A sharp reduction in engine revs stirred me from a deep sleep and with bleary eyes I glanced at my watch; it was a little after six in the morning. Half climbing, half falling out of my comfortable cocoon, I stumbled my way across a mountain of fishing and camera equipment, making my way towards the vertical wooden ladder providing access to the deck above, and made my way to the port gunwale. There I took several deep breaths in an attempt at purging the rank odour of stale fish, sweat and the inevitable whiff of diesel from below decks that had been almost overwhelming. A snap of frost hung in the still air, this being late September, but thankfully the sky was clear and just as we had been promised, the strong norwester in which we had sailed had blown itself out. We were set for a beautifully calm and clear day.
I was aboard the Danish charter boat ‘Thailand,’ a substantial 70ft, 30 year old ex-trawler that could accommodate some 50 anglers, though thankfully on this occasion there were a ‘mere 30’ of us aboard. I had joined John Wilson and his crew to film
