Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
Having raced an Uffa Fox designed Flying Fifteen for some time, I was intrigued by the above headline as the Flying Fifteen was not the most comfortable boat to sail, and as one wag always said “they all go sideways together upwind”!!
But he was an apparent genius, and was described as the man, more than any other, who made skilled sailing everyman’s sport.
And besides monohulls, even in 1958 when this feature was penned, there is an accompanying small feature on the Bell Cat he designed.
“Uffa Fox sailed into maritime history 30 years ago, when be doubled the speed of racing dinghies by making them skim over the water instead of plowing through it. Since then he hasn’t let anyone forget him. He keeps boating circle abuzz with sensational new designs or screwball pranks which are just as sensational.
“At a recent Cowes Week Uffa-designed craft wrecked the competition by finishing first in each of the four events in which they were entered one Saturday. Elated, the Maestro capped the day by firing one of Lord Nelson·s cannon in the crowded bar of one of the more distinguished yacht clubs.
Uffa was referred to by Prince Phillip as his “sailing advisor” – better credentials are hard to come by.
READ MORE HERE: 1958 07-08 – SA Yachting – UFFA – OCR
