I had originally intended to name each boat but I soon realised that the available space for the name was tiny and I was probably going to struggle to come up with a hundred names that were short, charming and linked in some way as befitted the whole series.

At one point I thought of using newsprint as I collect interesting words which I find when I’m tearing the paper strips. They are kept in a box because ‘they are bound to be useful one day’.

Close inspection of some real boats revealed that most have their names written on the back, sorry, stern. Being flattish, mine don’t have a stern. Racing numbers on the sails seemed the perfect solution. After all, with luck, they will soon be racing across my room.

Jane