From the Editor
A great performance from our Olympic sailors – and from the RYA youth scheme

COVER STORY
Great Britons
A celebration of the British Olympic team and their six medals, including four Golds. Plus: class by class results and an unbelievable final for the 49ers

On the Wind
Aussie adventurers in Berrimilla do the North West Passage; the Russian TP52on a steep learning curve; Falmouth Working Boats on strike

The Walrus
A knotty problem for The Walrus

Letters
Is the Olympic Medal Race a lottery? Bring back the Fastnet to an offshore series; Valencia again? No thanks

Robin Knox-Johnston
The beauty of a lovely classic yacht

Moment in The Times
The reluctant hero – Francis Joyon after his inspirational solo world record

Gear
High-tech racing suit; latest in SPX autopilot systems; marine hard drive

Leading Edge
Big plans for the French speedster l’Hydroptère as she goes for the 50-knot record

Yachts
The J that never was starts building; sporty Solaris 60; Reichel Pugh performance cruiser

On Test
A bold leap into the performance market for Solaris as the Italian yard introduce the lovely Solaris One 48. Plus the dramatic new Wauquiez 55PS with her wonderful panoramic deck saloon

On shore
Fashion for cooler autumn race days

The Volvo gets a new twist
A new route, taking in stopovers in the Far East and a long 12,000-mile leg from China to Rio, will give competitors in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race a very different challenge. Matthew Sheahan and weather guru Chris Tibbs outline the problems
facing the fleet and we introduce the five teams with their seven new VO70s

Skandia sails out on a high
After 14 years of successful sponsorship, Skandia bows out of Cowes Week. It was a thrilling regatta, with plenty of action, testing conditions and spectacular crashes

Hooked on classics
A glorious week of classic racing at Cowes attracted a host of lovely yachts and traditional keelboats

Cruising
World ARC rally yacht founders on a reef; Hilary Lister’s solo voyage beset with problems; jellyfish
to watch out for. Plus: special report on Albania

Great Seamanship
Shackleton’s boat journey to South Georgia nearly comes to grief as they close the coast

Performance World
The Laser SB3 class reaches a new milestone as 150 are expected at the first world championship in Ireland. Boat of the month: the beautifully built and well-sailed STP52 Moneypenny. Rules: how to perfect a lee bow tack

Going for Gold
Now for the next one in Weymouth!

Supersail
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Pendennis Shipyard put on a regatta for classics during Falmouth Week. The seven entries enjoyed some lively conditions and great sailing

Yachts for sale
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One Amazing Day
Mike Peyton draws on his memories of an unnerving experience on the East Coast