FEATURES

A sailboat race (like any other)
At the end of the day, says Alinghi skipper BRAD BUTTERWORTH, the race committee will set a course and lay a start line, fire some guns and we'll go racing. Amen to that

(Costly) hair splitting
Recently shanghaied by BMW Oracle, TIM JEFFERY looks at the vexed question of when is a rudder not a rudder but a piece of the hull

A fascinating (offshore) life
– Part II
JASON CARRINGTON looks at changes either proposed or desirable for the next version of the VO70 rule... plus (quite) a few more horsepower

Out of step
Multihull builder extraordinaire Göran Marström is not at all surprised with Darren Bundock's recent decision to withdraw from Olympic sailing

Black magic
Volvo navigator STEVE HAYLES is exploring the new generation of performance management

New wave?
Within a month no less than three sophisticated 50-foot racing trimarans have gone afloat in France including one for previous Mini Transat winner YVES LE BLEVEC (inset). PATRICE CARPENTIER looks at the seeds of a new fleet

REGULARS

Commodore's letter
ANDREW MCIRVINE

Editorial
ANDREW HURST

Update
TERRY HUTCHINSON keeps his head held high, DEE SMITH is keen to protect the ethos of the IRC Mini Maxi fleet, GP42s make a splash in Spain, LYNN FITZPATRICK gets a lesson in 505 technology from the current masters and DOBBS DAVIS quizzes SCOTT MACLEOD about plans for the World Match Racing Tour

World news
New Tour racer, tightest of Figaro finishes, Fastnet Français, Orma 'giants', tight fight on the Bay, but more angst over those winches... the Lion roars again in Auckland, Jessica Watson tests the laws of physics and a(nother) splendid week in Hamo! IVOR WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, ROB MUNDLE, DOBBS DAVIS and CARLOS PICH

Paul Cayard
Some excellent teenage kicks and remembering a former king of San Francisco Bay, Tom Blackaller

Olympic and small boat news
– A champion champion!
ANDY RICE catches up with 2009 Moth world champion BORA GULARI

Design – One way traffic
Frederic Louarn describes the two-pronged approach taken to the engineering of Banque Populaire V

Seahorse build table – At last!
Only when he was entirely ready was multihull innovator (and design genius – ed) IAN FARRIER going to turn his hand to a full-blown racing craft

RORC news
EDDIE WARDEN OWEN 

Seahorse regatta calendar

Sailor of the Month
Two extremely fast sailors... (as literal as it gets)