The Hysteria was a development of the Hexagon, with less rocker in the aft run, and flatter garboards forward. I realised that this might mean a loss of weight carrying ability, but not all crews were as heavy as Spud and Jon (and they tended to sail Morrison designs, anyway).
Once again, there was no shortage of takers for the new design, and its success can be measured by the appearance of new names in the Championship lists. Vernon Ralston and Peter Siddall, sailing 'End Up First' (MR 2918), came 6th in 1975 and 1976, while Colin Humphrey and Andy Gray in 'Mass Hysteria' (MR2899) came 4th in 1976. Both boats were beautifully built by the Aln Boatyard. At the 1975 championships, Hysterias won two of the six races.
Patrick Blake and I stopped campaigning Merlins at the end of 1975, as Patrick got involved in the Olympic Trials for the Flying Dutchman class. I took my eye off the action for a while - until Colin Humphrey asked me to design a new Merlin - the Hazard.

A total of 14 Hysterias were built

Click on the above image to see a larger pdf version.

Rod and Jo Andrew-Becker, based in France, sailing MR2988 "Hysteria", now renamed "Foreign Affaire", at Rutland S.C., 2012. Rod says "We know we are not competitive by today's standards, but 2988 is a wonderfully rewarding boat to sail, with no vices. KC's boats were solidly built by Arnot Dobson's team at Aln Boatyard, and represent fantastic value for money on the second hand market." Image courtesy of DOMINIC EVANS (evansshoots@googlemail.com)

Click on this image to play a movie of MR 2918 "End Up First"