PR women – and the majority are women – are charming, quite often blonde and have nice ankles. They are also creators of apparent wind. Sailors need to know where the true wind is, and journalists need to know which way the wind is blowing. But the sirens of PR are there to deflect both.

That is their job. Companies offering goods or services want to sell those goods and services to as many folk as possible and they treat unwelcome news about such products by employing PR ladies to re-tell such news in an Alice in Wonderland way. Thus ‘ Sales are going through the floor and the company faces bankruptcy’, becomes ‘We are performing well in a difficult market.’

They are also there to help sell such services. This week I had one send me a nice hardback book full of 216 colour plates of ‘super yachts’. Janie New also sent me a nice letter explaining that one of such craft, Maltese Falcon, comes with an ‘incredible art collection’. She wondered if I might be considering ‘any feature’ on taking a ‘luxury holiday’ on such vessels. I did. How much easier it would be to get my wife and three children out for a sail if it was the Caribbean in the 289ft Maltese Falcon rather than my Contessa 32 at Grays. How much would it cost ?, I wondered.
£299,000 for the week. Enough to buy 12 Contessas.
Bless.