Real Magic: 70 Years of the Merlin Rocket

When Jack Holt designed the first Merlin in 1945, he produced not just another dinghy, but a new way of thinking about the whole sport of dinghy racing. Since then, through the freedom built into the rule of the Merlin Rocket class, the boat has been at the forefront of dinghy development in the UK. Today, the boat is famous for the innovation found in the designs and the intensity of the competition, which spreads not only through two championships, but through a season long series of open events and a further week long gathering at Salcombe. Real Magic charts the development of the boats, through the use of ground breaking 3 d hull line drawings, whilst at the same time recording the stories of the people who have made sailing in the class so special. With unrivalled access to historical data, backed up by first person interviews, the book also includes the greatest single collection of world class photographs of the boat and people.