Save this boat from Uffa Fox, the mad genius of sailing. It’s a gift!

Somebody save this boat! It is Flying Fox, a Flying Thirty Five designed by Uffa Fox, a famous British designer. For more than 10 years the boat has been in the boatyard in Monfalcone and unfortunately for this beautiful 48-footer from 1951 it has been ordered to be scrapped, but there are those who would like to save it and are looking for enthusiasts willing to give it new life. He deserves it.

Flying Fox

Flying Fox is a 14.70-meter sloop
built in 1951 on the island of Cowes, England, for Irishman Freddy Brownlee. The goal of this project was to provide a 35-foot-long boat at waterline length, but with a displacement, sail area, and wetted area (everything under the water, including the keel) of about half that of a traditional ocean racer. Flying Fox, in fact, compared to yachts of the time, boasts a reduced displacement, which has always made it a very competitive hull. It is very spacious, with an underdeck space height of 1.8 meters along the entire deckhouse, and can accommodate up to 7 people. It is equipped with a charting area, kitchen and bathroom.

The story of Flying Fox

According to what we have reconstructed, a mizzen mast had been added to the boat in the late 1950s because the owner felt that more sail area was needed than what Uffa Fox had planned. After a few changes of ownership, of which we have no record, lowered the National Yacht Club pennant, the yacht arrived in Genoa. About 30 years ago, it underwent a complete restoration, with new elements rebuilt philologically (mast, rudder complete with losca, bow starboard, etc.) and was fitted with a new engine that still has a few dozen motos on it. In 2010 he was enrolled in the AIVE but shortly thereafter a keel problem emerged, which then exposed the rotten planking, and forced him to rest in the yard where he has been lying ever since. A difficult but not impossible job.

Who is Uffa Fox

Uffa Fox was a British yacht designer responsible for numerous innovations in sailing that increased the popularity of the sport. His designs introduced planing hulls and the trapeze in dinghy racing. A friend of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, they often competed together at Cowes Week aboard Fox’s dragon “Fresh Breeze” and the Duke’s royal dragon “Bluebottle.” He designed many of the classes still in circulation today, including theInternational 14, the Flying Fifteen, the Firefly (single in the 1948 Olympics) and the Day Sailer (now a commonly used term defining boats with fun sailing performance and general ease of use suitable for family crews).

The boat is a gift!

Flying Fox’s owner is willing to give her away, as long as she is saved. One of our readers, willing to invest in it, is looking for enthusiasts who would like to share this project. If anyone is interested, please write to andreamarcomoro@gmail.com

Data Sheet

Overall length 14.70 m
Hull length 10.67 m
Maximum width 3.2 m
Draft 1.98 m
Standard displacement 7,500 kg
Sail area 59.6 square meters
Designer Uffa Fox
Medina Yards Ltd, Cowes

James Barbaro