Board Sailing came next and was, he says, the first book out on windsurfing. It sold over 30,000 in the first couple of years. Books on Mirrors and Toppers followed apace.

In the early days all the books were black and white, but now all new books are in colour. "We also printed in the UK but, sadly, all our printing is now done in China to keep costs down."

Fernhurst now has a range of over 100 books on the key watersports topics and Davison says the company sells a book every four minutes somewhere in the world.

But in a reflection of things past, he says the company is now ensconced in its own Georgian office in Arundel that seems to be developing a strange crack in the wall?