Topic: Past History

The Contessa 26 entered production in England in 1966 by Jeremy Rogers in Lymington, with several hundred built. "Contessa of Lymington" (the real hull #1) was launched on April 28th, 1966. In the first three years of production 350? hulls were laid up.  Moulds for the Contessa were shipped to Canada in 1969, with the first of the boats completed later that same year. J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd. of Toronto.  The JJT boats were renamed “J.J. Taylor 26” in the middle 1980s because of some problems between Taylor and Rogers.   My guess is that a total of around 750+ boats were built in both Canada and the UK.  There are deck, interior, and rig differences between the Rogers (UK) boats and The JJT boats.  For clarity, the UK boat is generally referred to as a “CO26” while the Canadian boat is called a “JJT 26” (regardless of year).

Re: Past History

has anyone raced the two boats-- the jjt vs. the rogers. does the slight differences in rigs etc,effect the performance of the two boats.

Re: Past History

The 1st commercial built and sold CO26, "Contessa of Rhu" still sails.  She is currently moored in Loch Leven in Scotland.

Re: Past History

Re: about the double hull #: it's Jose whom you've seen on the forum who has the second hull #324 - I got all excited and so did he when I first e-mailed him yelling:  "DO YOU KNOW WHOSE BOAT YOU HAVE?!!" He then discovered there were two hull #s...who would have thought that, of all the hull #s to double up on!  And mine is hull #318, so I am almost famous by association to Tania's boat?! ;-)

Re: Past History

Re: Past History

I hate to be a fuddy-duddy about this but it's the sailor who makes the boat and not the other way around.  As you may know, Tania's boat wasn't a standard "production" model. Brian Caldwell's was an old '74 that also made the round trip.  I believe that either could have done well in any other relatively well built barge. I can't recall whether anyone has ever made a big deal about Shackleton's 22' lifeboat.

Re: Past History

Hey Merrill...or Anybody!
What were some of the things that set Aebi's #324 apart from other JJT production boats?  I do know she had extra floatation added by the factory and I recall reading about some of the minor modifications she made during her trip, but what were some of the other things the factory did to beef up her Contessa when she ordered it?  Just sittin' here wonderin'.
Mark Smith
Caprice #342

Re: Past History

Merrill,

I would like to know more about the non-standard aspects of Tania's boat, especially concerning floatation.  I just bought a book with a picture of her sailing into New York (I believe) with a liferaft aboard.  Any thoughts on sufficient floatation obviating the need for a liferaft?

Re: Past History

Rough calks indicate that you would need 150 cu ft of rigid foam to keep afloat. That would probably make the already sparse living space a bit short of room.  The life raft is a better alternative since sinking is a rare event.

Re: Past History

Re: Past History

I do think both Shackleton and his lifeboat were amazing: Shackleton and his men for their skills and the boat for holding up through it all! 
I realize it is the skill of the sailor, but also a bit of luck here and there, (and God too?!)- certainly in my case...as well as the boat...yes, Dave & Jaja Martin can circumnavigate in a Cal 25, but I wouldn't be able to, I need a Contessa 26 that will take care of me while I make mistakes! ;-)

Re: Past History

I have just finished reading "The Folkboat Story" (interesting reading) which has a short section (4-5 pages) on the Contessa 26 history.  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew if the first Contessa 26, model 001, is still active or not.  Also, what was the last model # built.  The interesting part is that the famous model 324 (Tania Aebi) was given to 2 Contessa 26, so the final model number may not be the total built which has been quoted at 400.