In a genuine emergency where many lives were at stake, one might give them great leeway to break the law, just like fire trucks can speed and run red lights.

But when there's no emergency, should such rulebreaking be allowed for the billionaires' yachts?

Obviously, the e-mail-by-radio system at the heart of this argument isn't all about billionaires' yachts - but still, there's no reason loosened rules for emergencies should be extended to non-emergency use.