From the Editor
Great news about the 2012 Olympics. Part of the praise must go to the Royal Yachting Association

On the Wind
We visit the new National Sailing Academy in Weymouth to assess the area’s potential to host the 2012 sailing Olympic Games and eye up the new talent which might sail for Britain when the time comes. Plus: French solo record-breaker Francis Joyon hits the rocks in his big red trimaran, and a tribute to Sir Edward Heath

Competition
Win a complete B&G Hercules 2000 instrument and pilot system, worth £17,000

Pass me the canapés
Art student Lia Ditton arrives in Newport wet and hungry at the end of the Faraday Mill OSTAR

We sail a VOR70
Telefonica MoviStar broke the 24-hour record on her maiden run, aptly demonstrating the awesome potential of this new breed of Volvo racer. Matthew Sheahan went to Spain to find out how the beast sails

The Walrus
The Walrus harks back to the delightful double- entendres of the 1970s and wonders why we no longer sell boats with the slogan: ‘Every night she puts away four doubles and a single’

Letters
Why companies in Britain are getting ‘Global Challenge fever’; why Skandia Wild Thing didn’t have fully comprehensive insurance at last year’s Sydney-Hobart Race; and why dayboats can give you backache

Robin Knox-Johnston
71-year-old Japanese sailor Minoru Saito, who has become the oldest person to circumnavigate solo and unassisted, is an inspiration to us all

Gear
‘Push-away’ fenders, stay-clear sprayhood windows, better bungee and a bargain Lowrance GPS. Plus: a special feature on DIY weather forecasting with your own electronic weather station

Bumper year for new boats
We feature 26 new boats, all of which can be seen at the Southampton International Boat Show. Plus a guide to where, when and how much it costs to visit

Leading Edge
His new canting-keel skiff put a Big Grin on Mike Browne’s face when she proved to be exhilarating for disabled and able-bodied sailors alike

Yachts
Restoring Bloodhound, once owned by the Queen and Prince Philip; an all-new 59 from Fairlie; victorious TP52 in the Med

Design that launched 1000 ships
We look back at the Arpege, the Dufour design which started the process of production building. And we test two of the latest models from the revamped company, the Dufour 365 and 455 Grand Large

Scotland the easy way
A hard slog up the Irish Sea puts off many potential cruisers of the Western Isles, which is why Elaine Bunting chose to charter, so she and her crew could enjoy the ageless scenery and fresh seafood without having to share

High life in high latitudes
Even further north, David Glenn joined the 180ft Adèle for a cruise to Norway’s Lofoten Islands, which made a spectacular backdrop to the beautifully appointed superyacht

Classic midsummer in Oslo
Norwegians celebrate the summer solstice like true seafarers – afloat. Alan Harper ships aboard the classic yawl Guri for a night of parties and prawns among 10,000 yachts on Oslofjord

Cruising
A shipwrecked Canadian yachtsman is rescued from a tiny Pacific island; rough ride thins the Sail8 rally; a yachtsman disarms a Venezuelan attacker and Don Street’s special report on hurricane preparation

Great Seamanship
Gales, ice and mountainous seas were all in a day’s work for the crews of the rakish pilot schooners of America’s East Coast as they raced each other to get their pilots aboard visiting ships

Racing: America’s Cup double Act
Matthew Sheahan reports from Acts 4 and 5 of the America’s Cup in Valencia, where spectators are getting unprecedented views of the action and there were some surprising successes among the smaller teams. Plus: Commodores’ Cup news and a new X

SuperSail
Fly One, a 93-footer from Southern Wind in Cape Town; a Tripp 78 for Nautor’s new Custom Division; the 131ft Royal Huisman Antares on trial in Palma

Yachts for sale
1,000s of boats in our Brokerage pages

Classified Ads
Mid-summer bargains in our classified pages

Last word
Top XOD, Flying Dutchman and J24 sailor Stuart Jardine talks of Cow