Home and Away - Part I

 Another trilogy and another late publication, as relating back as far as the day you may have been busily trying to prize the unshaven, fat-lad in the red Burberry from your chimney piece. An ‘away-day’ for myself but 'home turf' for his

DAVESHIP

starting at
FERRYBRIDGE

where Weymouth connects to the Isle of Portland and where at

the time it was at Mean High Water with not a great prospect of finding much save for a few

BRENT GEESE
at least starting the Day List.
The alternative was to drive a little further south along the Chesil Beach road and cast the telescope across

HAM BAY
where at the first time of asking was found a most unexpected

GOOSANDER

at times carrying out this 'low profile stance' known as

SNORKLING
and a distant

BLACK-THROATED DIVER
Additionally, and viying between Birding and Sighseeing there followed a most obliging

BLACK REDSTART

before just catching sight of the

P and O Cruise Ship
AURORA
at anchor in Weymouth Bay at the other side of the Portland Harbour Breakwater

TURNSTONEs

feeding greedily at the tide-line also brought our attention to an acrobatic

ROCK PIPIT
surely finding something edible on the face of the world famous
Portland Stone.

New additions since being a Portland resident myself on the

MULBERRY HARBOUR UNITS
was the

New Modle Army
(surely Sailors would have been more appropriate?)
around which were swimming

RAZORBILL

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
and

GUILLEMOT
while looking towards

PORTLAND
it looked as though the mist was lifting - we could see the top!
Secured alongside the Queens Pier was the Sail Training Vessel

TENACIOUS
once Captained by another former Boy Seaman of my own 437 recruitment at
H.M.S. Saint Vincent in 1961, Clive (Topsy) Toner,

along with another new construction to me sporting the name
CRABBERS WHARF
which that particular area once was in days gone by - most appropriate!

has thrived, prospered and extended since it formation for the highly successful
2012 Olympic Games Sailing Event

with this huge structure knocking the Hell out of your average
BOAT SHED

while shades of the past, at the once Royal Navy Heliport are represented by this psychedelic

WESSEX HELICOPTER
(please correct me if wrong being an ex Submariner quite the opposite to a Fly-Boy!)
That was when, quite unexpectedly, a

GANNET
flew past, by no means a 'daily event' and am told, on good authority, that this building

along with the former RN Heliport are now given over to training and maintenance of the

OSPREY TILT-WING AIRCRAFT
(would we like to see one of these take off / land? - answers on a postcard)
Facts - by coincidence or design this Naval Base was once known as HMS Osprey while to the Submariner there are only 2 types of Ship's in the World - Submarines and Targets!