CONTENTS

From the Editor
Would Sir Robin Knox-Johnston really want to swap his state of the art GPS and autopilot for a sextant and sight reduction tables?

On the Wind
Hooligan V loses her keel and capsizes off Start Point. One crewman dies. We look at her keel construction and consider the number of recent keel failures; Coutts and Cayard reveal a new race series in 70ft cats; Tornado sailor’s dramatic Atlantic crossing attempt

Competition
See the action at the Louis Vuitton Cup with this UBS competition

The Walrus
You couldn’t make it up. True stories of a floating island, 1001 uses of duct tape and ‘Brave Sir Robin’

Letters
Mis-selling of charter berths on the ARC; how to manoeuvre so your rig falls overside; explanation of Maltese Falcon’s weird wake; Blue Arrow foils to give away

Robin Knox-Johnston
Sir Robin speaks from the heart about the hardships of sailing across the Southern Ocean as he approaches Cape Horn on the Velux 5-Oceans single-handed race

Gear
Cut-price plotters; depth charting software; self-levelling radar; super-grip deckshoe from Harken

Green power
Are fuel cells the way forward for marine propulsion and charging? David Pugh investigates

Leading Edge
An innovative keel design uses theory from the 19th Century. Matthew Sheahan tests a new loop keel, which it is claimed will improve righting moment and dampen the tendency to roll downwind

Yachts
The latest yachts from the world’s biggest boat show in Düsseldorf. Plus: a 40ft mini America’s Cup boat and the Danish X Yachts go cruisingrer-type dinghy

On test
We test two very different cruisers with a good level of comfort and a taste for speed – the 40ft J/122 and the Dragonfly 35 trimaran

America’s Cup preview
It’s the final countdown. One more Act and we’re into the Louis Vuitton Cup to choose a Challenger to face the Defender in June this year. We look at the teams, dates and designs and compare the America’s Cup with Formula One motor racing

Run down at night
Every yachtsman’s nightmare – a container ship ploughed into Clark Beek’s 40-footer off Brazil. He describes his terrifying experience

Voyage into madness
A surprising number of people can cite an example of crew who have seriously ‘lost it’ at sea. Two extreme cases of serious mental disturbance in the Atlantic are only the tip of the iceberg

A large Pink Gin
An intoxicating cocktail of carbon composites, mock crocodile interior and mouth-watering performance in this 152-footer

Cruising
‘No evidence’ for MAIB accident statistics, says Tim Bartlett; cruising awards go to racers; the risks of tandem anchoring

Great Seamanship
Mystery fire. Eric Hiscock comes to the rescue of a burning motor boat at sea, but how many are on board and why are they so mysterious?

Racing
Laser SB3s at the Monaco Primo Cup; will the ‘spinnoa’ be the sail of the season? Commodores’ Cup shake-up

Inside Alinghi
The Cup Defender holds its own race series

Going for Gold
A haul of medals at the Miami Olympic Classes regatta, but Team GBR are still not happy

SuperSail
To launch this year from Royal Huisman: Endeavour II, Ethereal and Meteor. Plus: WallyIsland – is it a ship or a floating garden?

Yachts for sale
Classified ads

One Amazing Day
OSTAR memories of RCC Challenge Cup winner Richard Clifford