Franklin Woodroffe

Franklin Woodroffe was the inaugural winner of the Edinburgh Cup in 1949 with Blue Skies, which was jointly owned with boat builder Clare Lallow. The Edinburgh Cup was the British Open National Championship for Dragon class boats. Woodroffe retained the title in 1950 and with Blue Skies he also won the Solent Division championship (1949), the Royal London Yacht Club’s Cayley Memorial Cup (1949 and 1950), and the Ganymede Bowl for the most points by a Dragon during Cowes Week, in 1951. The boat was sold to a new Russian owner in 1952, and prior to the launch of Blue Skies II in 1959, Woodroffe and Lallow launched the Dragon class Vodka. In 1954, Woodroffe also had success with the Bermudan sloop Lothian, and in 1952 was a member of the 5-man crew aboard the 6-metre class Titia at the Helsinki Olympics.

Woodroffe served in the Lothians and Border Yeomanry during World War II, and in 1944 was awarded the Military Cross. Before the War, he joined the old-established firm of family sailmakers Ratsey and Lapthorn who were founded in the 1790s. They became one of the biggest sailmakers in the world and regularly supplied sails for America’s Cup boats. They were also responsible for sails on Horatio Nelson’s flagship Victory prior to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Woodroffe became chairman of Ratsey and Lapthorn in 1958 and the following year they were granted the Royal Seal when appointed sailmakers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Woodroffe was at one time the rear-commodore of the Cowes-based Island Sailing Club. He legally changed his name by Deed Poll to Franklin Ratsey-Woodroffe in June 1962.