A new column from the inimitable Bob Fisher on famous disasters in yachting history, plus a report on the Clipper round the world race’s toughest leg yet.



COVER STORIES

Short cut to the Pacific
At the end of this year, the US formally hands over control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanians. We look at the history of this great cut through a continent and consider what the Canal means to yachtsmen

Fishtales
A new column from the inimitable Bob Fisher on those famous disasters that have gone down in yachting history. The first: how the South West Shingles Yacht Club was formed

Choosing a bow thruster
Bow thrusters are no longer the preserve of motor boats and superyachts; owners are choosing to get a little help with manoeuvring, even on yachts under 40ft. Do you need one? Tim Bartlett reports

On test: Rustler 42
Matthew Sheahan has the first word on the long-awaited bluewater cruiser from Orion Marine

FEATURES

And for my next yacht . . .
The owner of the 92ft Catalyst was so pleased with his Alloy Yachts-built superyacht that he returned to the New Zealand builders for his new 110-footer, Charlatan

Whatever happened to the tradewinds?
Rachael Rising, crewmember, reports on the Clipper round the world race’s toughest leg yet, across the Pacific from Hawaii to Hong Kong

Home from the Horn
In the second part of Tim and Sophie Trafford’s extraordinary cruise round South America, we find out how they returned from the tip of the continent via the Atlantic islands of the Falklands and St Helena

Sail of the Century
Stephen and Claire Davies take in the idyllic islands off Venezuela on their way to Panama and the Pacific

On test: CoolCat 26
A fast, comfortable catamaran for those wanting a step up from their beach cat or Hobie

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