Jeremy Rogers MBE, 1937 –2022

Jeremy Rogers, father of the classic Contessa 26 pocket cruising yacht, died in October, aged 85.

A hugely successful yachtsmen, he made a life out of sailing from an early age, from making model boats as a small child to winning the annual Round the Island Race three times in his little Contessa, which was often the smallest in a very large fleet, writes Barry Pickthall.

Rogers was as skilled with his hands as he was at the helm, and after serving an apprenticeship under Jack Chippendale, then the most respected racing dinghy builder in the UK, he set up his own business in Lymington in 1961, building a wooden Folkboat class cruising yacht in the family garage. He was one of the first to appreciate the potential of glass-reinforced plastic construction, and after a period building GRP dinghies, he worked with designer David Sadler to develop a variation of the Folkboat in glassfibre. Called the Contessa 26, this one-design was an instant success and, over the years ,more than 400 were built, some sailing to the four corners of the globe.

One to do so was young adventurer and artist Nick Jaffe who sailed his to Australia. Recalling Jeremy’s life, he said “To build and create boats is a rare art form. Jeremy’s work inspired an entire generation of dreamers and adventures to find the sea and ultimately themselves, for which myself and countless others are eternally grateful.”

Another to mark his gratitude is Contessa 26 class stalwart Mike Harrison. “We remain so grateful to Jeremy for his foresight with David Sadler in the design and construction of what has become such a long lasting and respected small classic cruiser. His three overall victories in the Round the Island Race aboard his own Contessa 26 Rosana is a record hard to beat.”

The 26 was followed by the Contessa 32, also in collaboration with David Sadler. Fifty years on, this model is still in production with more than 650 built. Jo Sammons, the CO32 Class Captain paid tribute to Rogers. “It is a testament to Jeremy’s skills that these boats are still being raced, cruised and loved across the world.”

In 1977 and 1979, Rogers and his crew were selected to represent Britain in the three-boat Admiral’s Cup team. Joining Sir Edward Heath and his Morning Cloud, and Chris Dunning’s Marionette, They won the 1977 series, with Rogers’ Contessa 43 Moonshine finishing top scoring yacht.

The 1979 Admiral’s Cup coincided with one of the worst disasters in ocean racing history when near hurricane conditions swept across the 303-strong fleet and led to 19 deaths, 24 abandoned yachts and five sinkings. The results became 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 an MBE.

By the early 1980s, his company was building a range of Contessa yachts sized from 26 to 43ft until a recession decimated the British boatbuilding industry leading to many failures, including J C Rogers. Undeterred, Jeremy pulled himself back up. Restarting in a former cow shed, he eventually returned to the current boat yard in Lymington Yacht Haven now under the management of his son Kit Rogers

Jeremy’s last years were clouded by Alzheimer’s, but though he lost sight of his whereabouts, he could still helm a boat as naturally as before. Sailing with his son David in a little Keyhaven Scow in June 2020 and the family Contessa 32 Assent in early 2021. “It was as if the tiller was a natural extension of his arm.” recalls his wife Fiona.

Jeremy Rogers is survived by his wife Fiona, sons, Simon, Kit and David, and nine grandchildren.