Falling off a ladder teaches you many things. For a start the NHS treats a one-metre fall as serious, so my fall, from above first-floor level, should have had spectacular results.

I also learnt that youthful elasticity had long fled my body as the shock wave rattled up my torso, bounced off the roof of my skull and rattled its way back down.

The outcome of a broken wrist and injured back, which fortunately is all soft tissue, will repair in time. I only share this because, being unable to sail, Tracey and I headed off instead on a power boat trip with a very good friend. Imagine is 30ft, has a flying bridge and cruises at 18 knots with a top speed of 25.

Not really us but at the same time we decided to leave with an open mind and I have to say we had a great time. She has lots of room, a great aft deck and although the passages don’t have the same allure as sail, it was kind of cool to get from Falmouth to Fowey in an hour.

All of this was achieved while sat in a warm, comfy leather seat with the wipers keeping spray at bay. All very well until it’s time to fill the tanks. The wind being free is not to be taken for granted. Nor are the many sounds of the sea that are drowned out by a roaring engine, from seabirds to the rush and slap of passing water.

It also made us realise that the inevitable advances of age will present a tipping point where we should move to the dark side. In fact, by then we will probably welcome it for it is not, after all, that dark. Quite when to make this change is subjective, but it was when we took the lines for a couple in their eighties that we had something to reflect on.

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Theirs was a 36-foot yacht, but it seemed so much bigger when set against their frailty. They could undoubtedly manage, but that was their limit. If something went wrong they would obviously become terribly vulnerable and while we will undoubtedly fight the change, we don’t want to risk others being forced to bail us out due to our obvious limitations. It’s not about age but ability, so I hope we will recognise when we get there. The key, of course, will be to act on it. I trust that we will.

The other thing I learnt on this trip was that Falmouth is the third-deepest natural harbour in Europe. As such, it is a draw for superyachts and we had the pleasure of walking past the 163ft Meraki which is one of the best looking classics I have ever cast my eye over. On asking one of the deckhands her draught, I was left impressed by 4.7m. On asking if they could lift the keel, the casual, ‘Oh, it’s 9m when it’s down,’ blew my socks off.

That said, it didn’t curry envy, for that kind of draught being so limiting made me grateful to have Oddity’s 1m. She might not be a superyacht but she’s the right boat for us and the options she gives us are endless.

Indeed, thanks to the limitations of my injured arm, I am writing this in Budapest where we have a few days away. It’s my first contact with the mighty Danube, which is 1,177 miles in length and passes through nine countries; it was, of course, one of the inspirations for Oddity.

I think I shall have to re-read the The Unlikely Voyage of Jacques de Crow, for I would like to follow in the footsteps of this amazing adventure, and Oddity should let us do just that.

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