Quite a few emails about the award winning sun lounger, and these two were typical.

From Ginny Jones:

‘Not only did this totally irrelevant and useless piece of maritime gear win one prize for on deck stuff, it won (if my memory serves correctly) a similar award for stuff below decks. Not only is this fiddly kit useful for only a miniscule number of yachts, it’s made from a species of wood that ought to be reserved for uses where it is truly needed by virtue of its inherent qualities. What a criminal waste.

‘I couldn’t agree more with you… Why didn’t the rudder stock win, or for that matter the device that keeps a head from flooding? I’ve done a lot of offshore miles under sail and one thing that you definitely don’t want is to be sunk by a marine toilet!’

And from Alan Kruppa: ‘I did a little research after reading your article and found some winners from the two previous years. 2005 and 2006

‘Two obviously useful and well made gadgets. And they highlight the triviality, as you say, of this deckchair. Anyone can see that the chair is probably not very comfortable nor very user friendly. From what I’ve found online it has a separate handheld electronic controller, not very practical on a sailboat. And it’s probably a hazard on any real yacht’s deck plus there’s always the chance of getting pinched when this chair is extending or retracting. Once again, not very practical.

It seems from everything I’ve read that the only impressive fact is that this Italian company has managed to make all the hydraulics, etc. fit in a package that is “only 3 inches thick.” As if that’s something to be impressed about… I could go on and on.

‘But maybe the world’s elite will love it…who knows.’