Episode 3
Documentary following life on the English Channel. A high-speed ferry battles traffic, a sickly seal pup is washed up in Cornwall and a luxury yacht must be handled with care.
The Royal Navy have to combat rough seas, a high-speed ferry pilot battles traffic in the Solent, a sickly seal is washed up on a Cornish beach, and 拢700,000 worth of cargo needs to be handled with care.
The Channel has long been the base and training ground for the Royal Navy's fleet of 48 patrol vessels, submarines and ships. After six months in the Gulf, type 23 frigate HMS Somerset is back in home waters. She is due to be reunited with her Merlin helicopter. But as harsh winter weather closes in on the Channel, it is going to take all of the crew's skill and experience to get her safely on deck.
In the Solent, the challenge for Chief Officer Alice Platten is to keep the high-speed Red Jet 5 catamaran running to a strict timetable. But as she shuttles between Southampton and the Isle of Wight nine times a day, there are ferries, freighters, and yachts, not to mention dawdling passengers, to contend with.
For loadmaster Shane Brearley, a precise and painstakingly slow approach is needed. His task for the day is to very carefully lift a brand new 拢700,000 luxury yacht from the water and load it for the next leg of its journey to its new owner - hopefully without a scratch.
Winter also sees grey and common seals migrate to the Channel's shores to have their pups. But when a sickly pup is spotted in trouble on Godrevy beach, animal rescue volunteer Dave Jarvis rushes to the scene to help.
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