1992 Abeking & Rasmussen Hetairos

It took 662 intensive, work-filled and exhilarating days to compete the Hetairos. That was in 1992, a time when no one else could have taken on a project of such proportions. Abeking & Rasmussen was at the time the only shipyard in the world to possess the know-how needed for the construction of such a ship. But even the talented and experienced shipwrights often reached their limitations. To construct a hull out of the 70 mm thick wood was just one of the challenges. ‘Every panel, every curve, every structure, colour and surface manipulation was carefully contemplated, tested, modified and only then worked’, says David Baker, artist and chronicler of the sophisticated formation process. And as happy endings go, Hetairos is much more than just a big sailing boat. It is a work of art without equal.