4

Tricky wind conditions

combined with the

level of competition

inevitably lead to

some spectacular

crashes, capsizes and

other hair-raising

near misses.

5

6

7

10

FIRST-HAND IMPRESSIONS

11

12

13

14

15

European Venues

16

Host C

ities VeniceCow

esA

msterdam

VENU

E PAR

TNER

S

UP clOSE AND PERSONAl

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lEADING lADIES

22

23

ZOOM!ZOOM!ZOOM!

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25

© O

nEdi

tion

© P

.Con

tin /

DP

PI

G.M. Raget / BMW Oracle

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© P

.Con

tin /

DP

PI

G.M

. Rag

et /

BM

W O

racl

e©

OnE

ditio

n

27

28

29

© T

orna

doSp

ort /

Tom

my

Hilfi

ger

© V

.Cur

utch

et /

DP

PI

© O

nEdi

tion

30

© P

.Con

tin /

DP

PI (

both

pho

tos

this

pag

e)

MAINSAIl: The powerhouse of the

boat — big enough to accommodate 4

parked London buses!

BOOM: Horizontal pole which extends out

from the mast along the bottom of the mainsail,

and helps pull the sail in and out

34 12

5

JIB: Used for upwind sailing, made from

a fibre called 3DL which has strands of

carbon fibre and Kevlar (an incredibly

light, strong fibre used in flak-jackets)

DAGGERBOARD: Fin near the middle

of each hull, designed to stop the catamaran

from going sideways

32

33

SpeedMachines

34

MAST: 62ft (18.9m)

high, and made in two

sections. The stiffness

varies along its length

to allow the mast

shape to be altered to

increase performance.

It can also rotate to

improve mainsail

performance

TRAMPOlINE: Held taught between

the two hulls and made

of lightweight but tough

nylon mesh, this allows

the crew to move from

side to side

38

39

TEAMS

44

45

TEAMS

46

47

TEAMS

Holmatro

48

49

TEAMS

50

51

TEAMS

54

BEHIND THE ScENES

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60

ABOUT . . .