Compo’s Mysterious Sailing Yacht: The “Rosehearty”; Owned by Westport Native
The 183’9ft Rosehearty gave pristine views for the crew and guests on-deck during Wednesday evening’s sailing regatta off of Westport's Compo Beach. Westport Local Press photo. The Rosehearty sits in the midst of a local sailing regatta on the Long Island Sound. Westport Local Press photo. The Rosehearty has made waves in Westport this week as many have noticed the sailing yacht anchored just off of Compo Beach.
The 56m/184ft Perini Navi-designed vessel is owned by former Westporter Joey Kaempfer, Chairman of London-based McArthurGlen, and is coming off of its Winter season spent in the Caribbean. The boat and its international crew were stuck in Bermuda for most of April while the islands experienced lockdowns due to COVID-19. The vessel left Bermuda for Newport, Rhode Island early last week - then traveling to Westport on the 17th, according to the online mapping system.
Now flying under the United Kingdom’s flag with its home port of Douglas, Isle of Man, the boat was built in Viareggio, Italy in 2006 and was purchased by Kaempfer from Rupert Murdoch. The boat was supposedly valued at 29.7 million dollars in 2014; the final selling price is unknown.
The boat is currently lead by Captain David Hutchison of Scotland and includes a team of co-captains, bosuns, stewardesses/stewards, chefs, and engineers.
The Rosehearty anchored off of Westport’s Compo Beach Wednesday evening. Westport Local Press photo. According to the vessel’s website, it has traveled the world - both under charters and for racing - including the navigation of icebergs in the Northern Passage, or racing off of Sardinia, Italy. The vessel will leave soon for its Summer charter season in the Mediterranean, where guests can charter the vessel and its eleven person crew for $225,00 per week. The charter includes on-board jet skis, SCUBA equipment, two seperate boats, seven guest suites, and a full fitness center. Maximum sailing speed is 17 knots, with the sails taking up a total of 16,146 square feet when open.
Kaempfer has traveled the globe aboard the Rosehearty, but he remained true to his roots this week - visiting his hometown and taking in a locally-famous Wednesday sailing regatta.
Morning Weather Report [05/20/21]
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tomorrow
Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Light south wind.
Wednesday Sailing Regattas Begin for the Season
Hound Dog of Ridgefield, Connecticut glides towards the C marker in this evening’s sailing regatta, about one half mile off of the coast of Compo Beach. One of Westport’s most unique and competitive traditions returned tonight as dozens of sailboats motored out of the harbor into the Sound for the Wednesday night sailing regatta. .
Each Wednesday night the boats from local yacht clubs, such as Cedar Point Yacht Club and Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club, gather off of Compo Beach for a friendly regatta - racing each other until sunset with crews of their friends and family. The boats are privately owned, with the committee boat being operated by Cedar Point Yacht Club.
Tonight’s races started off with calm winds and flat seas, however towards sunset - the winds picked up and created a moderate chop, leading to an exciting end to the first race of the season.
The clubs welcome members of the community to join their crews or participate in the Wednesday night regattas. Those interested should reach out to the Cedar Point Yacht Club, or the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club.
