Warren See "Top Gear" ?

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Don't know if you get the "Top Gear" car program with Jeremy Clarkson.

Last night it had several shots with Flying Fifteens.

And a capsize (Toyota Ute).

[Wild Wassa]

Stazza,

I always watch Top Gear. ''BBC World' is my favourite channel ... my car a Volvo 245 wagon, I even call it 'The STIG'.

What FF's Stazza? I don't like them any more ... Bernard and I came 4th on the weekend ... I've gone off them.

Thanks for the heads-up, I'll catch up with the latest Top Gear.

The trouble with programs about Flying Fifteens is, they say bullship like, "they are difficult boats to sail, the boat needs a lot of finessing and a solid understanding of the principles of sailing" and bullship stuff like that.

No they don't, you just have to have a tactically savvy Skipper who doesn't blow it. The boats are as smooth as silk to sail. I hope Clarkson said real stuff like that.

We had the race shot to bits last weekend and my beloved Skipper goes off weaving in and out of a herd of floating caravans (Elliots, Sonatas,Thompsons and Farrs and those odd looking Flying Dutchmen with cabins, which I call Flying Dutchmen on steriods) to check out the chicks. I said nothing, I was too busy finessing the boat during his mental absence and sailing aberrations. Clarkson should have interviewed my Skipper if he wanted to spice up the program.

Warren.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

...
Thanks for the heads-up, I'll catch up with the latest Top Gear.

The trouble with programs about Flying Fifteens is, they say bullship like, "they are difficult boats to sail, the boat needs a lot of finessing and a solid understanding of the principles of sailing" and bullship stuff like that.

...

Nah - they're not difficult boats to sail, they're not even difficult to sail fairly well - but they are really hard to win in.


Picked up a secondhand book at the weekend which has an essay on the FF - written in 1963 by Uffa Fox - brilliant - I'll see if I can get the sprog to type it up.

[Wild Wassa]

Stazza, they are hard to win in for sure, around here.

'Stirfry' only had two wins this year in a twenty race series, because John Tracy the Aussie Modern FF Champion and a past Tasar World Masters Champion and Matt Owen the Aussie Silver FF Champion and Peter Harvey dual 505 champion, sail in our fleet. Bernard and I were only off the podium a few times this year when we raced, we were a touch lucky. Last season we came third in the point score (and we missed 6 races), this coming season we won't beat John Tracey and Craig Murphy (crew) they are in a class of their own, but coming second is not out of the question for us next season.

We sail in a fleet of over thirty boats. The Canberra Yacht Club's Flying Fifteen fleet is the second largest fleet of FFs in the country only surpassed in boat numbers by the South Fremantle Yacht Club, they have 45 FFs.

They really are wonderfull dinghies, once you calibrate the muscle box and keep the boat well faired and treat the sails god-like and keep your body in good shape. The fitter you are, the better you sail them.

As Bernard said to me the other day when we were launching the boat, "I like the wind being up, when there is a small boat alert, that's only entry level." Too true.

In an FF it is all layed on within arm's length, muscle box, ram, prebend, just your norrmal boat adjustments. As crew, I just try to keep the Skipper focussed and the strings untangled and the gears ratios in the correct tensions.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/pc523ed7815e17fbf3ddb0e0ef4d96430/eeebf17b.jpg


The shot below is from an Irish FF site.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid197/p2ca9d967c87dcc58979eceb16e6d883a/f1022ea9.jpg


No wonder they are looking at her.

Warren.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

This was written by Uffa Fox(designer of the FF) in 1963.

Part 1


THE GOLDEN RULE of yachting is that the boat we should sail in has a length of 1ft. for every year of our life. When we are tenyears of age a 10ft. dinghy is ideal – it is within our strength and ability. When we are seventy, we need a vessel 70ft. in length, so that we can have not only a captain to run it but also a steward to look after our bodily needs.
But the Flying Fifteen is another kettle of fish altogether, for at sixty seven years of age I still enjoy sailing her, as being easily driven, she needs only a small sail area to drive her at exciting speeds.

Her design came to me as swift as light when I was enjoying my bath in those magic moments of anticipation between a day’s work and the joy of the evening ahead with friends, for in the bathroom we enjoy our own private thoughts- thoroughly relaxed in the warmth and buoyancy of the bath itself.
All over the world, present-day centre-board design is based on the lines and practice I developed in the International 14 ft. class some forty years ago.
If you open any yachting book published before 1928 you will never see a reference to planning and planning speeds in sailing boats. It took me several years to develop lines that would sail to windward well and also hydroplane over rather than through the water, at double the boats normal speed off the wind, directly the wind was brave enough, whereas today on almost every page dealing with small boat sailing there either photographs or talk of planning. All of this, together with kicking straps and the various improvements in rig conceived in 1923 and born in 1928 with the International 14 footer Avenger with which I won Fifty two firsts, two seconds and three thirds in fifty seven starts in one season. As I was a cruising and not a rtacing man this record illustrates the great step forward in design with Avenger,for, being the only planning boat at that time, she was invincible directly there was a wind of twelve miles an hour or more.

After this, for many years, I had at the back of my mind the idea to make the heavier keel boat plane. In order to do this she had to be a light boat, good in a sea way and with a low and moderate rig, for she would only excel in strong weather when a tall rig would overpower and undo her.

It was only natural that I should step out with the International 14 footer in my mind when I walked towards this keel-boat design. So the Flying Fifteen has the same height, size and weight mast and the same mainsail and jib as the International 14 footer, the only exception in the rig being that the jib is 18 in. higher on the mast and is spread 18in. forward from the mast, having less overlap but breathing more air.

The lines of the hull show that she is 15 ft. long on the waterline and 20 ft. overall with 5 ft. beam so she is six ft. longer than the International 14 footer overall with approximately the same beam.
In the old days the International 14 footers had drop keels weighing 100 to 140 lb. Nowadays, when every effort is made to plane at the earliest moment, the drop keels are made of wood, which, of course, tends to float instead of sink so they have gained in speed but lost stability.

The Flying Fifteen, on the other hand, has a shark like fin-keel that weighs 400lb. This makes the boat steady and easy to sail, form with her six foot of extra length and the 400 lb. Weight in the fin keel and only an International 14 footer mast and sails, she is easy and safe although swift and exciting.

Now seventeen years after I designed the class, when I an sixty seven and should be sailing a 67 ft. boat, I am still happy and contented in a Flying Fifteen because, although as fast as an International Dragon and most often faster than an International Star, she is great fun to sail for an afternoon race lasting about two hours.

Younger chaps have sailed Flying Fifteens up and down the English Channel, also across to Cherbourg from the Isle of Wight and back, but I am quite contented with an exciting afternoon race on the Clyde, in Ireland or the Solent.

The hull only weighs 275 lb., the fin-keel 400 lb. and the mast 27 lb. The complete boat, with all sails and gear, weighs 750 lb.; she is therefore easily trailable.

In earlier years I took the fin-keel off Flying Fifteens and put this in the back of the car. Then I lashed the hull, mast and boom to a superstructure over my Humber Super Snipe and travelled to Scotland, Ireland and so on at any speed I wished, for there was ten a speen limit of 30 m.p.h. with a trailer. But now that this has been raised to 40 m.p.h. I have a much better combination. A Terry-designed and sprung trailer not only takes the Flying Fifteen but also the Fairey Dinky behind my 3-litre Rover car. Its automatic change ensures that the driver never overloads the car, and 40 m.p.h. means we can get from England to Scotland in reasonable time.

Whereas keel-boats are confined to sailing in their own area, the Flying Fifteen, because of its portability, can enjoy sailing anywhere, such as Pitsford resevior in the middle of England as well as anywhere on the coast, for the Flying Fifteen is equally at home on the open sea or on inland waters. It can be taken anywhere a car will go and owners have enjoyed as many as six different sailing centres in a season.

The Flying Fifteen is faster than the International Star when there is no wind at all and you can see your face mirrored in the water. When it blows 3 to 10 m.p.h. the International Star is a little faster, due to the fact the Star’s sail area is double that of the Flying Fifteen. In winds of 10 m.p.h. there is no difference in their speed round the course, but in all winds above 12 m.p.h. the Flying Fifteen is faster as both have a crew of only two bu now the long mast on the Star and her enormous sail areas overpower her and in 19m.p.h. wind the Flying Fifteen beats the Star by three minutes a mile dead to windward.

The Portsmouth Harbour Sailing Association invented a yard-stick that would measure all boat speeds and enable handicappers all over Britain to give any class boat a fait handicap without ever having seen it sailed before. The Flying Fifteen is on exactly the same mark of the yard-stick as the International Dragon. As the Flying Fifteen costs a quarter the price of a Dragon or International Star, it can be seen that it is the boat that gives the greatest fun for the least money.

continued next post

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

A sail I shall never forget was the Royal Southern Yacht Club race from Hamble to Yarmouth then back to Hamble the following day. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Coweslip was entered, but due to pressure of work he could not be with her, so his former secretary, Commander Michael Parker, R.N., steered her with the Dukes equerry, Squadron Leader Michael Horsfield, R.A.F., and myself as crew.
It was blowing hard at the start, and when we reached the broken water in the Solent we had to reef. After passing Cowes there was a steep sea for such a little boat with the south west wind directly against the tide. We could not sail her for long in the full strength of the tide, because of the seas we shipped at the speed we were going, and so we continually tacked into the lee of the island shore and out again into as much tide as we could stand, then back again into the shelter of the island.

The first time we called on out squadron leader equerry to bale out, as we had shipped a lot of water, he attempted to jump overboard, giving the R.A.F. interpretation to the order. After we had explained he became quite good at bailing.
We arrived at Yarmouth about half-way down the fleet, and then went ashore for a most enjoyable dinner. The following morning there was still a strong wind and in amongst it a great thunderstorm curving round in a half-circle over Yarmouth. In the race there were great schooners, cutters and yawls, and as it was a running start they were all busily occupied getting their spinnakers ready.

I said to Mike “We will not set our spinnaker as this thunderstorm will shift the wind 90°. We must run with it as we can until the weather has settled down. If we set the spinnaker we shall be in trouble.”
At the five minute gun the great cruisers were running to the line with their spinnakers up, and still the thunderstorm had not struck. But between the five minute gun and the starting gun came torrential rain, hail stones and the roaring of the wind as the thundercloud with all its fury burst upon us. The great ships rolled and lay over on their beam ends; some gybed and wrapper spinnakers round their forestay and rigging and almost the whole fleet was in trouble.
Meanwhile Coweslip, even without a spinnaker, was only just controllable, for she was planing along at a terrific speed with the white water flying up on each side. We were sailing like a horse in blinkers, as we only had a narrow view straight ahead between the high spray flying up on both sides.
As it was ebb tide we kept on the gybe which took us nearest to the island shore where the tide ran against us least, then with the wind shifting we had to gybe, a frightening thing in this weight of wind, otherwise we should have been ashore, then after a while with the wind still shifting, we had to gybe once again.

We were grateful that we were in such a small boat with only 100 sq. ft. of sail in the mainsail as this enables us to twist and turn to suit the shifting wind and still keep close to the land in smooth water out of the foul tide.

Meantime the rest of the fleet with their great sails were battling and struggling out in the full strength of the adverse tided and hardly moving ahead.

By the time we were ate Salt Mead Ledge Buoy, half-way up the Solent we had a lead of three miles from the rest of the fleet. Though the wind now settled down and was steady enough for the fleet to set its light sails and kites and travel fast, we also set our spinnaker and continued planning up the Solent at an exciting and exhilarating speed with white water flying out each side. Although some of the larger yachts closed the gap we arrived in the Hamble river first with a lead of over two miles from the second boat, and so won on the two days’ race easily from the whole of the fleet.
This race illustrates why at the age of sixty-seven I can still sail the 15 ft. waterline and 20 ft. overall Flying Fifteen, for she has the stability of a keel yacht and the small sails of a 14 ft. dinghy – a combination that makes for easy and safe sailing.

[Wild Wassa]

Stazza, Thanks for the article, it was very enjoyable to read. It certainly adds to the richness of racing in the Class.

When John Tracy and Craig Murphy won this year's Australian Championships the Duke of Edinburgh sent them a letter of congratulations. The trophy here is called the Coweslip Cup. The trophy was first presented by Prince Phillip, when I was just a toddler and is named after his boat 'Coweslip' that was given as a present from Uffa Fox for his marriage to Queen Elizabeth. Prince Phillip is the Patron of the Australian FF Association. I've held the Cup in my hands and it felt good. It looks like a flower opening, and is crafted in gold and silver. It is only a small trophy but it has an incredible presence and provenance of course.

Hwyl once wrote, "Uffa Fox guaranteed his place in Heaven when he designed the Flying Fifteen." I think he is right. If Fox had have designed a Modern boat first up rather than the Classic, he may have gone straight to hell. Despite a Classic only being a grand or two nowadays, if they have good sails they can still do well on handicap. A classic having her first race in our fleet was the first FF home on Sunday on corrected time. I shouldn't have faired the new boat's keel last week ... that was a mistake hey!

This is a 'Classic' called 'Vendetta', the current Australian Classic Champion. Classics have registration # up to 2700.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid199/pf887094cfc4a1a6cb53df0d41a78c4bc/f09807f8.jpg


This is a 'Silver' design called 'Swinger' she is not the current ' Australian Silver Champion, 'Dumb and Dumber' is. 'Dumb and Dumber' is in our CYC fleet, I don't have a photograph of her but I'll photograph her tomorrow to complete the group. Silvers have registration numbers from 2701 to 3200.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid197/p4de8e612168ce7c565947e9347811c30/f1022d64.jpg


This is a 'Modern' called 'Wings', the current Australian Modern Champion. Modern boat registration numbers are 3201+.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p495a16950a1e039f4a5ba310c5cb311a/eedf872f.jpg


The comment Fox made about the Flying Fifteen being one quarter of the price of both a Dragon and a Star, I wonder if that still holds true? The new carbon composite FF's from Sail Power Marine in Western Australia are over $40,000AU. Each year, a limit of fifty boats are made world wide to promote the class and to guarantee that the Classics are still raced. The CYC fleet has three Classics still racing.

A boat I'm working on at the moment ... doing gel coat repairs, is "Final Fling'. Final Fling has a good cockpit layout. The jib tracks and cars and jib cleats and spinnaker sheet cleats are recessed, making it very comfortable for the crew. On 'Stirfry' I sit on this stuff when hiking out, as the boat is a bit old fashioned.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p664cd0d43883b391a4b18efff185fccb/eedf78b5.jpg


Warren.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Yup, Just read it. The book was an epic find - 10p in Oxfam (a charity shop).

[Wild Wassa]

Thanks as well Ian.

I'll post an account of an Australian Skipper's first sail with Uffa Fox when the Aussies were were trialling Fox's prototype and thinking about importing the Class. This will take me a bit of time to type as I'm a two finger plodder.

Warren.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

The comment Fox made about the Flying Fifteen being one quarter of the price of both a Dragon and a Star, I wonder if that still holds true? The new carbon composite FF's from Sail Power Marine in Western Australia are over $40,000AU.

The man seems to be about right.
Pinnel and Bax are quoting £10K plus for a new Ovington

Dragons:
Dragon basic glass http://www.petticrows.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.dragonPrice1 £40K
Dragon C.M. wood http://www.petticrows.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.dragonPrice4 £100K

[Wild Wassa]

This article was written by the Editor and first published in 'Seacraft' magazine in January 1949. The use of the word 'queer' is politically incorrect nowadays because I don't think that Uffa Fox was.

"... but look at the fin," I interjected; "where do you get lateral resistance in a cut-away shape like that - surely she must make a lot of leeway?" "We will soon find out," said Uffa Fox casualy.

'My Dainty Duck' didn't take long to rig, after she had been lowered by hand-operated crane from the pier at Torquay to the water below.

Soon we were weaving our way out of the harbour, and sailing for'ard. I immediately sensed the boat's easy motion.

A strong gust abaft the beam immediately shot her into an effortlessly plane and I thrilled to it swinging out over the surging bow wave. I could see that Uffa was getting a kick out of it too. He nicknamed me "Australia."

I was anxious to see if she made any appreciable leeway but as far as I could estimate, she made not a degree more than any other racing boat. This was borne out later when we paced the Olympic 'Swallows', 'Dragons and 'Stars' on the wind, leaving them completely when the wind came on or abaft the beam.

Although the lateral area of the keel is considerably less than that of a centreboard, it seems to be no less effective.

The queer designed cast iron fin and bulb keelweighs 380 lbs and the entire displacement of the craft is less than 1000 lbs. Most of the ballast is concentrated over the maximum draft of 2ft 6inches.

"Now let's see what she can do in rough water, "Australia," he said, as we headed out of Torquay into the Channel and right into the path of a wicked-looking black rain squall. Uffa appeared a little concerned as it hit us "with it's boots on," but quickly summing up the situation, he said decisively, "we won't bother to reef, 'Australia', just swing her in the squalls and give her a bit o'sheet if she needs it."

The rain fell in bucketfulls and 'My Dainty Duck' raced through the murk like "a bat out of hell." The seas were making up quite a bit, and more than one green wave smacked me full in the chest as I swung right out, but only spray came aboard. I noticed that in the event of a complete knock-down the wide side decks kept the water out and the keel gave her a quick recovery.

A vee-shaped breakwater across the fordeck kept out everthing but spray.

That morning we sailed in all kinds of airs and I was able to gain a first-hand observation of the Fifteen's capabilities. I was duly impresed.

The Fifteens have given an excellent performance when racing in strong winds with a crew of three. In light weather the Fifteen has all the life and feeling of an open boat rather than ayacht, and her small area of wetted surface makes her very speedy and easily driven, Although the righting moment of the keel gives her good stability, it is necessary to sit her up in a hard breeze; pushing her to windward involves nothing like the hard work of keeping an open boat afloat and sailing with "live ballast.'

The boat incorporates many new features of special interest to Australian and New Zealand yachtsmen.

The mast sits on the fordeck of the fin keel, which forms the girder to take the thrust of the mast. There is a jack in the heel of the mast to tighten up the shrouds and so rigging screws are eliminated.

The sections and waterline are practically identical to those of the latest International fourteen footers, also designed by Uffa Fox but alittle larger all round. The sail plan is only slightly larger than that of the International Fourteen. The total area of the mainsail and jib being only 151 square feet. The cockpit floor is square and unobstructed centreboard thwart, giving a surprising amount of room to move about in and could provide tolerable sleeping accommodation with an awning thrown over the boom.

The fixed-type Gunter rig version is of very simple construction, requiring only one halliard, a claw ring is permanently pivotted on top of the mast and the yard slides through it, being hoisted by the halliard to it's heel. The rudder is hung aft, in a specially designed watertight cavity.

Because of her lightness,when the fin is unbolted,the Fifteen can be trailed behind a medium sized car, just as easily as a dinghy. The bulbed keel can be placed in the car boot.

Drawers on either side of the mast, slide under the fordeck, providing neat stowage for jib and spinnaker.

Performance was proved even more remarkable in the latter part of the season when 'My Daiinty Duck', sailed by Uffa Fox, had to give away time allowances of five minutes in the hour to both Swallows and Dragons, which was all the more amazing, as both classes have five and six feet more at the waterline.

The Flying Fifteen was developed from the Pensive Temptress, which proved too unorthodox for the YRA when they were looking for a suitable 200 square foot One Design National keel boat and accepted the Swallow. Pensive Temptress was rejected because she had a cast iron keel instead of the specified wood and lead.

The boat was designed for racing, to be handled by a crew of two.

Australia's two premier builders are Peter Mudford and Bill Shand. The boats have come along way since Fox built his first wooden boat.

Peter Mudford (cap) and Rupert Leslie in 'Saltheart', Sail Power Marine's new carbon composite.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p75822ceeeb2fe8010c0b2ff40899fd05/eedd87fc.jpg


Mr Flying Fifteen, Bill Shand skippering 'Reliance Ffenty Ffoo'. Shand Boats' latest boat.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p9083aa777cd75b23da54d5e57473ea27/f061d63d.jpg


'Dumb and Dumber' the Australian Silver Class Champion, skippered by Matt Owen, he is also the Australian Elliot Seven sports boat Champion.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/pa1c1bc63cfe7d8c9d05039a9f5e2fecc/eedd8825.jpg



http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pf387ef7fe712953970cd1d2d6f14b986/f050a7ee.jpg


'Iffy' a Classic Fifteen, has a fine paint job, silver metalic automotive polyurethane, three coats ... then a couple of coats of clear. She has held her age well.

The four photographs above are by Martin Van der Hoek from the CYC and all are on Lake Barely Sailable.

Warren.

[Wild Wassa]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p92f2a0ef6e377a00a1f389b02fabf375/eed9b52b.jpg


Exactly.

Warren.