Fox and the hound?

[lapworth]

Have you ever played fox and the hound on a checker board? It's pretty simple one player starts with three checkers (hounds) on his side. These pieces can only move forward. The other player gets one checker (the fox) that can move forward and back. The objective is to get the fox past the hounds. I was thinking this game could also be played with sailboats. Any advice or players?