A plethora of parties to choose from. On day one we enjoy a 21st birthday party on board Gary Lane’s Alloy Yachts’ built Ad Lib. Gary is Alloy’s chairman and it is the company’s birthday. Among those present and correct after an absolutely sweltering day at the show are Tony Hambrook, Alloy’s managing director, Ed Dubois, designer of countless Alloy Yachts and his cohorts Malcolm McKeown and Helen Williams who had earlier introduced me to Angela Richardson, hired to professionally plan the Dubois Cup – inevitably shortened to the D-Cup – a gathering of Dubios-designed yachts to coincide with next year’s Superyacht Cup to held in Palma from June 16 to 19. Don’t miss it.

Also aboard is professional yachting consultant Godfrey Cray who regularly helps John Williams get the J class Ranger round the course. Godfrey wonders why on earth anyone would buy a second hand J class like Endeavour (reportedly just gone for US $13 million odd with another US$5 million needed to bring her up to competitive scratch) when one could build a brand new one in aluminium for a fraction of the cost of an old ‘original’. And she’d be faster. J Class aficionados discuss…

Evening two and I manage four parties on the trot kicking off with Superyacht UK who are serving up champagne and Johns Smiths (separately thankfully), loud music and a host of contacts. Pub style scrum at the bar. Broker David East is full of praise for Supersail World and Molly McDaniel from Marigot Bay in St Lucia is trying her best to tempt us to the Caribbean to take a look at their new superyacht marina. Well maybe?