Vigilant
LOA 34'6"
LWL 25'6"
Beam 6'4"
Draught 4'3"
Disp. 2 tons
Sail area 22 sq.meters - 236 sq. feet

Most known today as the 'father of planing sailboats', the famous British "Flying 14" designer drew and owned several Square Meter boats - most prominently his "Vigilant", a 22 square meter. He was captured by the Sq. Meters because they combined high performance sailing with cruising ability far better than other boat designs.

So much did he believe in the design that after launching Vigilant, Uffa took the boat for 2 spins in the Cowes area before loading the boat with food, extra sails and other gear and taking off for the races in Sandhamn, Sweden. The term 'loading' the boat is probably misleading when it comes to Uffa. There is a picture of him using the mirror of his sextant as a shaving mirror while cruising in a square meter. He captioned the picture with a comment about 'not bringing extra weight into these light boats'! But that rule apparently did not include dropping evening clothes with stiff shirt-fronts, because he was well prepared in Sweden. He received a cup after the races - not for winning, but for the trip to Sweden. He left his home port at 6.30 p.m. on Monday, June 30 1930 and used 17 days going north and 14 days returning. All told he racked up 2000 miles in just one summer in that boat, and gave glowing accounts of  making 9 knots average in a full gale for full sail while crossing from England to Sweden.

In comparing the 22 Sq. Meter with the 6 Meter he wrote that they were about the same length, had the same waterline but the 22 Sq. Meter weighed and cost about half as much and needed half the sail area to drive it. It made the boat exciting to sail; lively but easily handled. (Interestingly, the same observation was being made in USA at about the same time in comparison with the American ‘R’ classes, and the expectation was that they would be chosen for the 1931 Olympics. (Des. 1928 issue of "The Rudder") The design also matched Uffa's boat theory about centering the driving force as much as possible to keep the ends of the boat 'light and lively'. Then the long overhangs produce speed instead of digging holes with the bow or dragging sea with the stern.

Uffa Fox’s first 30 Sq. Meter was the Waterwitch (sail nr. 30K1), a Reimers design. He was quite sure the class would prosper due to'their liveliness and buoyant hulls' represented a type of boat that would appeal to many people. With the keel kept down to minimum length and a very efficiently shaped sail for windward work (high aspect sail on a mast well longer than the boat and a very short boom), they should prove competitive in any racing arena. This was proven by Blondie Hasler 9 years later when his 30 sq. meter won the small class championship and placed 3rd overall against the biggest and best of the next decades designs. In the 30's, Uffa Fox was probably the most prominant force for the creation of a British fleet of square meters. He was involved in bringing the Scandinavian 30's to race in England and personally issued a challenge to the Commodore of Beverly Yacht Club in Mass. USA. for a series of 5 races in 30-square meters in August 1937 with two boat teams representing each country. He hoped the Scandinavians would also join the fray after racing in England. As usual, Uffa's enthusiam carried the day. The races were an eye-opening experience for many on the American east coast and are said to be where genoas were introduced to American racing. The Scandinavian boats cleaned house.

Uffa's owership of Waterwitch quickly resulted in his own design, the "Sea Swallow", with the Fox trademark canoe-stern. Built in 1938, this boat was perhaps the beginning of the intense interest the 30 Sq. Meter won in the late 30’s as an international class. A hint of this can be seen in its early and later fate... entered in the 1938 Buzzards Bay, Mass. 30’s series and presently sailing in South Africa. Uffa’s boats certainly gave rise to the class in Britain.

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