Uffa Fox was the most celebrated and successful yacht designer in the world. Much more than a sailor and boat designer, he was an irrepressible extrovert and novel thinker, as well as a singer, musician, journalist, author, painter, sportsman, campaigner, controversial businessman and friend of royalty. In the years since his death his reputation has grown rather than diminished. This new biography, the first for fifty years, celebrates a Universal Man who not only changed his sport, his Island, and the lives of his friends, but also left an unfillable void. Such people are rare, and his story deserves to be remembered.

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It's a surprise more hasn't been written about Uffa Fox. Yet this is the first biography of the polymath, irrepressible extrovert and original thinker to be published in fifty years. Author Malcolm Turner gained the cooperation of many of Uffa’s friends, acquaintances and former employees. The book casts new light on his life and many achievements and contains many previously unpublished images.

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The friendship between Fox, the Duke and his closest aide Commander Michael Parker included off-the-water carousing with a whiff of scandal, as well as impressive racing successes. Fox praises the Duke’s ‘ability to take the boat across the tide with a free wind’ and explains why this matters. His clear analysis reflects his own brilliance as a racing sailor as well as a designer.

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One of the delights of reviewing books is the unexpected gem that grips you. This is one such book! I found myself chuckling out loud at Uffa's childhood exploits, and becoming more curious about his odd mix of skills. Of particular amusement was the details of his floating workshop in Cowes: how it was made, how the old features were reused, the finishing touches his wife added, and how council tax was avoided! I really feel the pace is kept going at all times in this book. Apparently this is what life with Uffa was actually like! His is a fascinating story, well worth reading. The book is printed on very high quality gloss paper. Consequently the photos have more chance to shine, compared to most books of this genre.