Its mission was to identify fourteen boats in a fishing-fleet, in the ten square miles all around us - all the time. The sun rose and turned the bridge yellow, I adjusted the radars for the light and kept track of Tweety as she flit from one boat to another. Sara and I listened to the crystal clear air-band radio as the names of the boats were read out to us from the helicopter, using the phonetic alphabet. Sarah noted the fishers' names, and I read out their positions from the ARPA radars. The air was cool and radar reception was enhanced on both sets. Using vectors and variable electronic bearing lines, Hugh and I did that flight together. The second-to-last one's name in the fishing fleet was Lian Run No 14.

We needed to change our mode of transport. When the helicopter landed, the jet boat was ready to go, with the photographers changing their grey helicopter-life-vests for orange boat-vests. Ed pulled the lever to the quick release and the boat slipped free from the crane hook on to the crest of a rolling wave. It was a sunny day and there was a force three following wind. We launched and for a moment were towed by the painter, until I pressed the ignition switch and felt the jet of water rushing beneath the orange fibreglass floor.

There was no relative wind at dawn. The engine sounded smooth and she was streaming well in the seaway, I increased the revs some more, and as we cam ahead, I nodded to Ed, who released the painter. The painter had held the jet boat to the ships side as it made its way through the water. Now we were on our own steam. Seven witnesses turned in the wet-room doorway and climbed down the outboard rubber and rope steps from the ship into the jet boat below. "Espy this is the jet, we have nine persons on board and we're clear of the ship's side,"I called out to Pete over the radio.

With the jet's engine warming up to 85C, I talked of the expected weather we would encounter crossing the eight miles of Atlantic Ocean. We kept pace with the Esperanza, which was simultaneously increasing to full pitch on her E-drive-powered variable pitch propellers. And when our engines were warm we were off at full speed downwind with a 'thump virrrrrr' sounding whenever the jet boat took flight to reach the Lian Run No 14.

- Mike Mate