‘There is nothing – absolutely NOTHING – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats’, said Ratty in Keneth Grahame’s book The Wind in the Willows. His immortal sentiment is being used as the ‘mission statement’ for the Maritime Media Awards 2008.

Which is strange as included in the list of nominations for the Desmond Wettern Media Award is the name of a man who disagrees: Will Lewis, Editor of the Daily Telegraph, who sacked his longstanding sailing correspondent, Tim Jeffrey, last month.

Who will the Torygraph get to cover the illustrious evening as Mr Lewis steps forward to receive his engraved crystal decanter and a cheque for £1,000 should he get the award for ‘Best Journalistic Contribution’?