We re-entered the COA, to our great relief, at about 0200, just as I was going on watch, which meant that moving round the ship wasn’t quite so bloody difficult as before. I stayed on watch in the Ops Room, doing Air Director (the guy in charge of flying overall, from the radar side of things) until 0500, when I gratefully retired to bed, where I slept peacefully until just after nine when I had to go and do some things for Wings, which didn’t exactly over-joy me.
I have heard, via Dick Brunwin, that a guy called John Heath (a Lieutenant Commander ATCO that I met at Yeovilton when I was there holding over before joining this ship) is here at RAF Stanley, and he is very interested in doing some exchanges with the two Air Traffic Controllers on board, which would certainly suit me. I mooted the suggestion to Wings, who graciously gave his blessing – for some reason I’m still in his good books, and he now invites me to correct his English on any of the memoranda and so on that I type up for him – so I will try to get something organized over the next week.
Despite feeling about as sharp as a sponge, I stayed in the Wardroom during the afternoon to watch the ITV film – ‘Salamander’ – which promised great things. As is so often the case, unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver the goods.