Marque of respect

Mike Taylor talks to Kit and Jess Rogers of Jeremy Rogers Ltd about Contessa Yachts and the enviable but delicate task of managing a reputation

- Kit & Jess Rogers

The market town of Lymington has a colourful maritime history going back to Saxon times. A booming salt industry started in the Middle Ages and in the 17th century began a long heritage of boatbuilding, trading and smuggling. In recent times it has become known as a magnet for yachtsmen and naval architects. Lymington can also call itself home to the much-loved Contessa marque of sailing boats. In the 1970s, 200 employees worked day and night in Jeremy Rogers’ factories building Contessa yachts, while today a much smaller operation is still run by his son Kit, based in the Yacht Haven.

Born in 1937, Jeremy Rogers was always fascinated by boats and the water; as a child he and his brothers were evacuated to Canada, where Jeremy built model boats during the long snowy winters, progressing to full-size dinghies on his return to the UK. As a young man he completed a five-year apprenticeship with respected boatbuilder Jack Chippendale OBE in Fareham, where his outstanding skills were developed.

In 1961, Rogers set up his own business taking commissions for yachts based on the Folkboat design.

These were initially built in the garage of his Lymington house. Soon, he needed larger premises as he began experimenting with more modern boatbuilding techniques. Cold moulding took the place of carvel construction, making Rogers’ modified Folkboats lighter and more competitive. One of his early customers was David Sadler, who called his cold-moulded Folkboat Contessa of Parkstone, the yacht proving highly successful on the racing circuits.

At this point Rogers was using GRP for his OK dinghy production. “Why not use this material to make the modified Folkboats,” he mused.