FOX IN THE DOCKS
He was my boyhood hero. I collected all his books, and as a cub reporter working for Yachts & Yachting magazine back in the early 1970s, I had the great privilege to meet the man. It was one of those lazy days during Cowes Week when what little wind there was continually boxed the compass and brought mayhem to the racing schedule. Too doddery by then to continue his usual role as sailing master to the Royal Family, Uffa Fox still had the mark of mischief that coloured so much of his life. Wearing nothing more than a night shirt, cap and carrying a candle he greeted Prince Charles back to the dock in the early evening light with “What kept you all this time?”
Uffa was one of the most significant 20 century characters within the sport, and certainly the most innovative, particularly in the field of dinghy and keelboat racing. He was one of the first to master the concept for a planing hull, the first to develop a reliable rotating mast, and
