Last week raiders stormed a £20m vessel off the coast of Corsica and demanded that the guests hand over their valuables.  Twenty years ago there were only 500 such vessels, now there are so many orders that the builders can't keep up.  The yachts come with helicopters and even submarines.  One such ship has a Picasso, a Dubuffet, two Utrillos and three Chagalls on board.  Also, there are twenty different soaps in every bathroom, which is almost as expensive as the floating art gallery.   It costs £50,000 to fill a tank of a uber-yacht with diesel and £20,000 a week for mooring.

Roman Abramovich has four superyachts, including one with a crew of 40.  One owner sent his helicopter ashore for fresh raspberries for his Kir Royale.  Another has a smaller kitchen vessel follow his yacht so his guests won't smell the cooking.  Entertainers are paid hundreds of thousands a night to keep the guests happy.

It's beginning to sound like the last days of Pompeii.  Over-indulgence often comes before the Decline and Fall.  We'll see what happens.