APHRODITE

Owner Chuck Royce

Captain James Thieler

APHRODITE is a commuter yacht with a past as rich as her gleaming black hull suggests. She was built in 1937 by Purdy Boat Company for John Hay “Jock” Whitney, one of New York's most prominent figures of the mid-twentieth century and American Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Each morning, Whitney’s 45-minute run down the East River from his Long Island estate gave him just enough time to read the New York Herald-Tribune, a newspaper he happened to own. No doubt he enjoyed many sunsets on the water after a day at the office.

“Commuter boats” like APHRODITE were popular among the successful businessmen of the era. They shared common features such as long, narrow hulls for a smooth ride on the choppy Long Island Sound, sleek lines, and above all else speed. These were among the fastest private vessels afloat, powered by the finest engines money could buy. But even among this distinguished fleet, APHRODITE stood apart. Her clipper bow and torpedo stern gave her a profile unlike any other, and nearly ninety years later that silhouette remains just as arresting.

Her guest list over the years reads like a page from a golden age scrapbook: Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy. Henry Ford II and Nelson Rockefeller were among the business titans who came aboard. She was, by any measure, a vessel at the center of things.

When war came, APHRODITE traded glamour for duty. She served the United States Navy as a PT boat test bed, as a torpedo vessel, and as an escort on the Hudson River for large ships and trains running along the banks.

The years after the war were less kind to her, but she proved resilient. A refit in 1984 returned her to the water, and a subsequent restoration by her current owner, Charles Royce, brought her back to pristine condition she is in today. She continues to set the bar for what a classic commuter yacht should be.