Fox, Uffa

Uffa Fox (1898 to 1972) was an English boat designer from Cowes who pioneered the planing sailing dinghy. His 1928 International 14 Avenger won 52 of 57 starts that season, proving a light hard-chine hull could plane over its bow wave. He designed the Firefly, the 1948 Olympic single-hander, plus the Flying Fifteen, Albacore, and National 12, and developed an airborne lifeboat during World War II. His credo was a boat light enough to plane and cheap enough for a boy to own.