My mother wears a silk scarf as we sail, to keep her hair from blowing everywhere or into her eyes. Her dark glasses hide her smiling eyes. But I see that she’s thrilled to bits. We serve up sardines and tinned fish and cheese and biscuits and soup and hot strong tea and Daddy always gets “a tot” when the sun is over the yardarms and again at “elevenses” and then after that, whenever he wants one.

“I am in the habit of naming and renaming things. I like to personify my possessions—not to lose sight of their eventual worthlessness, but to be playful and in some ways to help me care for them well. I may skip some maintenance on any old Astro van, but I’d never do that to Rupert!”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that for many, it was as traumatic as losing a dear friend. Severn II was built in 1934 at the Bute Slip Dock Company at Ardmaleish, Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. To describe Severn II, built of carvel mahogany on oak frame, as ‘beautiful’ is a huge understatement. Gorgeous striking, amazing. These 8s would be museum pieces, were they not still energetically sailed racing boats.