Flying Fifteen (keelboat) - History

History

The Flying Fifteen was quickly popular and the most famous Flying Fifteen is Coweslip presented to the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present. Uffa Fox and Prince Philip frequently sailed together at Cowes.

The Flying Fifteen has been modernised over the years with Uffa Fox agreeing to changes towards the end of his life to improve the design specification and sail plan. By this time, the class had established itself in a number of countries and when John Calvert-Jones came from Australia and won the UK championships, the stimulus was provided for the move to seek international status. Under the guidance of Tom Ratcliffe, an International Federation of Flying Fifteen Associations was formed by nine countries from four continents. The first world championships were held in Perth, Australia in 1979 and subsequently have alternated between the Northern and Southern hemispheres biennially. The first European Championship took place in Spain in May 2004.

The 2005 World Championships took place at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland, New Zealand during March 2005, and were won by Nick and Janet Jerwood sailing AUS 3743. There was also a separate division for Silver and Classic Flying Fifteens which was won by Sandra Williams/Richard Fletcher in NZL 3165 and John Midolo/Rosemary Midolo in AUS 2672 respectively. The 2006 European Championships took place at Hayling Island Sailing Club in Great Britain in July 2006. The 2007 World Championships was at the Reial Club Nàutic de Port de Pollença in Spain during June 2007.

As of April 2008 The Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Melbourne Australia was planned to host the 2009 event.