The idea was to get some dives in and test out some new kit, so I proposed a mini-UKRS trip to Portland the weekend of the 15/16th. Jason Poynting, Alasdair Allen and Ian Griggs were the only takers for the trip so bookings done we crossed our fingers and hoped the weather would be OK (it wasn't, but more of that later).

Friday night about 9ish I arrived at the Breakwater Diving Center and looked for the others. After a while I met Ian, then Jason turned up. We stayed in the bar a while until Alasdair phoned around midnight to say he was nearly there (he'd been to a wedding and left late). Of course we needed no persuasion to have a quick beer with him before turning in.

During the night I was aware of some noise, yep, it had to be wind outside. When we awoke on Saturday it was blowing a serious easterly, and the sea at Castletown slip was very rough. Too rough in fact to launch from, so the morning dive was cancelled. After a lot of tea-drinking etc. we headed off first to Portland Bill to look at the race but didn't stay too long as the wind was severe and it was brass monkeys! So we went into Weymouth for some lunch. A chance visit to the local chandlers and Jason inquired after dog clips. He was most delighted to find some serious techie ones (i.e. enormous) and went and splashed out on 4 of them, and Alasdair couldn't resist a couple either...

The afternoon's diving was also cancelled, and to be frank there wasn't much enthusiasm anyhow as it was still wet. cold and windy. Instead Alasdair decided to rig his new Greenforce torch to his twinset, armed with one of those amazing G-snap clips you can buy from Ben at Portland Oceaneering. Much fiddling and more cups of tea later, the torch was on, and looked rather neat.
Saturday evening, Ian had decided that he'd had enough of this being blown out lark and headed off so he could dive Stoney with his club. So Alasdair, Jason and I took a taxi into Weymouth where we had a nice dinner followed by some beers in the George. The group on was playing cover numbers of various oldies and the UKRS karaoke team ended up singing along to some...

Jason: "We're so pretty, oh so pretty, oh"
Keith: "We're vacant"

Alasdair merely looked on in amusement/embarassment as he was just a gleam in the milkman's eye when that record was released...

Sunday morning dawned bright and... Sunny! With only a gentle breeze, although the forecast was for it to freshen up. So at 11 we were to be found heading out to do a drift along Balaclava Bay. We were on Saracen, in fact we three were the only ones on Saracen as all the other 9 that were supposed to be on it had followed Ian's lead the night before. Down we went into 18m, put the blob up (I got to tow it as I'd suggested doing the drift) and found quite a strong current, at least 2 knots. Viz was 2-3m but it wasn't dark. Off we flew in the current for about 34mins when I turned and suggested 'up' to Alasdair who was behind me. He agreed, and I started up, followed by him, but Jason had completely missed seeing us in the poorish viz. We did a 3min stop at 6m, me wondering why my bouyancy seemed rather odd on the ascent. When we got to the surface (total run time 41mins) we found out why - huge waves, we had ended up in what is known locally as Fiddler's Race, a rather violent area. A rather worried looking skipper was right by us and we got into the boat as quickly as possible (well, as quick as you can with a twinset on in a race...) Jason was nearby and we picked him up and we got the hell out of there. 
The next dive was at 3pm and again we were the only 3 people fortunate (stupid?) enough to be on the boat. The weather was getting worse so we did the Landing Craft in the harbour which was reasonably sheltered from the southerly wind. Unfortunately a rib from Fathom&Blues turned up and deposited a group of divers before we could get down, so when we descended it was a bit murky in places - well OK there was no viz at all in places, although in other areas there was 2m or so. My torch battery decided to expire about 15mins into the dive, fortunately my little backup was almost as good in the viz, as it's narrow pencil beam didn't give as much backscatter. After two trips round the landing craft it was back up the shot and back to port. On arriving into port, there was a mayday on the VHF. A little while later the helicopter went out in the direction of the Bill. Heard later that the Fleur de Lys had a gas explosion and capsized, fortunately all crew were recovered to safety.

So an unpredictable weekend then, but it had been fun.