After the controlled chaos of building, the finished yacht emerges as straightforward and comfortable to live in. Lights come on when you touch a switch, hot water comes out when you turn a tap, the air temperature is accurately controlled, the music plays, the heads flush electrically and all the navigation aids light up and offer their instant continuous solutions. All these items form a large proportion of the value of a yacht, so the specifications for them are an important part of the designer's role. We get all the equipment manufacturers involved at an early stage, and keep them close to the project during building, sailing trials and the life of the yacht.

There is also an important role for marine equipment consultants. One such consultant with whom we often work is Jens Cornelsen, who by specialising can keep current with all the options available. Through his wide range of contacts among the skippers and repair yards, he gets an overview of reliability and performance of every unit he specifies. Jen's experience of life afloat also ensures that equipment is mounted for ease of maintenance as well as efficiency of operation. The high standard of equipment found on our boats today owes much to the on-going evaluation of its performance afloat.

In previous times the designer was responsible for every component. Herreshoff, for instance, even designed the auxillary petrol engines which went into his yachts. Today the equipment is more sophisticated and requires specialised engineering. Today's mast maker, for instance, is bound to have a better grasp of spar-making than the yacht designer, whose expertise must cover a wide range of other disciplines.

Much of the credit for the renaissance of large sailing yachts lies in the development of modern winches, by Lewmar of England. The classic J-class