Knocking about in Fowey

I am captain of the Fowey River Class Association, which has just celebrated its 70th anniversary. The class is called the ‘Fowey River’ now but is based on designs that were published in Yachting World in April 1939 and again after the war in November 1945.

The design was then called the ‘15 foot Yachting World Knockabout’, which must be about the worst name of a design ever!

Plans were available from Yachting World for £1-3s-6d. The first one was built in Fowey in 1949/50 and we have records of her racing in 1950.

The boats continued to be recorded as 15ft Yachting World Knockabouts until the mid 1960s when the Fowey River name was finally adopted.

There are 70 boats known to have been built in Fowey and their distinctive multicoloured sails are a feature of the Fowey harbour scene through the racing season. I have just published a book titled 70 Colourful Years, celebrating the history of the class. It’s available from foweyrivergallery.co.uk Andrew Dellow