At first I was drawn to the dishevelled state of the cockpit of a racing boat that appeared to have been abandoned by its crew. But as I cast my eyes around the deck, the sight of the lifebelts was shocking and appeared to say even more about the possible state of this boat elsewhere.

Both lifebelts were old, damaged and torn, one seriously twisted in its bracket. The Dan Buoy was also in a dishevelled state.

How anyone can believe that this is acceptable is beyond me.

The boat was spotted in a busy Solent marina during the IRC Nationals on a weekend when the forecast gales arrived on cue and saw even the best prepared boats and top racing crews wiping out.

With so much emphasis on improving safety it is depressing to see that some people appear to have so little regard for the safety of themselves and others, to say nothing of the safety of those that may have to rescue them.