Hurricane Ivan wreaked terrible havoc on the Caribbean this summer...

  • From the Editor
    The physical hardships of solo ocean sailing are well documented, but what about the mental stresses?

  • On the wind
    Hurricane Ivan wreaked terrible havoc on the Caribbean this summer, with hundreds dead and many made homeless. A significant number of yachts were in the area and we report on the scale of the devastation, including two first-hand accounts, and ask how this event will affect the long-term future of yachting in the Caribbean.
    Other stories: Mirabella on the rocks ? what went wrong?
    Will GBR compete in the next America?s Cup?

  • Diary of a Yachtmistress
    Our ?fast-track? Yachtmaster student heads for Australia and some skipper experience

  • Mongoose
    Why do the fearless competitors in the Vendée Globe quake with fear over a visit to their bank manager?

  • Letters to the Editor
    Remember the Olympians from landlocked Austria; consider a PC instead of a laptop; beware the Ti Beudeff bar on Ile de Groix . . .

  • Robin Knox-Johnston
    Although perfectly legal, the fact that Russell Coutts is barred from the next America?s Cup must take some of the excitement out of the contest

  • Gear
    A collaboration between a marine equipment company and a specialist in climbing gear has resulted in a new type of harness, which is both safer and more comfortable to wear, reports Mike Kopman. And there?s a new harness for going aloft too

  • Leading Edge
    Wi-fi offers huge potential to owners of yachts, but only if the power problem can be sorted

  • Yachts: European Yacht of the Year
    We test the first batch of hopefuls for the European Yacht of the Year award. Seven of the shortlisted boats were given the treatment in Southampton after the Boat Show

  • Modern Classics: the Vertue
    When the going gets tough . . . you need a Vertue. That has been the verdict on this, the most enduring of Jack Laurent Giles designs since the 1930s. Adrian Morgan, owner of Sally II, sings her praises

  • Italy?s master builder
    A small boatyard on the Tuscany coast has dedicated itself to the restoration of classic yachts. David Glenn looks at their latest project, the S&S 12-metre Vim

  • Leaving the comfort zone
    As the four ?home team? competitors in the Vendée Globe challenge joke together over a photo shoot it is poignant to reflect how soon they will be out at sea, all such comforts forgotten. Elaine Bunting asks them about their anxieties and expectations

  • Show report: spoilt for choice
    We report on a Southampton Boat Show that had fewer visitors but far greater choice of boats and gear than in recent years

  • Swing is king
    The latest swing-keelers were the stars of the fleet at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia, where classics rubbed shoulders with Wallys and modern marvels

  • Cruising
    RYA once more heads off legislation; ARC rekindles the family spirit; RNLI reports more rescues. Plus: Met Office?s move to bigger and better forecasting

  • Preparing for the ARC
    We talk to four typical crews entered in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers to find out how they prepared for the 2,700-mile crossing

  • Great seamanship
    A hero in the making ? In 1997 during the Vendée Globe, the world held its breath as one solo ocean racer turned his boat into ferocious winds and huge seas to go back to the rescue of a fellow competitor. We revisit the story of Pete Goss?s extraordinary rescue of Raphael Dinelli

  • Racing
    Act 1, scene 1. Matthew Sheahan was in Marseille to witness first hand how the Europeans took to hosting an America?s Cup event. He reports on the first of three new-style ?Acts?

  • Inside track
    No race start is quite so emotionally charged as that of the Vendée Globe, as solo sailors bid farewell to families, like the condemned approaching their fate

  • SuperSail
    Ever-innovative Wally steal the limelight at the Monaco Yacht Show in September, the world?s no 1 shop window for the superyacht industry. Plus, a drunk officer of the watch is jailed

  • Yachts for sale
    1000s of yachts for sale in our brokerage pages

  • Classified ads
    End of season bargains in our classified pages

  • Last word
    Andrew Preece interviews Ellen MacArthur