Sailing: Yachtswoman reminds us of nobler deeds

I hope you noticed that in this age of tell-all sporting revelation, when every two-bit football "star" has his harrowing story for a certain price, The Independent has landed the buy-up of the year.

At least this was my instinct reading the spare but telling account of the latest young British woman, Emma Richards, to tackle a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. From somewhere between Nantucket Shoals and Halifax, Novia Scotia, she reported: "When I finally wiped my eyes, a supertanker appeared less than a mile away crossing my stern. I can't sleep at the moment, it's too dangerous."

Sometime later in the day one heard that in Seville Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell had atomised the world record for the coxless pair. Mostly, in this age of cheap celebrity, we get the superstars we deserve, but occasionally something finer captures our attention. It is, for a wonderful moment, almost like being born again.