Welcome to our first purely digital edition! This will be a great monthly experience for you to read and for us to produce. As we get used to this new technology so we will add more features and more content accessed through the features and topics that we run. The technology we are using allows an article to have images, video, older articles etc embedded behind the article and accessed through a HotSpot – click on this and all the additional information can be accessed for you to enjoy.

This is FREE so tells your friends – help us by spreading word of this free monthly edition to all you know and drive traffic to our site. Remember we are now producing  large quarterly printed editions (the best of the free editions plus more) as well as our biannual supplements on chartering and our annual boat buyers guide. These are available by subscription please see page XX to see how to subscribe.

In the business world you would say there is a New Year hangover. The news does not get any better no matter how many times you hear it. The gloom has hit the marine industry with established companies struggling, some going into administration and others restructuring to stay alive. Established German monohull builder, Dehler, has gone, Beneteau say sales plunge by over 40% in the last quarter. So far the multihull sector has not suffered to the same degree and it would appear that most builders are in reasonable health. Indeed there are new models, new investment and new marketing tools appearing all the time. Let’s hope this continues.

Our editorial team is gently expanding as we face the challenge of producing a monthly digital  edition, quarterly printed edition, two annual supplements and develop the website further. I hope you like what we are doing. We welcome feedback, articles and suggestions.

From us all may you have a great 2009.

 Best Wishes 

Mark Orr

Editor

Our next digital issue will be out on 20 February and will include:

Lavezzi 40 boat test

Cruising Round Britain

What is seamanship

Speedsailing in the 1980s

The Arc 2008 and some reflective thoughts from one of this years multihull competitors

Reflections on Thomas Coville's recent round the world record attempt

New Arrivals - Dragonfly 28 and Virus 8m

Racing News

Book Reviews

Multi Shorts - industry news

Opinion

In between issues catch up with multihull news, buy books and back issues and look for brokerage boats through www.multihullreview.co.uk