Classic misuse of a word

Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward

- Adrian Morgan

Every so often a magazine other than this one arrives in the wooden letter box, up the stony track that leads down to Burnside Cottage. At the moment that entails a 200-yard trudge through deep snow, and one year the snow was so deep I had to borrow a pair of snow shoes. (Tip: keep your feet well splayed, or you’ll trip and fall flat on your face, whereupon it’s almost impossible to get up again).

As an antidote to Classic Boat – I won’t mention its name – I find it refreshing to read about foiling America’s Cup boats, top-level racing and impenetrable articles about the hydro-, and increasingly, aerodynamics of modern sailing. It is a far cry from the kind of boats we own and like to read about here, even if some of them are way beyond our means or aspirations.