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Front cover: Marek Kwasnicki’s ILC40 MK Café racing in the winning USA team at the 1997 Champagne Mumm Admiral’s Cup MK Café’s performance in the Fastnet was the turning point for the American team, who had seemingly lost the trophy to the Italians approaching the Fastnet finish. In the final period of calm, however, MK’s crew, led by John Kolius and John Cutler, sailed from the back of the ILC40 fleet to take a second in class, giving the USA the Admiral’s Cup. This Polish built and owned ILC40, designed by Judel-Vrolijk, has had a successful season in Europe, and on the back of a good Admiral’s Cup, there is now talk in Poland of Kwasnicki’s team going forward to build a maxi catamaran challenger for The Race 2000. If it comes off, the plan would be to build the new boat in a tent in Warsaw to encourage the maximum degree of public support for the project. Kwasnicki himself was a welcome new face among the thinning ranks of Admiral’s Cup owners. One notable feature of this Admiral’s Cup was the number of owners who were waiting for their boats in Plymouth, choosing not to be aboard for the long offshore. This was not always a result of ‘cherry picking’ by the owners, but more often a pure function of age. There is a point in life when a long offshore is simply not practical aboard a small, relatively demanding offshore racer. Many of the best known grand prix owners have now reached that point, which is something that race organisers should pay heed to in trying to ensure sufficient fresh interest in future events. COVER: OCTOBER 1997 The Offical Magazine of the Royal Ocean Racing Club

FEATURES 32 At (the) last - Champagne Mumm Admiral’s Cup 1997 Having led the regatta almost from the start, America’s hopes of Admiral’s Cup success looked to have been dashed on the first night of this year’s Fastnet race. But with less than five miles to go to the finish, it all changed again... ANDREW HURST reports. 40 International Rule 2000 MIKE URWIN explains the RORC’s ambitious - and controversial - plans to create an entirely new rating system for the millennium. 43 The 1997/98 Whitbread Round the World Race for the Volvo Trophy A full preview of the race, including a look at each of the entries and at technical developments in design, sails and equipment, plus details of the new course and the points scoring system introduced for this event. ANDREW HURST, BRUCE FARR & ASSOCIATES, MARK TURNER, JOHN WELSH. 57 Fastnet ’97 It wasn’t just for the Admiral’s Cuppers. TOM JACKSON reports. 60 Berthon Source Regatta REGULARS 4 Commodore's Letter TERRY ROBINSON 7 Editorial ANDREW HURST 8 Update Groupe LG 2 is found capsized 300 miles off the Chilean coastline, La Nioulargue is cancelled, Bus Mosbacher dies. 10 World News Chicago’s Verve Cup, over 100 IMS boats contest the sixteenth Copa del Rey, Betrand Pacé takes his sixth Tour de France while the event itself is put up for sale, Mini-Transat news, new Open 60 for Blanken & Vittet, Cammas takes the ’97 Figaro, Foxtel Amazon’s blistering new record, Elle Racing draws down the shades. ROB MUNDLE, PATRICE CARPENTIER and DOBBS DAVIS. 22 ORC Column KEN WELLER 25 Olympic and small boat news J.J. Giltinan Trophy, ISAF Youth Sailing Championships, Europe worlds in San Francisco, Glenfiddich Melges European Circuit. TIM ROBINSON, PETER BENTLEY and KEVIN SPROUL. 58 RORC news and Race Director's Letter 62 Seahorse Raceboat Build Table 73 Seahorse Calendar Regatta dates and contact numbers.

Marie-Claude Kieffer (FRA) steers the W60 EF Education during the 1997 Fastnet race. Kieffer will sail as a guest helmsman on EF during Leg 5 of the 97/98 Whitbread Race. The EF Education team was disappointed when they failed to get approval to sail with 13 crew, to bring their crew weight up to that of the 12 person mens’ crews.