The Many Lives of Aphrodite

About the Book

The commuter yacht Aphrodite was built in the depths of the Great Depression by the Purdy Boat Company for Jock Whitney, one of the richest men in America. She hosted such show business personalities as Shirley Temple, David O. Selznick and Tallulah Bankhead. She served in the Coast Guard during World War II, where she served as an escort to the "Queen Mary" and a chase boat for PT boat trials. She has long been admired for her beautiful lines. Not once, but twice, the boat was rescued from near-certain scrapping, and today she continues to astonish viewers. This is her story, told by a descendant of the Purdy family, and accompanied by many photographs of her lives and her rebirth.

About the Author

ALAN E. DINN is the historian of the Purdy Boat Company, builders of Aphrodite. He is a grandson of company founder Ned Purdy. He has written about the company in WoodenBoat and Classic Boating magazines, and has lectured about the firm at the Antique Boat Museum and at other venues. His history of the firm, Boats by Purdy, was published by Tiller in 2003. When he is not working on nautical history projects, Alan is a logistics engineer at Northrop Grumman and is active in the lay ministry of the Episcopal Church. He enjoys kayaking and birding with his wife, Sue, and playing with his grandsons - to whom this book is dedicated.