Crowning glory

Nostalgia drove Paul Nicholes on to recreate the family favourite of his childhood

THE 10 KEY BOATING STORIES YOU NEED TO READ

The classics you love, drive and restore

If it hadn’t been for a keen online rival bidder, you would now be reading about how I’d just bought a Renault Avantime and how I was embarking on an ill-judged foray into weird French car ownership.

Nick Burnham: I’m a huge fan of Fairline. I sold, sea trialled and surveyed dozens of them as a yacht broker between 1989 and 2009.

Classic values & essential buying advice