Back in the early ’30s, Manhattan financer John Whitney commissioned Purdy Boat Company of Long Island, New York, to build Aphrodite as a commuter yacht. She was planked with Philippine mahogany and powered by modified 1,500-hp V-12 aircraft engines. Her guest list included Laurence Olivier, Fred Astaire, Spencer Tracey, Katherine Hepburn and Shirley Temple.
Check out this interview of her current captain, Kirk Reynolds, by The Day:
Royce rescued the vessel from a muddy slip, where Aphrodite was actively sinking, and financed a 2-year restoration at the Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine. The more than 40,000-hour restoration replaced all the original wood, and preserved Aphrodite’s splendor, which had decayed after more the 40 years of neglect. You can read more about Aphrodite in Soundings’ November 2012 issue.
