FEATURES

A worthy legacy
Twenty years on IAN WALKER remembers his great friend and Olympic medal-winning partner Jonny Merricks and reflects on the work carried out by the sailing trust created in his name

The caravan moves on
ROB WEILAND looks at the quite different immediate prospects for the TP52 and Maxi72 fleets and debates the likely consequences of an America’s Cup switch back to monohulls

Small steps (but important steps)
JOE LACEY asks JND 39 Lann Ael skipper DIDIER GAUDOUX how last year’s tailender transformed into this year’s runaway Fastnet winner

Torque is cheap – Part II
After a ‘bit’ of a party Emirates TNZ skipper GLENN ASHBY is back in circulation and tells BLUE ROBINSON more about what was going on in Auckland before the team left for Bermuda

End of an era (but the innovation carries on)
DOBBS DAVIS looks at the dramatic influence of the Gougeon brothers on boatbuilding materials and techniques that today we take for granted

Cup heritage – Part II
ERIC HALL moves onto the 12-Metre era, boron, carbon and aerospace epoxies… and a lot of lead?

Children of chaos
All agree that the foiling Nacra 17 is a stunning Olympic machine. Not everyone is thrilled with the problems of joining the fleet. ROB KOTHE

TECH STREET

No optical illusion
For code sails the challenge of mid girth measurement used to be all about hanging the washing off the leech…

Saving the whale (from us)
We need to hit fewer very large objects while out at sea – our largest known mammals would certainly not disagree

Cauliflowers to (very fast) catamarans
Vendée Globe winner Armel Le Cléac’h had some formidable technology on his side on Banque Populaire – but not all of it was from the usual suspects...

Pickled herring all round
And it’s away to Aarhus in Denmark for the 10th anniversary Yacht Race Forum, sailing’s premier conference

REGULARS

Commodore’s letter
MICHAEL BOYD

Editorial
ANDREW HURST

Update
America’s Cup then and now – in more ways than one. Racing a Volvo on the hoof? DEE CAFFARI, JACK GRIFFIN and BLUE ROBINSON

World news
Maxis keep getting better (and faster), the pressure on the (runaway) favourite, back around the wrong way, bucking the (IRC) trend, big shoes to fill, Multi 50 resurgence, Hamo is rebuilt and a Caribbean we can help to rebuild. IVOR WILKINS, DOBBS DAVIS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, CARLOS PICH, BLUE ROBINSON

Paul Cayard – new perspective
This coaching thing is not at all bad

Design – Not always obvious
MISCHA HEEMSKERK is not afraid to sacrifice a bit of sail area – doesn’t seem to slow him down

RORC – Course change (sad)
EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN

Seahorse regatta calendar

Seahorse build table – Fine pedigree
The Fastnet-winning La Rochelle design office of NIVELT-MURATET is firing on all cylinders – Teasing Machine 3 and now another IRC flyer

Sailor of the Month
Two champions one language