This may be the weirdest ever circumnavigation. On Monday, top Tornado sailor Herbie Dercksen and four others raced from IJmiuden round the Egmond aan Zee windfarm, hitting speeds of up to 29 knots in an Extreme 40 catamaran. This photo shows them screaming round the top of the course in strong winds.

Dercksen stakes out the time of 2h 19m as the first and fastest of a new record – a nice idea. But then he goes and sullies it with the self-important comment: ‘Not only was the goal of the Dutch sailors to set a good record time but also to underline the concept of ‘green’ energy in order to contribute to the awareness of our role in the future climate.’

Fah! What b*****cks.