On the Wind
One of the great spectacles in modern yachting – the Superyacht Cup in Palma; Britain’s bright new solo hopes; a gem of a Round the Island Race; drink ban surprises RYA

How the Cup was won
Matthew Sheahan has followed every step of the action in Valencia over the past three years. He describes the final showdown for the America’s Cup and considers what might happen next

The Walrus
Is this the end of the long tradition of getting completely legless aboard a boat? slurs The Walrus

Letters
Radar life-savers – what about AIS? Or could the techies come up with radar-reflecting sails?

Robin Knox-Johnston
Sir Robin goes to Valencia and is impressed by the sheer spectacle of the event and the quality of racing

The Great Atlantic Gear Test
The best and most reliable gear as tested by 200 skippers sailing across the Atlantic in the ARC. David Pugh presents the results of our survey on autopilots, self-steering gear and
electronic charts

Leading Edge
Inflatable battens are one of
the many innovations of the America’s Cup and superyachts that could find their way into mainstream sailing in the not too distant future

Yachts
Collaboration between Dutch superyacht designer André Hoek and Wally produces the Wally Nano, a sleek weekender. Plus Hoek’s new 203-footer
hy
No spots on Leopard (Cover Story)
Mike Slade’s new 100-footer is a lean and hungry-looking beast, which tasted first blood in the Round the Island Race. David Pugh sails on her

On test: Sweden Yachts 54
This Scandinavian company compare themselves with BMW and their latest flagship mixes classic good looks with superb workmanship

100 years of the Metre Rule
This summer Cowes will host the Centenary Metre Regatta. Central to the story of the Metre Rule is the 6-metre, still thriving today on the international circuit, says Jonty Sherwill

Extradited! – delivery to disaster
It was an ordinary delivery trip to Morocco, but six years later John Packwood was arrested in Spain and threatened with extradition on drugs charges. These extracts from his book tell the story

Cruising
Seabed data will appear on Google Earth; dengue fever breaks out in the Far East; polar explorers divulge their summer plans for the Arctic

Emergency! 3. Dismasting
When the rig comes crashing down, you have a quick decision to make: use it or lose it? Mike Kopman describes the options and suggests the gear you should carry – just in case

Great Seamanship
Craftsmanship by the ounce. Weston Martyr waxes lyrical about the skill, care and effort that went into the building of his schooner in Nova Scotia

Skandia Cowes Week preview
Rule changes and class tweaks mean that this year’s Skandia Cowes Week should provide hotter – and faster – competition than ever. Matthew Sheahan looks at what’s new, while rules expert John Doerr decodes the Sailing Instructions

Racing news
Russian entry for the next Volvo; raceboat builders Carroll Marine are back as Summit Yachts; ISAF world cup venues announced

Going for Gold
Are they ready for the Worlds? Olympic 49er stars talk about how to maintain peak performance

SuperSail
Refit at Fairlie for the 130ft Fife classic Altair; Dutch in overdrive – how the order books are bulging with new projects

One Amazing Day
Michael Perham is the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic. He describes his arrival in Antigua to a huge reception