Film Stars

The RNLI invest a lot of time and money trying to reduce the number of distress call-outs by working to improve safety and knowledge of everyone who goes on (or even by) the sea. Recently they analysed the call-outs to leisure craft and discovered no less than 11 different categories of marine sports that have resulted in distress calls. To try and improve safety awareness, the RNLI are making a series of short educational films, one for each of these different sports. It will be no surprise that one of them is sea angling.

I was contacted by Simon Jollands of The Knowledge Zone, a film company based in Cowes that have been commissioned by the RNLI to make these films. They needed help producing footage of real anglers, real angling boats and real fishing situations. Of course I was delighted to help, not just because it was supporting our favourite charity, it was also an excuse for a fun and different day afloat. I asked Arron to help out with Aquaholic, and last Tuesday Simon arrived at the marina in a huge and impressive RIB with his cameraman Steve Sleight, and Richard Devereux from the RNLI.

We spent an hour or so alongside the pontoon going through the script and filming sequences like engine checks, safety equipment (oops, my flares are out of date - best check yours too!) and radio procedure. Then we went out into Langstone Harbour for some simulated fishing and some moving-boat shots. Richard came along with me to play the part of a keen angler (although he wasn't).

I thought feathering for mackerel would be an easy start, but I didn't realise how easy it would be. I gave Richard a rod rigged with feathers, showed him how to drop it over the side and then jig it up and down. On the second "jig" his rod came alive and he was straight in - that was all of 15 seconds. So why did it take me over an hour when I really needed bait last week? Richard could not be persuaded that fishing can actually be quite difficult, and proved his point by hooking (and losing) a reasonable-looking bass!

Simon and Steve put some good sequences of Salar and Aquaholic in the can, and we are looking forward to seeing ourselves in action. When the set of films are finished they will be distributed free by the RNLI, I hope to have a link to the relevant ones on http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/ . The photo above shows (left to right) Simon, Steve and Richard after we had finished filming.