Millions of Capital Radio listeners living in London were surprised to hear about a new European Union tax on sails. The radio station’s morning host, Johnny Vaughan, had been contacted by his father, a Yachting Monthly reader, who was outraged by the announcement.

Among listeners was YM’s deputy editor Miles Kendall, who immediately recognised the story as the magazine’s current April Fool hoax. When we contacted Capital Radio to tell them, a spokeswomen admitted Vaughan had fallen ‘hook, line and sinker’ for the story.Vaughan and his father are in good company. A BBC producer was about to tip off the newsdesk to investigate the new ‘tax’, until the penny dropped!

The YM April Fool is a long-standing tradition: we’ve had floating anchors, a sail-in MacDonalds on the River Hamble and a Mediterranean Congestion Charge for yachts!