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There’s more and more stuff happening offshore in the UK – which means more and more work for British workboats. Holyhead Towing’s tug Afon Menai (Welsh for River Menai.) Here she is alongside at Boulogne, biding her time while a gale blows itself out. While we were filming the wind was up to 38 knots over the dock which made getting a steady shot a challenge.  Of which nothing showed on film, grrr! We interviewed trainee Jack Owen. Afon Menai is a fine ship, new and equipped to take on any task assigned to her – including servicing the offshore wind farms which are supposed to be a big part of the UK’s renewable energy supply in the future. Better hope that works as they’re receiving huge subsidies from all of us, added onto our electricity bills! See the film at https://www.youtube.com/user/SeafarersAwareness

That is a J-class yacht and no you probably can’t afford it – not yet anyway, not till you’ve made your first gazillion. These superb ocean racers were designed in the 1920’s, so are truly classic. The second of our superyacht trainees, Tom Clegg, is an engineer aboard one of them – and no, we can’t name her either! Tom has recently qualified and when we interviewed him aboard his J-class – at that point still some way off completing her refit – he was looking forward to a special J-class meet, when the yachts race to see who’s the best. Of the best. What is staggering is, again, the quality of the workmanship on board, the finessing of detail after detail – but as Tom told us, that’s all part of the pride of serving in superyachts. See the film at https://www.youtube.com/user/SeafarersAwareness

This is Jaime Guerreiro…one of the stars of the superyacht film we’ve just finished for Seafarers UK. Jaime is learning his craft aboard a fabulous vintage motoryacht. (Can’t name her as the highly professional Captain of the ship – who went to a cargo-hold full of trouble to get us (50) the gig – asked us not to. Fair enough!) Anyway, a great day out from Falmouth aboard this beauty, owned by a very high net-worth guy (or is it gal? Don’t know, also confidential!) We filmed Jaime doing a multitude of tasks on board, from splicing ropes to driving a RIB (50) (rigid inflatable boat.) What came through clear as a bell was the pride all the (mostly young) crew had in their ship, and the firm but friendly leadership of the Captain. All made for what everyone wants – a “happy ship”.(40)

Back again in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to catch up with the work on HMS M33, the First World War monitor that served at Gallipoli 100 years ago – the last surviving ship. The big-gun shore bombardment specialist is now out from under wraps, and gleaming in the Spring sun with her new coat of dazzle camouflage paint. Plus: ML engineering, the company fixing her up, have installed a shiny new walkway round her, with stairway and lift access. So everyone will be able to take a tour round her, and find themselves back in time with the Royal Navy of the First World War. Next: the fit-out, with an interactive display telling the story of the doomed attempt to knock Turkey out of the war by forcing a passage through the Dardanelles narrows, and seizing the Ottoman Empire capital of Constantinople.

The Royal Navy is nothing if not international – both in its operations and its people, if they’re eligible to join the ‘Senior Service’ (so called because it’s reckoned to be the first formal fighting force in British history.) In keeping with that tradition, our first trainee interviewee is Beatrice Ramoala, who’s from Fiji. She tells us she chose engineering because it appeals to her creativity – that there’s an art to understanding machines and making them work, and she clicks on that. Also, fixing them. It’s evident that in a complex machine like a warship there’s a shedload (boatload?) of maintenance to do, so the trainees have a lot of cleaning on their hands. But, no matter how small, every task matters – simply because when it’s needed it has to be ready to work first time. No ifs. No buts. Always.

You could call it that, only… it’s a lot more than a touch, not a TV series (or a spelling mistake!) Fost – OK, FOST – stands for ‘Flag Officer Sea Training’, and HMS Northumberland is in this officer’s unforgiving hands as she ploughs through the ocean off Plymouth. She’s being “worked up”, as the Navy say. That doesn’t mean getting in a tizzy (though I suppose it might!) What it actually involves, is having the FOST team exercise the ship and her company, to see that they make an effective team. Which means that a series of blood-curdling mock announcements – involving most of the catastrophes that can befall a ship – come barking out of the Tannoy, and the crew must respond. Effectively. And if they don’t..? Well then it’s literally like the song: “Go back – Jack – do it again!”