The apple-bilged, long keel lines of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s 32ft ketch Suhaili in which he became the first person to sail non-stop around the world in 1968-69, protected him from broaching on the giant rollers of the Southern Ocean.

And as the Southampton Boat Show opened they were once again offering protection: this time to a couple of visitors who were caught out in a downpour of rain. They sat beneath the starboard quarter keeping their astronomically-priced coffee free from an unwelcome top up.