Tuesday 28th August 2001 – 8.37am
A calm, bright day at full tide, with a light wind breezing gently in from the southeast. The large boats in the Channel lie uniformly, all obediently facing south, while the tenders to shore face every which way, gathering themselves like a cabal and ignoring all around them. In the distance Black Combe is clear, though filtered through the slight haze in the air across in the distance between us.