From the Editor
Why do these solo sailors put themselves through such hardship to sail round the world in the Vendee?

On the wind
Tony Bullimore joins in the Oryx Quest with revamped trimaran Daedalus; Gipsy Moth IV gets a clean bill of health ready for her restoration; MCA reports on the effects of wind farms on radar and communications; Global Challenge fleet feels the cold; latest on Vendée breakages and drop-outs

Ellen feels the strain
Although she was ahead of the round the world record at the time of going to Press, Ellen MacArthur had problems to solve, which required all her grit

Win a Michel Herbelin watch
One of two fabulous Michel Herbelin Newport Trophy watches to win, worth £450 each

Letters
Commercial yacht skippers need more than a Yachtmaster ticket; how to keep cool at Cowes; a broader view of insurance after Hurricane Ivan

Robin Knox-Johnston
The problems of getting rusty bolts out of a wooden hull

Gear from METS
The Marine Equipment Trade Show in Amsterdam is the best place to see all the latest gear likely to appear over the coming season. Mike Kopman reviews some of the most interesting products, including winners of the Design Awards

Leading Edge

It’s easy to scoff at disaster movies, but research has revealed some disturbing trends in sea levels which seems to indicate they are rising faster at the coasts

Yachts
European price war? As top builders compete with ranges of bargain boats, Matthew Sheahan looks at the great deals you could get at shows this year. Plus an alloy Sleeker and the Black Rider 40 fast cruiser

On test: 46ft cruisers
Nautor revisit the pure cruiser with their new, solidly built Swan 46, while Swedish builder Arcona introduce a speedy option. Mike Kopman looks at two quite different cruising concepts

Surf Safari
Mike Kopman is impressed with the Gunboat 62, a big cruising cat that means business

Modern Classic: Bowman 46
A dream to sail, the Bowman 46 is one of the prettiest boats on the water. Thomas Bourne sailed one across the Atlantic and gives his verdict

Return of the Big Class
Racing again after 70 years, the newly restored International 19-metre Mariquita had a fantastic first season in the Med. Jonty Sherwill reports

Across the roof of the world
Richard Wood is the winner of the Musto International Cruising Award for his courageous voyage through the North-West Passage in a home-built 42-footer designed for the ice

Steady as she goes
It was a slow and gentle crossing in this year’s Atlantic Rally for Cruisers – for some, too slow. Elaine Bunting talked to the crews as they reached St Lucia to try to find the secret for a successful crossing A short hop to Scotland
It’s not as far as you think to sail from Hamble to the cruising grounds of Scotland’s west coast. Matthew Sheahan found the delivery a cruise in itself

Where’s Wally now?
Known as builders of ground-breaking minimalist cruisers, Wally have just launched their first production boat, the Wally 80. Mike Kopman reports

Cruising
Ingenuity in extremis: why the solo Vendée sailors are an inspiration to cruisers for their problem- solving. Plus: Lively Lady sails again and the Beer regatta is scrapped because of public liability costs Great Seamanship
The 23-metre Shamrock was the trial partner for Shamrock IV in the 1920 America’s Cup, but she had some trials just getting to America, as her mate records Racing
Rules in action: ISAF rules guru Bryan Willis explains the changes to the racing rules for the next four years; Tom Schnackenberg is axed from Team NZ and do ABN Amro have the Volvo in the bag?

Inside Track
Andrew Preece picks his favourites to win the Vendée Globe – has he picked the winner?

SuperSail
As the world’s superyacht fleets grow, the problem of providing enough suitable crew is becoming acute. David Glenn talks to Cowes-based UKSA,who are doing something about it Yachts for sale
1,000s of boats in our Brokerage pages

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Last word
Grant Dalton answers Andrew Preece’s questions about his triumphs, his fears and his inspiration