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Off we go again for another longish passage but should only be a daylight one this time.

Checked with the Coastguard that all the firing ranges are inactive so thats great.

Start the watch system again as it will be a long day.

Off goes the radio again Securite Securite This Is Warship Portland Warship Portland, position x,y all vessels please be advised that we are about to carry out live firing of guns and missiles out to a range of eight nautical miles.

Slam a waypoint into the GPS at x,y Set a proximity alarm for 8NM, and oh s**t we are inside the circle and only five miles away. Left hand down a bit Gary!

Grey vessel on the horizon , bearing checks with the GPS, HMS Portland, Type 23 Duke class frigate, 4.5inch fast firing turret, and Harpoon I believe, not someone you want to mix it with. Yes I know they operate the ranges on a "clear range policy" so they don’t shoot if they can see you, but what if they don’t see you or shoot it off in the wrong direction. Left hand down a bit more Gary!

Clear of the area at last and I can see Portland Bill, now to go close in shore to avoid the tide race.

I didn’t realise just how close to the lighthouse you have to go , missed the worst of the seas but caught the edge of them ..

High speed vessel on the port bow, Weymouth Lifeboat is going somewhere in a hurry. It is Sunday, lets hope they are only out training, otherwise someone is in trouble west of Portland.

Yellow buoy fine on the starboard bow! Check the chart, Target Buoy for Naval Gunnery in the Lulworth range….Securite Securite This Is Warship Lancaster Warship Lancaster, position a,b all vessels please be advised… How many Duke class frigates do the Navy have and cant they use the same bit of sea for their pop gun trials.. Lets get out of here!

Anyway clear of the zone again, and off Swanage.

More radio traffic, someone has found a sailing dinghy inverted about 10Nm South of Anvil Point, Coastguard tell them that it matches one cast adrift from a yacht earlier when it capsised under tow and they couldn’t recover it, so no-one is in trouble. Swanage Lifeboat launched later to recover it but couldn’t find it, perhaps it had eventually gone down.

I can see the Needles, nearly there now but where is that elusive North Channel to avoid the banks and the worst of the tide..