British Isles, Spring 2006 Damon returned to the MV Polar Star in May as Assistant Expedition Leader for an expedition cruise up the west coast of Ireland, through the Western Isles and up to Shetland. This is the second year Pelagial have provided staff for Polar Star expeditions and we have secured further work later this year with them to the Caribbean and South America. British Isles, Spring 2006 Unseasonal gales and rough seas made Mark's latest expedition cruise aboard the MV Explorer one to remember. With several long passages in Force 9 winds off the west coast of Ireland and Scotland, passengers and crew alike had a challenging time. Zodiac handling skills were certainly tested on the many landings ashore on the remote islands. The highlight was a successful landing at St Kilda amongst the thousands of nesting seabirds. South Africa, Spring 2006 In April, Bill flew to Cape Town to run a powerboat training course for local fisheries officers as part of an EU funded project on fisheries management. The RSA fisheries department had recently taken delivery of Chase 1, a 14 m, 65 knot high-speed pursuit boat intended for patrolling and intercepting poachers. Bill, together with Pelagial consultant Eugene van der Merwe, provided training in specialised high-speed craft handling, patrol navigation, assertive boat handling and pursuit and interception.