John,
Some years ago, I took a 14ft boat with a 40 hp engine, and raced alongside the QE2 in the Solent.
This was an unbelievably stupid thing to do.
I wont bore you with the fine details.
The outcome, we were spit out the back into the wash, missed the stern by 20 foot.
This was the view we saw.
There was nobody in sight, I remember thinking, there's nobody there to watch us die.
Sometimes I have been very lucky.
John