We have a 25-year-old Westerly Konsort called Flycatcher, and last year I replaced the conventional 5W bulbs in the six berthlights with LED fittings, reducing the power consumption by about 80%.

However, we found that the extreme brightness of the individual LEDs was quite annoying – almost painful to the eyes.

The simple solution was to buy three ping-pong balls at 25p each. A segment of ball superglued on the lamp gives a pleasing effect like a frosted bulb, and the light output is still fine!

Top tip: to get two clean segments from one ball, choose balls where the logo is printed near the seam. The staff in the sports shop may look at you a little oddly while you’re hunting for the right ones!