Uffa Fox

Uffa Fox CBE (15 January 1898 – 26 October 1972) was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast, responsible for a number of innovations in boat design. Not afraid of courting controversy or causing offence, he is remembered for his eccentric behaviour and pithy quotes, as much as for his original boat designs.

Life

Fox was born on the Isle of Wight and was raised in East Cowes.

In July 1921, Fox and a crew of nine sea scouts departed for the western Solent in a open whaler under the parental expectation that they were on a camping/sailing trip. He decided to extend the itinerary up the Seine towards Paris. In seven days, they travelled within 70 kilometres of the city when they turned around to return another five days later. After being met by the coast guard as presumed castaways, Fox was relieved of his role in the sea scouts.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in January 1963 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the Colston Hall in Bristol. He was also among the crew of the Typhoon, an account of which was written and published by William Washburn Nutting in In the Track of Typhoon (1922). Fox joined the crew in England for her transatlantic return via France, Spain, and the Azores into New York City.

He was a founding participant in the 1950s annual sea-side cricket match on Bramble Bank in the central Solent.

Fox died in October 1972.

Work

Fox was responsible for innovations in dinghy sailing that enhanced the popularity of the sport. His designs introduced planing hulls and trapezing to dinghy racing.

He established boat design and building businesses in the south of England. He designed many of the significant classes of boats around today, including the planing International 14, the Foxhound, the Foxcub and Super Foxcub, the Flying Fifteen, the Flying Ten, the National 12, the National 18, the Albacore, the Swordfish, the Firefly, the Javelin, the Pegasus Dinghy, the Jollyboat and the Day Sailer. The Britannia was described as "the Rolls-Royce of rowing boats, made of mahogany." It was self-righting, self-bailing and partly covered. He also designed Britannia II, used by Fairfax and Sylvia Cook to row across the Pacific Ocean in 1971 through 1972.