What’s this in the picture? Why it’s a state-of-the-art Mini Transat entry.

In explaining how another five entrants have been accepted at the last minute (including Yves Le Blevec, incidentally, who will be a hot favourite to win the event), the English press release goes: ‘5 skippers that means 5 signposts that Grand Pavois Organisation will let at the Transatlantics’ disposal.’

Oh, right. I see.

‘From 72 skippers in 2005, the organisation accepted 75 skippers in December, then 84 in Spring to end at 89 participants in a way to be fulfil the Classe Mini aims the best way: having a maximum skippers participating to that fabulous adventure.’

Press releases in English for French races are absolutely classic because it rarely seems to occur to the organisers that they might need someone who is actually fluent in both languages. Guessing that the cheapskates just hit a button on Google Translate I turned the mangle from Franglais to Français – and whaddya know, suddenly it makes perfect sense.

I also discovered that if you tell Google its English translation is French and then translate it, the Transat comes out as the ‘Deckchair 6.50’ and organisers Grand Pavois as ‘the Large Bulwark Organisation’.

Get your deckchair out. This race is going to be doubly entertaining.