Formula 1 comes of age...

  • Formula 1 comes of age
    Imagine taking a Formula 1 racing car and then sending it on an off-road race virtually unmodified. Far fetched? Not if it?s one of the latest generation of Open 60 racing trimarans, truly the Formula 1 of yacht racing, which is expected not just to be competitive fully crewed inshore and round the cans, but also on single- or short-handed trans-ocean marathons, such as the single-handed transatlantic, the Route du Rhum and the Jacques Vabre. This amazing class has grown from a mere handful of French boats to an international fleet of more than 15 today. Ellen MacArthur is in there, as is Emma Richards ? Mike Golding would be if he could find a sponsor. Elaine Bunting looks behind the scenes of high speed multihull racing.

    Matthew Sheahan looks at new designs for the out and out world speed sailing record, James Boyd examines today?s state of the art offshore speedsters and Elaine Bunting discusses what is round the corner ? multihulls that could demolish even today?s ocean records.

  • GBR?s new Cup baby is born
    The day after this issue is published, 12 April, GBR Challenge?s new boat, the first ever America?s Cup Class to be built in the UK, comes out of her shed and into the public eye for the first time. We take a close look at the British hope for the Cup and Matthew Sheahan looks at the way these amazing boats are built

  • Plus
    Who would want to cruise the Kerguelens, islands deep in the South Indian Ocean about as far from civilisation as it?s possible to go? Pat Patterson did, and we?ve got his story