There we were before Sunday racing just off Shoreham Beach practising our man overboard routines when something rather lurid was spied bobbing in the water. Within moments we’d grabbed our drowning fender and hurried to windward where a rather damp Colin the Cod was boathooked from the clutches of Davey Jones.

Nobody knows where Colin came from, but for now he’s taken up residence aboard Barda where he seems to be bringing us a modicum of good luck. He spends most of his time lurking down below feeding on Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boys, but on race days he comes out to keep an eye on things from his vantage point on the backstay.

Rumour has it that a dangerous gang of kidnappers were after him in Fécamp after the Royal Escape Race, but were thwarted by dodgy Dave Ramus who spied them creeping from the bilges of a certain Bavaria...so for now Colin remains safe aboard Barda and we’ll keep a careful eye on the unsavoury crew of Highland Daughter....