Immigration officers have been approaching yacht clubs in the Thames Estuary with warnings about illegal migrants. According to my informant they are worried that the increase in refugees fleeing parts of Africa in boats either to Malta or the Canaries may begin to realise that yachtsmen offer a more sea-worthy passage than do longshore sharks with dilapidated open fishing boats.

This particular yachtsman was told that the migrants gathered around Channel ports like Calais are not as benign as their predecessors and have been approaching lorry-drivers wielding knives.

‘It’s only a question of time before they do the same to yachtsmen,’ my source was told.

Moral of the story is if you are aboard one of the 300 boats going to May’s Calais Rally this year go easy on the Calvados. On the way home should you find yourself in the Dover Strait with extra crew armed with knives, wait for low water and offer to land them on ‘the beach’. They will take a while to realise the Goodwin Sand is eight miles off.