Jeremy Rogers
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Charles Rogers, MBE (born Thaxted
, Essex, September 16, 1937) is a British boat builder and sailor
, based in Lymington
, Hampshire
, in the United Kingdom.
During his 50-year career Rogers has been responsible for the construction of a large number of well-known yachts and established himself as a first-class yachtsman.
to rural Canada during the Second World War, Rogers and his brothers passed the long winters making model boats, but it was back in England that Rogers built his first proper dinghy at the age of ten whilst at Clayesmore School
in Dorset. Then, after serving his apprenticeship with Jack Chippendale MBE as a traditional wooden boatbuilder, he set up in business in 1961 at the age of 23. Despite his training in wooden boatbuilding, he was one of the first to appreciate the potential of glass-reinforced plastic
(GRP), and he went initially into the production of GRP dinghies, followed in 1966 by a modified GRP Folkboat
called the Contessa 26
. This was an instant success, as was the subsequent Contessa 32
,
designed in collaboration with David Sadler
.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rogers' company included five purpose-built factories in Lymington
and a workforce of nearly 200 employees. Production included Contessas ranging in size from the traditional 26 to the Doug Peterson
designed grand prix 35s, 39s and 43s, many of which were exported to a world-wide market.
In 1978 and in conjunction with the late Colin Chapman
’s Lotus
car team, Rogers developed vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding of at least one his Peterson designed boats.
trophy, but in so doing he and his crew took time out of one of the offshore races to rescue a family from a sinking life-raft - for this he was voted Yachtsman of the Year (and the international racing rules were subsequently changed to allow for redress in such circumstances).
In 1977 and 1979 he and his crew competed as members of the British Admirals Cup Team, and in '77 Rogers' Contessa 43, Moonshine, was the top scoring boat.
Admirals Cup Yachts must compete in the Fastnet Race
as part of the series, but in the 1979 Fastnet race
this ocean race encountered near hurricane conditions, which caused one of the worst disasters in yachting history: many yachts were lost and 15 people died during the race. Consequently the race results were understandably insignificant, but Rogers' Contessa 39, Eclipse, came in second overall to Ted Turner
's Tenacious, a yacht twice her size.
The following year Rogers received his MBE
from H.M. the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
of his original company, Rogers has concentrated on building new Contessa 32s and the complete refurbishment of many of the other boats built at the former yard. Two of these refurbishments were his own Contessa 26, Rosina of Beaulieu, and Contessa 32, Gigi. Rosina, sailed by Rogers and his three sons, was uniquely three times winner of the coveted Gold Roman Bowl for overall winner of the Round-the-Island Race in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
Gigi had become famous in 1984, when she was sailed by Americans, John Kretschmer and Ty Techera, in record time around Cape Horn
; Kretschmer then wrote Cape Horn to Starboard about the adventure. Rogers purchased Gigi in 2005 and restored her to new condition.
in collaboration with The Green Blue (a collaborative effort of the Royal Yachting Association
and the British Marine Federation) Calypso showcased a variety of sustainable products and technology, including a real wood teak alternative called Kebony, a hybrid engine as well as solar panels and wind generators.
Thaxted
Thaxted is a town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, with about 2,500 inhabitants.-History:Thaxted appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Tachesteda, Old English for "place where thatch was got." Once a centre of cutlery manufacture, Thaxted went into decline with the rise of Sheffield...
, Essex, September 16, 1937) is a British boat builder and sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
, based in Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, in the United Kingdom.
During his 50-year career Rogers has been responsible for the construction of a large number of well-known yachts and established himself as a first-class yachtsman.
Early life
EvacuatedEvacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
to rural Canada during the Second World War, Rogers and his brothers passed the long winters making model boats, but it was back in England that Rogers built his first proper dinghy at the age of ten whilst at Clayesmore School
Clayesmore School
Clayesmore School is an independent school for boys and girls of the English public school tradition in the village of Iwerne Minster, Dorset, England. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference ....
in Dorset. Then, after serving his apprenticeship with Jack Chippendale MBE as a traditional wooden boatbuilder, he set up in business in 1961 at the age of 23. Despite his training in wooden boatbuilding, he was one of the first to appreciate the potential of glass-reinforced plastic
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
(GRP), and he went initially into the production of GRP dinghies, followed in 1966 by a modified GRP Folkboat
Nordic Folkboat
The Nordic Folkboat is a small sailboat, rigged as a sloop. The design of this boat was the result of a competition held by the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union in 1942, who were hoping to create an easily sailed and low cost boat...
called the Contessa 26
Contessa 26
The Contessa 26 is a 7.77 meter fiberglass monohull sailboat, brought about when Jeremy Rogers, with a background in traditional wooden boatbuilding along with one of his Folkboat customers, David Sadler, created a modified version of the same boat in GRP...
. This was an instant success, as was the subsequent Contessa 32
Contessa 32
The Contessa 32 is a 9.75 metre fibreglass monohull sailboat, designed in 1970 by David Sadler of Great Britain in collaboration with Jeremy Rogers, the builder. Rigged as a masthead sloop, with a fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder, the Contessa 32 is classified as a cruiser-racer...
,
designed in collaboration with David Sadler
David Sadler (yacht designer)
David Sadler is a British yacht designer who was responsible for a number of classic production yachts during the period from 1960 to 1980. His designs include the Contessa 26, the Contessa 32, the Sadler 25, the Sadler 29 and the Sadler 32.-References:...
.
Seventies heyday
The Contessa 32 was voted the London Boat of the Show in 1972, and with approximately 650 of them already in the water, demand is such that after 40 years the yacht is still in production.By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rogers' company included five purpose-built factories in Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
and a workforce of nearly 200 employees. Production included Contessas ranging in size from the traditional 26 to the Doug Peterson
Doug Peterson
Douglas Blair Peterson is an American yacht designer. Beginning with the One Tonner Ganbare in 1973, Peterson's designs have pioneered many innovations in racing and cruising yachts....
designed grand prix 35s, 39s and 43s, many of which were exported to a world-wide market.
In 1978 and in conjunction with the late Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
’s Lotus
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
car team, Rogers developed vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding of at least one his Peterson designed boats.
The sailor
Apart from boat building Rogers has made a significant contribution to the world of yacht racing. In 1974 he skippered his Contessa 35, Gumboots, to take the international One Ton CupOne Ton Cup
The One Ton Cup is a sailing trophy open to yachts that displace approximately one ton . It has been raced since 1899 and was awarded by Cercle de la Voile de Paris.From 1999 the Cup will be given to the Corel 45 Class World Championship....
trophy, but in so doing he and his crew took time out of one of the offshore races to rescue a family from a sinking life-raft - for this he was voted Yachtsman of the Year (and the international racing rules were subsequently changed to allow for redress in such circumstances).
In 1977 and 1979 he and his crew competed as members of the British Admirals Cup Team, and in '77 Rogers' Contessa 43, Moonshine, was the top scoring boat.
Admirals Cup Yachts must compete in the Fastnet Race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
as part of the series, but in the 1979 Fastnet race
1979 Fastnet race
The 1979 Fastnet race was the twenty-eighth Fastnet race, a yachting race competition held since 1925, generally every two years. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race Admiral's Cup competition, as it had been since 1957....
this ocean race encountered near hurricane conditions, which caused one of the worst disasters in yachting history: many yachts were lost and 15 people died during the race. Consequently the race results were understandably insignificant, but Rogers' Contessa 39, Eclipse, came in second overall to Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
's Tenacious, a yacht twice her size.
The following year Rogers received his MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
from H.M. the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Recent years
After setting up in business again following the bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
of his original company, Rogers has concentrated on building new Contessa 32s and the complete refurbishment of many of the other boats built at the former yard. Two of these refurbishments were his own Contessa 26, Rosina of Beaulieu, and Contessa 32, Gigi. Rosina, sailed by Rogers and his three sons, was uniquely three times winner of the coveted Gold Roman Bowl for overall winner of the Round-the-Island Race in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
Gigi had become famous in 1984, when she was sailed by Americans, John Kretschmer and Ty Techera, in record time around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
; Kretschmer then wrote Cape Horn to Starboard about the adventure. Rogers purchased Gigi in 2005 and restored her to new condition.
A "greener" Contessa 32
2011, the 40th Anniversary of the Contessa 32, has seen a renewed interest in new Contessa 32s after Rogers exhibited his new "greener" Contessa 32 Calypso at the Southampton Boat ShowSouthampton Boat Show
The Southampton Boat Show is the biggest water based boat show in Europe. It has been held every September since 1969 in Mayflower Park, Southampton, England. It is one of the two major annual boat shows in the United Kingdom, alongside the London Boat Show...
in collaboration with The Green Blue (a collaborative effort of the Royal Yachting Association
Royal Yachting Association
The Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for certain watersports in the United Kingdom. Activities it covers include:* Sailing* Windsurfing* Motor cruising* Sportsboats* Personal watercraft* Powerboat racing...
and the British Marine Federation) Calypso showcased a variety of sustainable products and technology, including a real wood teak alternative called Kebony, a hybrid engine as well as solar panels and wind generators.