility for every aspect of the design, right down to the crew uniforms and the glasses and cutlery The experience is intended to be completely luxurious At the unveiling of Norman Foster's boat, a well-heeled clientele were scratching their heads over that difficult dilemma: would buying a 1/8 share of a 40m (600m2) super yacht for 1.8 million euros – essentially a jazzed-up timeshare – satisfy their egos sufficiently?   Normski has already designed several boats before (on a 'selective' basis), including the military-style Izanami in 1993 (for a Japanese billionaire) and a sailing boat, Dark Shadow.   The interior will be reminiscent of an upmarket hotel - with sea views Upper decks Lower decks

He described his design as moving away from the traditional long prow associated with most sailing vessels (akin to that of the E-Type Jaguar) and moving the centre of gravity forward (like a Ferrari). This way he could increase the 'outdoor space' at the back of the ship. This, he said, gives more flexibility to configure the space for the (only) 30 days a year an owner will spend on board.

 
Foster talked about the importance of light in designing anything, and as the fleet of boats (10 by 2011) will 'follow the sun' (Med in the summer, Caribbean in the winter), so should the structure. A central lightwell transmits light into the decks below.
 
He also expressed his amazement that so many incredibly expensive and (one would think) well-designed boats focus the attention on the view out of the back or to the side of the boat. He said he wanted this one to be all about 'where you are going', so the tiered public decks and private his-and-hers owner decks look forwards.
 
Our reporter left with deposit still unsigned, a paltry maximum speed of 17.5 knots not quick enough to sate her desire for speed.

See more of the project at YachtPlus.

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