Jeremy Rogers Limited

Jeremy Rogers Limited is a British boatbuilding and yacht-refit business based in Lymington, England. Founded in 1961 by English boatbuilder and sailor Jeremy Rogers, the company became closely associated with the Contessa range of cruising yachts, particularly the Contessa 26 and Contessa 32. Its work has emphasized skilled handbuilding, individual specification, durable construction, and the sailing performance and seaworthiness associated with the designs it produces and supports. The yard expanded substantially during the 1970s and early 1980s. By the early 1980s it reportedly employed about 200 people across five factories in Lymington. During this period, its production included the Contessa 26, Contessa 32, and Doug Peterson-designed Grand Prix 35, 39, and 43 yachts. The boats were exported to customers in markets outside the United Kingdom, giving the business an international presence despite its relatively specialized production model. Unlike large volume boat manufacturers, Jeremy Rogers Limited has been associated with small-scale, high-quality construction and customized work. The company’s reputation rests on traditional craftsmanship and on the sailing qualities of the Contessa designs, which are often contrasted with the standardized production methods used by larger modern yards. Its activities have included new yacht construction, refurbishment of existing Contessa yachts, supply of replacement parts, and refitting work on yachts from other manufacturers. The company experienced an insolvency during its history, which brought production to a halt. In 1995, the Contessa 32 moulds were bought back, allowing production of the design to resume on a bespoke basis. This restart preserved the link between the yard and one of its best-known yacht models while shifting the business toward more individualized construction and specialist support rather than high-volume output. Environmental design became particularly visible in 2011, the fortieth anniversary year of the Contessa 32. At the Southampton Boat Show, Jeremy Rogers presented the Contessa 32 Calypso, developed in collaboration with The Green Blue, an environmental initiative associated with the Royal Yachting Association and the British Marine Federation. The yacht incorporated a range of lower-impact materials and technologies, including sustainably sourced Kebonised maple for deck and interior joinery, a diesel-electric hybrid engine, solar generation, a wind generator, solvent-free adhesive, linseed-based varnish, and non-toxic antifouling. The project demonstrated how the traditional Contessa platform could be adapted to address sustainability concerns. Today, the business is chiefly associated with construction to order of the classic Contessa 32 design, alongside restoration, refurbishment, refitting, and parts support for Contessa yachts and other sailing yachts. Its identity is therefore based less on broad product-market scale than on continuity of design, specialist workmanship, customization, and long-term maintenance of an established fleet.

Jeremy Rogers Limited was established in 1961 by Jeremy Rogers, an English boatbuilder and sailor. From its base in Lymington, the company developed into a significant British builder of sailing yachts, with its identity shaped by skilled manual construction and the performance of the designs associated with the yard. The company’s most important product family was the Contessa range. It built the Contessa 26 and Contessa 32, yachts that became well known among cruising and offshore sailors. During its period of greatest expansion, the yard also built Doug Peterson-designed Grand Prix yachts in 35-foot, 39-foot, and 43-foot versions. By the early 1980s, the company reportedly operated five factories in Lymington and employed approximately 200 people. Its yachts were exported internationally, reflecting demand for British-built sailing boats beyond the domestic market. The business later suffered an insolvency that stopped production. A significant recovery came in 1995, when the moulds for the Contessa 32 were reacquired. This enabled the model to return to production, although on a bespoke and lower-volume basis rather than through the scale associated with mass-production boatbuilding. The restoration of production also reinforced the company’s continuing role as a custodian of the Contessa design and its associated technical knowledge. In addition to building new boats, Jeremy Rogers Limited developed a broader specialist-service role. The yard undertook refurbishment and refitting of Contessa yachts, supplied replacement parts, and worked on yachts made by other manufacturers. This combination of new construction and after-sales support gave the business a continuing relationship with owners of older boats and helped preserve the sailing fleet already in service. The company’s environmental work became prominent in 2011, when the Contessa 32 reached its fortieth anniversary. In cooperation with The Green Blue, an initiative linked to the Royal Yachting Association and the British Marine Federation, the yard exhibited the Contessa 32 Calypso at the Southampton Boat Show. The project used Kebonised maple in place of less sustainable tropical hardwoods, a diesel-electric hybrid Beta 25 engine, solar and wind power, solvent-free Saba adhesive, linseed-based Le Tonkinois varnish, and Hempasil non-toxic antifouling. The boat served as a practical demonstration that a classic yacht design could incorporate contemporary environmental measures without abandoning its established identity. The company is now principally known for construction to order of the Contessa 32 and for specialist restoration, refitting, and parts support. Its historical importance lies in the continuity of a distinctive British yacht-building tradition: relatively low-volume production, close attention to workmanship, enduring designs, and support for boats throughout their service lives.

• 2011

  Fortieth anniversary of the Contessa 32

  [1]Jeremy Rogers Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  The yard marks the design’s fortieth anniversary and exhibits the environmentally oriented Contessa 32 Calypso at the Southampton Boat Show.

• 1995

  Contessa 32 moulds are reacquired

  [1]Jeremy Rogers Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  Following an insolvency-related production stoppage, the Contessa 32 moulds are bought back and bespoke construction resumes.

• 1980

  Expansion into multi-factory production

  [1]Jeremy Rogers Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  By the early 1980s, the yard is reported to employ approximately 200 people across five Lymington factories and to export yachts internationally.

• 1961

  Jeremy Rogers Limited is founded

  [1]Jeremy Rogers Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  Jeremy Rogers establishes the British boatyard in Lymington.

A specialist British boatyard positioned around hand-built, seaworthy sailing yachts, bespoke construction, traditional craftsmanship, and long-term refurbishment and parts support.

• Sailing yacht

  Contessa 26

  The Contessa 26 is one of the classic sailing yacht designs built by Jeremy Rogers Limited. It forms part of the company’s historical product base and remains connected with the yard’s refurbishment and parts-support activities. The model is associated with the company’s emphasis on compact, capable yachts and traditional construction.

• Sailing yacht · 1971

  Contessa 32

  The Contessa 32 is Jeremy Rogers Limited’s best-known offering and the design most closely associated with its current identity. After the moulds were reacquired in 1995, the yard resumed construction on a bespoke, made-to-order basis. The design is valued for its sailing performance, durability, and reputation for seaworthiness, while the company also provides refurbishment and parts support for existing examples.

• Sustainable sailing yacht demonstrator · 2011

  Contessa 32 Calypso

  The Contessa 32 Calypso was an environmentally focused version of the Contessa 32 presented in 2011. It combined the established yacht design with Kebonised maple joinery, a diesel-electric hybrid Beta 25 engine, solar and wind generation, solvent-free adhesive, linseed-based varnish, and non-toxic antifouling. It demonstrated the yard’s interest in applying sustainability measures to a traditional yacht platform.

• Racing and performance sailing yachts

  Grand Prix 35, 39 and 43

  Jeremy Rogers Limited built Grand Prix yachts designed by Doug Peterson in 35-foot, 39-foot, and 43-foot versions. These boats formed part of the company’s expanded product range during its larger-scale production period in the early 1980s and complemented its Contessa cruising-yacht output.

• 2011Contessa 32 Calypso environmental project

  United Kingdom

  Jeremy Rogers Limited collaborated with The Green Blue to develop and exhibit the Contessa 32 Calypso at the Southampton Boat Show. The project presented renewable-energy equipment and lower-impact materials as alternatives for a classic sailing-yacht design.

  Outcome. The project showcased a greener version of the Contessa 32 and generated renewed interest in new examples of the design during its fortieth anniversary year.

  Source

• 2011

  Develop the Contessa 32 CalypsoProduct launch

  Background

  The fortieth anniversary of the Contessa 32 created an opportunity to update the classic design in response to growing interest in environmentally responsible boating.

  Action taken

  Jeremy Rogers Limited worked with The Green Blue to produce a demonstrator incorporating hybrid propulsion, renewable-energy generation, sustainable joinery, and lower-impact coatings and adhesives.

  Aftermath

  The Calypso was exhibited at the Southampton Boat Show and helped renew attention around new Contessa 32 construction.

  Source

• 1995

  Resume bespoke Contessa 32 productionStrategy

  Background

  Production had stopped after an insolvency, but the Contessa 32 remained central to the company’s identity and customer demand.

  Action taken

  The company reacquired the Contessa 32 moulds and restarted construction on a bespoke basis.

  Aftermath

  The decision restored the company’s connection with its signature design and supported a continuing business in new builds, refurbishment, and parts.

  Source

1. 1Jeremy Rogers Limiteden.wikipedia.org