Not pictured: Roger Lean-Vercoe, Sacha Bonsor, Lee Franklin, Drew Broomhall, Adriano di Lauro, Debora Crescenzo, Lewis Crosswell, Luca Vasile, Hariy Warburton, Laura Abdul, Mark Gillman, Izzi Maife, George Sallitt
What an honour to be writing these words for our 40th anniversary issue hit the newsstands in summer 1983, with a heavy focus on the America's Cup. It was something new, principally because the publisher, Suzanne Fields & Associates, threw money at design and photography. It was the first title in its field to publish in colour, as well as full-bleed, doublepage imagery - a revolution. It took a few years for the focus to settle on large yachts, a move largely driven by the burgeoning superyacht industry not having a native media. No title addressed this growing market; a gap appeared, rushed in… and found a home. Even the term “superyacht” was new, coined by a young Roger Lean-Vercoe, fresh from the army in 1984 when his first story appeared in the magazine (“about International 14 racing in Japan!” he tells me), who didn't think the US term “megayacht” translated well to a European audience. Roger still writes for us, I'm delighted to say, 39 years on. My second big thank-you must go to all the advertisers that have supported over four decades. Looking back at our early issues reveals a host of very familiar names which still appear in our magazines today. To each of you, we owe a huge debt of gratitude. I can't think of a better way to end this introduction than with some words taken front the launch issue of , penned sometime in the warming days of 1983: “Our ambition is simple, but exacting: to produce a magazine which everyone, who likes any form of boating, will not merely want to read, but to keep and treasure.” I think that's as true today as it was then. I hope you, our readers, agree. And it's to you I owe my last thanks. Keep reading, keep treasuring and here's to the next 40 years.
