It is with great sadness that I must report Naval Architect Tom Fexas passed away yesterday. Over the past 30 years, Tom’s designs became some of the most recognizable production and custom yachts in the world, including a vast number of Cheoy Lee’s, his unmistakable Midnight Lace line and of course some very notable Palmer Johnson’s, such as La Baronessa and Time. Some 1000 vessels came to life from his drawing board. Among those names were some of the most prominent builders in the yachting industry like Burger, Derecktor, Royal Denship, Mikelson, and Knight and Carver. Our heartfelt prayers are extended to his family and co-workers. For those of you unfamiliar with the legacy this man created, visit his site… http://www.tomfexas.com/
In this age of political correctness, he was a breath of fresh air. He will be missed not only as a talented professionnal but also as a great human being.
One of my all-time favorites was this 75' Derecktor, designed by Fexas. It's not hard to see the Midnight Lace influence and the Cheoy Lee elements from the era...
how come? I can not believe it! About a year ago, I contacted him over the phone for a design inquiry. He had no sign of illness or health problems then. We had a good laugh about one of his articles published in "SEA Magazine'. I thought I might be able to chat with him at Ft. Lauderdale boat show one day. I even plan to write something about his design and his collaboration with Cheoy Lee... He will be surely be missed by many.
That is a shocker, and a loss to the world. Not only was Tom a seasoned designer, his literary prowess was as entertaining as the lines he drew. I always admired the Midnight Lace line, especially the seat in the bow. And yacht Time is one of my favorite yachts, with innovative styling and features, like light-up translucent railings, not to mention an open stern area. And I never missed his column in Power & Motoryacht. It was great to follow his work as I started in the industry. One nice thing is that we will see him everytime we see one of his yachts. God bless.
Tom will truly be missed by everyone in the industry... He's a great naval architect and designer, and we'll always see one of his designs cruising by somewhere in the globe, whether it's big or small...
I remember the motor yacht Time, one might say that it was ahead of its' time too... I'd like to think that all great yacht designers (along with the rest of us) go off to a better place in space and time. I can just imagine it now: Bannenberg and Fexas are arguing about Bannenberg's latest design for a weekend Warp-Speed Factor 12 interstellar cruiser:
BTW La Baronessa is a Sparkman Stephens design( 195' Palmer Johnson 1998). La Baroness is a Fexas design (150' Palmer Johnson 1994). I am a bit surprised that no one mentionned the 160' Dragomar built in 1993. In my own opinion this one of Tom's better design. It looks every bit as good to day as it did the day it was launched.
Sorry 'bout that! I often go by memory... which will never be the same after I inhaled once in 70's. More recently, I'm suffering from Kelly Bundy syndrome... when I learn something new, I have to throw something out.
One could never accuse Tom of not pushing the envelope design-wise and yet he borrowed from the old '30's commuters when he did his Midnight Lace work. I'm with CaptTom in that I'll miss his 'Spectator' column in the PMY magazine. A man who could design, and write entertainingly about his business as well, is rare indeed. We'll miss you, Tom.
Tom Fexas designed La Baroness, the mother of La Baronessa, which was designed by Nuvolari&Lenard on the hull of S&S. I personally like that Derector 75 which was aluminum and GRP, super efficient, since she had small engines (V12 1100hp MAN?) and achived 30kn of speed !!! I liked also Lady Jenn, a clasic american yacht at it's best. Fexas more than a designer was a grat NA, and his control over the weight of the yacht was essencial for promotion of efficiency of the semi-displacing hulls. But not only SD, a great performer, with arnesons before any other sport yacht was a PJ Force Of Habit, an 80' 50Kn. Great Architect. Eclectic designer. Midnight Lace is going to speak in his memory for a long time.
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