When I started out with this track, I had the story in my mind and how a family sailing in their boat, Quantum Wave off the coast of Cornwall, England, were  struggling through increasingly rough seas. The boat is riding up large waves and almost surfing down the back of the that wave crashing into the trough and burying the bow of the boat into the sea with a thundering crash.

As conditions worsen the situation becomes more dire as the family are now fighting for their lives against the raging storm. With this in mind, I started exploring various time signatures and rhythms to capture the feeling of being out at sea riding up and down the waves. As the story progresses and the conditions at sea get worse, I wanted the music to build gradually so there was the music takes you on a journey. We start off with the sound of a thunder storm with howling wind and rain. Against this backdrop, we hear the morse code SOS which sets the scene and the context of the story. The violins start with just a single note and then build in C minor, and I’ve deliberately made them more staccato so give that feeling of choppiness which works in well with the rhythm. The frame drums set the pace in the first few sections with timpani rolls giving the effect of those wales rolling in, in conjunction with the cymbal swells. ​​

​In the next section, we rise to F minor which adds a bit of harmonic interest and introduces some new elements to the music. After the section in F minor, we move into the bridge section and this is where we hear the big powerful toms come in. ​These symbolise the power of the ocean in these stormy conditions, with waves smashing into the hull of the boat and crashing over the deck. The violins are running up and down the scale to create the effect of the boat riding up and down the huge waves. You can also hear the morse code in this section with the infamous SOS message. There is a bit of artistic license going on here to create a bit more drama. Originally, I had considered using real world radio comms of a Mayday call, however, a full Mayday message is quite long and actually overshadowed the power of the toms which I really wanted to bring out here. The morse code seemed to sit in the mix well along with the drums and orchestra so I stuck with it. In addition, there was also a bit of a story line around the morse code which might make into the final version.

​​At the end of this section, we hear the voice of the storm, which was introduced in the previous track ‘The Storm’ and this takes us into the next part where we hear the military snare drum coming in and Rob talks about this in a little while. We also have what’s called a modulation which sees us move up a fifth to F minor? And the brass takes centre stage to change to build the tension as the father dives into the sea to save his son who has been swept overboard.

As we progress into the final part, the music builds again as the choir comes in and Robs works his magic on the snare drum. All hell has broken lose in the story as the storm rages against them and the boat is taking a pounding to the point of taking on water.  The father is victorious against all odds in saving his son and getting back on the boat and this is reflected in the snare drums. Moreover, they now have a mission of staying together and surviving until they are found by Search and Rescue.
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This track finishes with a crescendo of the toms, framedrums and cymbals which is followed by morse code SOS. This time, the morse codes carries on into silence which creates a haunting effect. 

​Drumming by Rob Brian

As a musician we tend to get given sheets of paper with many notes, dots and lines written all over it. This is fine as it gives us the parts that we are required to play to make someone’s music come to life from the page to the ear etc. But then there are the opportunities to build and create your own part from your imagination when given the tempo, feel and story of the music.

This happened when I started work on Tim’s music for Changing Tides. The idea was very inspiring for me with my drums telling the story and creating the drama and the excitement of a raging sea and a family out at sea in their sailing boat, fighting for their lives against a powerful and angry storm. The fear of being out there and maybe never getting home, all that emotional content was in my mind when I was composing and arranging my drum parts for ‘Out at Sea’. The toms on a drum kit can tell many stories, on this piece they create the platform for everything else to sit on, rising and falling throughout the piece. The cymbal rolls and swells are very much to give the listener the feel that water is rising and falling all around them. I used soft mallets to create these swells and the cymbal crashes were played with sticks to add attack to the rolls and give the feeling of waves hitting the deck and so on.
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The tom fills leading into the middle section are played with Flams and sound very big, adding weight and intensity on top of the pounding tom part which sits within the track. The fills get bigger and weightier as the track progress’s and I wanted the drums to gain prominence and take over. Playing this part with thicker sticks gave the toms much more power and a roar, careful tuning too insured that all the pitches of the toms can be heard clearly. When the drum groove eventually comes in after the drama from the toms it gives the feel that the storm is here and its time to ride it out the best we can. The triplet feel is very much the feel that an uneven sea gives you and defining this with the steady drum beat adds to the power of the middle section. 

​I wanted big fills and cymbal sweets to be over dubbed here so we still get the waves crashing around us as well as the waves crashing on the deck and sending the boat into turmoil. As the track moves on the double tracked marching snares come in, this signals hope and a feeling that not all is lost. I used 2 snare drums for this, a high tuned DW wood shell that was almost like a Scottish pipe drum sound.

I also used a  vintage 1968 Ludwig Pioneer wooden shell snare that was tuned down, to create the effect of marching drummers. ​Creating the part was a joyous experience as I love to create drum soundscapes like this. The narrative here really allowed me to think in a very cinematic way and I am very happy with how it turned out.

​In the story of Changing Tides, a huge storm rolls in across the Atlantic Ocean and becomes a dangerous threat to a family sailing a few miles out at sea around the Cornish coast. What started out as a relaxing holiday turns out to be a terrifying battle for their lives. Their day started out beautifully, but as they sailed past Gwennap Head off the southern coast of Cornwall in their new sailing yacht, the 37 foot Quantum Wave, the sky darkened and the winds started to freshen. 

The father, also the skipper of their new sailing yacht wasn’t aware of any weather systems forecast for today in this area so continued sailing onward. However, a few  miles south west of the notorious Runnel Stone, he was starting to feel a little bit uneasy about how things were developing knowing that if this was an incoming weather system, he would need to start thinking of turning around and making for the nearest safe harbour at Newyln. He went below to check the Navtex for the latest weather report. However, the screen was blank and after a few reboots, it was clear that the Navtex had developed a fault. Little did he know that a weather warning had been broadcast and a low pressure system had been developing in the Atlantic and creating a storm front that was moving rapidly towards them. This would get stronger as it moved across the warmer ocean waters.
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He went back out on deck and could clearly see that conditions were deteriorating.  The wind had increased significantly and the waves had started to build. He was sailing on a beam reach as the wind blew in from the vast expanse of ocean and it was getting rougher. He had a few a few strategies he could use in storm conditions. He could ride the storm out by ‘heaving to’ which is a time-honored storm tactic preferred by many sailors. The boat is turned close to the wind, and the helm is locked into position. The alternative was turning around and running ahead of the sea downwind. He was well aware of the risks with this approach and while some sailors swear by running ahead of the sea, this tactic requires constant skilful steering as a following sea can cause the boat to broach or worse, pitchpole end over end.

​He went down below to discuss with the family and put his waterproof gear on. They decided to turn around and make for safe harbour while they still had time to get ahead of the storm. However, they would need to reef in the mainsail as they didn’t want a lot of sail up when tacking. If a strong gust hits the sails during the turn, it could capsize the boat. 

They went back on deck to reef in the sail and prepare for the turn. Incredibly, the conditions had worsened in the last fifteen minutes and it wasn’t long before the waves are crashing onto the deck and the boat is leaning over at a precarious angle as the winds get stronger. The father is reefing in the main sail, with a sense of disbelief that the storm has hit them so quickly. The waves are coming in over 20 foot now and the wind blowing 50 knots or more. How could this happen? How could he have missed the signs?
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The sail is halfway down when suddenly, it jams!  A huge wave slams the boat broadside causing it to pitch perilously close to a knockdown, where the mast touches the water. The father holds on to the railing for his life. Crockery can be heard smashing down below. Panic starts to take hold of the mother and the two children.  The boat rights itself quickly but the waves are getting bigger crashing over the deck and with the sailed jammed, the boat is becoming increasingly difficult to control. Another big wave like the last one could capsize them completely. The waves are getting closer together and steeper. And they only thing he can do now is ‘heave to’ and the lock the helm into position in the hope that they can ride out the storm.

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Just then, the lights go out. The children scream. Mum holds them close to offer some comfort but this is a dire situation. The bilges must have flooded and taken out the batteries. The Dad grabs the torch but the radio is dead. The boat seems to have stabilised somewhat but the waves still crash over it as water runs through the hatch. The Dad goes on deck to survey the situation. It’s not good, the mast has snapped and there is a large crack in the hull of the boat where they are taking on water taking on water….
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Back on land, the Coastgaurd pick up a mayday call, but they have not been able to make contact with the stricken vessel.  The Search and Rescue (SAR) teams are scrambled. The last reported position before contact was lost, was just a few miles south west of the Runnel Stone, notorious for so many shipwrecks over the years. Concern is growing for the safety of the family. A race against time begins for the crews of SAR.

​The biggest wave to be recorded off the coast of the British Isles was just down the coast from here by a buoy close to Penzance. This monster wave measured 75ft! However, it is thought that this particular buoy was malfunctioning and the data was incorrect. Other waves measured by the UK Met Office in nearby waters showed readings as high as 26 feet. That's still pretty big! With that said, a huge 62-foot rogue wave has been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean between the north coast of Scotland and Iceland. That’s taller than a 6 storey building. An electronic buoy recorded the wave on February 4th 2013, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.​

​Composing The Storm: Behind the Scenes
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I approached the composition of The Storm by imagining myself in that situation and envisaging this huge storm rolling in across the Atlantic Ocean, with winds building to Force 10 and waves over 40 feet breaking with incredible force. I wanted to give the storm a voice that portrayed its ferocious, unforgiving nature.​

The arrival of the storm is heralded by this voice - an ominous, foreboding roar that builds in volume as we hear the bell buoy ringing on the rough sea between claps of thunder and howling winds. The music begins with another loud clap of thunder as orchestral strings and brass set the pace of the storm that rages with force 10 winds, whipping the sea into a frenzy with mountainous waves.  

​The violins, violas and celli are played in a dramatic staccato fashion to build the tension and create a sense of urgency. Underlying this are the legato brass instruments. In the chorus, we hear frame drums picking up the pace as the strings increase the intensity.  After the chorus, we hear the orchestral low brass cutting through the mix and I also introduce tremolo strings that rise every fourth bar to heighten the tension. Meanwhile the toms are weaving around the melody to create more energy and movement.
 
Then the music changes to a softer tone as the storm seems to be calming down. Is it all over? A few rays of sunshine manage to filter through the stormy clouds. The music captures this calmer mood with gentle strings, harp and an angelic female choir. I wanted to capture a sense of hope with this section of the music but this soon turns to disappointment which is portrayed by a sad melody on the violin and viola. This was the eye of the storm and it is not done yet! The storm is coming back with even more ferocity. A roll on the timpani’s in conjunction with the toms builds the tension culminating in a distant bell ringing that leads into the male choir and heavy beats on the timpani’s, reminiscent of war drums. The return of the storm is heralded once again by the ominous roar of the storm and we know that the other side of the storm is here. The tempo changes suddenly. The staccato strings play a heavy, driving progression as a backdrop to violins that start playing an arpeggio. The music builds with deep staccato brass in conjunction with the male choir. As the music develops, the string arpeggio takes centre stage to create more tension as the toms really come into play weaving around the strings and brass in addition to huge cymbal swells. The storm rages with violent chaos as the sea builds huge waves that crash onto the shore with unbelievable power and force. My vision for this last section of the music was to recreate this power, violence and chaos. A key part of this was the drumming and percussion.

​My good friend Rob Brian played drums on this track which we recorded over at NAM Studio in Wiltshire. Rob has done a fantastic job of capturing the power of the storm particularly as we build to a crescendo. Here is what Rob has to say about drumming on The Storm.

​Rob Brian Drumming on The Storm

As musicians, we tend to get given sheets of paper with many notes, dots and lines written all over it. This is fine as it gives us the parts that we are required to play to make someone’s music come to life from the page to the ear etc. ​But there are the opportunities to build and create your own part from your imagination when given the tempo, feel and story of the music. This happened when I started work on Tim’s music for Changing Tides.

The idea was very inspiring for me, my drums telling the story and creating the drama and energy of a powerful storm with a family out at sea in their sailing boat with the mounting fear that they wouldn't be able to ride out the storm. All this emotional content was in my mind when I was composing and arranging my drum parts for ‘The Storm’.  

​From the start I could hear various drum parts adding to the drama and weaving in and out of each other, creating a strong rhythmic bed for the other instruments to sit on. As soon as the track starts with the howling wind and weather, we are transported to a very different soundscape and I wanted the drums to come in with real drama playing the groove that Tim had set with the strings and brass. The hi-hats pick up that groove and rhythmic theme and takes the rhythm along with the strings on a merry dance through the waves. The accented part on the hats is a crucial element as that movement gives the groove more menace and drive, a thing that a flatter sounding pattern wouldn't have given us.

​The toms are then added in this section to add to the building drama, moving across the beat and moving between the tones of 4 toms. I thought of them more as 4 timpani rather than tom toms, I wanted them to have that particular home in the sound/mix that the timps would normally have. The big theme on the toms leading into the large cymbal crashes I wanted to give the impression of huge crashing waves and the wind blowing the boat in all directions.

The mellow section starts with very subtle use of the ride cymbal to usher in a new mood. The female voices sound angelic and beautiful, a few cymbal builds here and there for effect, leading into the huge tom fill which we doubled on floor toms, leading into the next pulsing section. I am playing 32nd notes here and I wanted it to be very fast but sticked so you can pick out almost each stroke, hard to do on bigger floor toms! Here the toms take on an almost marching style driving on the piece with some use of accented notes to add drama. The need to move away and play bigger fills off of the groove again adds drama and excitement to this piece as the strings continue to build in intensity. The use of Flams here in this section allows me to fatten up the sound of the toms and make them sound more aggressive. The tom part was worked on with Tim but he allowed me to improvise the fills to add to the creative input etc.
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The end section has the big 16” and 18” DW floor toms giving the bottom end of the groove and the higher pitched 10’, 12” and 13” toms adding the more melodic patterns that are the fills over the top. Drums sound great when layered in this way and you can make tracks sound huge with cleverly crafted parts. This is what I strived for on this track. Creating these parts was a joyous experience as I love to create drum soundscapes like this from verse as much as I do to music, the musical/story narrative really allowed me to think in a very cinematic way and I am very happy with how it turned out.

​Classic analog synths from yesteryear are back in vogue, and let’s face it, what synth enthusiast wouldn’t like own an original ARP2600 or CS80? However, the originals that are in decent condition are going for outrageous sums of cash on the second hand market. For example, a Yamaha CS80 in good condition will set you back around $8000! And as a free bonus, you get all of the unreliability issues that accompanies these awesome machines!

We’ve seen a few of these classics being re-manufactured in recent times. Korg has the MS20 mini and the ARP Odyssey mini. News from Korg at NAMM is the announcement for a full sized version of the ARP Odyssey.

However, there are some really interesting things going on over at Behringer with some serious cloning activity. The rumour mill has been working overtime in the last year about various clones in the making and this has been fueled by Uli, the founder of Behringer who has announced interest in remaking classics such as the ARP2600 and OSCar synths. Is this all marketing hype or is there something behind this? Well, the proof is in the pudding as they say and we’ve just seen the  Model D shipping across Europe for the outrageously good price of £299! Some synthesizer enthusiasts will be cynical and may even be critical of these clones, but at this price point, it’s got to be worth a closer look.

In a post, Uli says how, for him, authenticity is all about replicating the circuitry. Using the same components or manufacturing replacements for obsolete ones. It cannot be about VST, DSP or emulation. He is all about the sound of true analog synths. This is an interesting proposition and captures the essence of the allure of analog synths.

In addition, Uli says that they have decided to completely open up the company. To make the development transparent and involve the public in that process. This is a good move, because with Behringer we’re getting the opportunity to be part of the development, to have a say and to see it all come together over time.

So the Model D is shipping and early reports look very promising. We’ve also just seen the announcement for the Neutron semi modular analog synth that looks great and again, at an affordable price point. So whats next?

Oberheim OB-Xa to UB-Xa
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The latest journey is a clone for the Oberheim OB-Xa. Uli went into details of how this was the most requested polysynth and how, with its complexity, will be given to the same engineering team that developed the DeepMind 12.
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The UB-Xa will look even closer to the original than the Behringer Model D, right down to details like colour and font selection. Behringer hasn’t revealed a price or release date for this synth yet, but images show that it will have MIDI and USB connections, as well as footswitch and pedal jacks.  Uli has said that it will likely take more than 12 months to complete the UB-Xa.

Its great to see a the founder and CEO of a company being so dynamic and engaged with the synthesizer community and I think its great to see these clones coming back to the market at such fantastic prices. Behringer is bringing an authentic flavour of these vintage classics to a much wider audience of synth enthusiasts that don’t want to take out of mortgage to buy a piece of kit that is 30 or 40 years old and could breakdown at any time. One could say that the myriad of VSTi analog emulations are just as good. Yep, they sound great and there is a sense of nostalgia when you see the front panel of these vintage classics. They certainly play a major role in my studio. However, they lack that analog signal pathway that gives the originals a particular character and they also lack that tactile experience that makes hardware analog synths so fulfilling to work with. It seems to me that Behringer are creating authentic sounding analog instruments at a truly affordable price so more people can enjoy this type of synthesis. Surely, this can only result in more creativity and that’s got to be a good thing!

​One of the tracks on the album is called The Rescue where a family are stranded at sea in their sailing boat that is taking on water and has lost power. The situation is dire was the storm rages and huge waves batter the boat. All they can do is stay together and hope that their Mayday call got through before the batteries shorted out!

To bring a sense of realism to this track, I wanted to include some radio comms from the rescue team. This was trickier than I expected as I’d tried using this on previous tracks but it just didn’t seem to work too well in the context of the music. However, I thought it could work on this track. The first step was to work out what would be said in the radio comms. I wanted this to be as accurate as possible so I did a lot of research on this and as a budding pilot myself and having passed the radio comms exams, I already had a good idea of the terminology used. I also wanted to use accurate coordinates for a notorious stretch of sea off the south coast of Cornwall where this story plays out. Unfortunately, these lengthy co-ordinates took up too much space and didn’t work too well. Perhaps, I’ll use this if I do a narrated version in the future.

​​In the bridge section of the music, which is called ‘searching’ the rescue helicopter has not been able to find the stricken vessel ‘Quantum Wave’ at the last known coordinates and so the rescue team have to extend the search grid. In this section we also hear a Nimrod fly overhead as these plains used to help out in Search and Rescue operations because of their advanced sensor capabilities. The rescue helicopter, Nimrod and lifeboat will all communicate with the Rescue Coordination Centre for the mission. Anyway, I digress so back to the story. I used just enough radio comms chatter to give the listener the general gist of what is going on, without it getting in the way of the music. Towards the end of this musical section, we hear the pilot say that he has visibility on a flare and that they are on their way. This then leads in to the next section of the music where there is more of a sense of urgency as the helicopter and lifeboat crews race to the site of the flare going off. ​

​Once the helicopter reaches the stricken vessel, the pilot positions for the rescue attempt. The winchman is lowered to the boat as the helicopter hovers at a safe height. This is a precision operation as sail boats have a tall mast and lots of cables that can be potentially dangerous to the helicopter and the winchman who is being lowered to the deck. The music takes on a more military feel to capture the essence of the rescue operation.  I also bring some more radio comms into the music based on the chatter that goes on between the crew in these situations. The pilot may not be able to see the boat below so he relies on the winchman to provide instructions as to their position over the boat. For example there will be a steady dialogue of commands such as right 2, steady, right 1, height is good, and so on. 

To achieve the radio comms, I couldn’t use recordings of rescue crews in real life situations and I wanted the radio comms to be relevant to this story. Therefore, I looked at the software VSTi’s that are available on the market that would help me create the effect. I decided to use iZotope’s Trash2 software plugin as I had used their mixing software, Alloy, which I’m really impressed with. Trash2 is no exception and it gave me the sonic capabilities to take my own comms recording and process them so that they sounded like proper radio communications. After running the voice through Trash, I ran it through Alloy for some further processing with EQ, compression and an exciter! So there we have it. That is how I created the radio comms for The Rescue. You’ll be able to check it out very soon as the album will be released early May.

I've been racking up the hours at the mixing desk recently and finally,  after much editing, re-orchestration, arrangement and mixing, the next 3 tracks of the album are complete and ready for mastering. These 3 tracks are very orchestral with a fusion of acoustic drums which we recorded over at Earthwork Amber Studio with Rob Brian an Jon Buckett. The dynamics of each track sound good to my ears and I'm happy with the final mix. However, it has been a real challenge to mix orchestral instruments with traditional drums and various electronic instruments so it has been quite a learning curve.

Out at Sea

A family are out sailing around the coast of Cornwall when they get caught out by the weather. Their day started out beautifully, but as they sailed past Gwennap Head, off the southern coast of Cornwall, the sky darkened and the winds started to increase. A storm was blowing in across the Atlantic and the conditions were worsening. The father, also the skipper was starting to feel nervous with how things were developing knowing that they had little time to get back to port and that they were close to the notorious Runnel Stone.

The Rescue

​This track starts to the sound of the SeaKing SAR helicopter being scrambled with the storm raging in the background. This is a race against time. A race against the storm to save the lives of a family. The tension is palpable as Squadron 771 and the RLNI are scrambled. 

Homeward Bound

On board the SeaKing helicopter, the family are still reeling from their experience. They are wet, cold and totally exhausted.  It is difficult to take it all in. However, there is a huge sense of relief amongst the crew and the family. Events could have easily taken a different direction and not in a good way. 

I’ve just spent 3 fantastic days over at Earthworm Amber studio with Rob Brian (session drummer), Jon (producer) and Pete (sound engineer) working on 4 tracks from the Changing Tides album. We created some truly superb music during those 3 days and we all had a lot of fun in the process.
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On day 1, the morning was all about getting the drum kit and microphones set up, tweaking the pre-amps and setting up Pro Tools. Then we took some time to go through the story board so that we were all on the same page with regard to the emotions we wanted to capture in each section of the track. In the afternoon, we get in to the recording session with Rob working his magic on the drums. In the control room, the sound was awesome against the violins, violas and cellos. Jon and Pete bring many years of experience to the production and engineering side. What a great team to work with. We were all immersed in the process and the creativity levels were just phenomenal. More work to finish ‘Out at Sea’ and then tomorrow, we move onto ‘The Rescue’.  Exciting times!
On day 2, we finished recording the drums for ‘Out at Sea’ and then moved onto ‘The Rescue’. This was more of a challenge as not only do the drums and percussion need to evolve and change with the various scenes in the story but also, we want to create a sense of urgency right out of the gate as the lifeboat and helicopter SAR crew are scrambled but we also want to avoid throwing everything into the mix from the outset!  Rob did a grand job and the drums really set the pace for each part. For example, in the final sections of the track, the urgency of the situation increases as the helicopter manoeuvres for another attempt at the rescue of the family on the sailing boat. We used a number of snare drums and floor toms to set the pace and also mimic the sound the helicopter blades. Awesome. Then we moved onto Homeward Bound and Rob nailed this one in one take on the drum kit. Marvellous!
 
On day 3, we had a change in direction as we jumped ahead to the last track on the album, Party on the Beach. This part of the story is about celebrating life, being with friends and family and enjoying life in the moment. It is more upbeat with a calypso feel to it and we keep this groove developing as we introduce new instruments into the mix. In the middle breakdown section, to keep things interesting, we change things up a bit by introducing a cool reggae groove which works really well in the context of the whole arrangement. This was such a fun track to work on with lots of other percussion instruments layered on top of the drum kit such as bongos, shakers, tambourine, jam blocks and hand clapping. This really helped us achieve that calypso dance groove. A big thank you to Rob Brian for his incredible drumming and percussion. Also to Jon and Pete at Earthworm Amber studio for their production and engineering skills. Fantastic job guys.

​Working on the next track 'I'm currently working on 'The Rescue' in the studio. Working through the string sections, V1 V2, viola and cello at the moment with the beautiful Spitfire Mural string symphony and 8Dio's Agitato Legato Arpeggio strings.

This track is about a rescue mission and SAR & RNLI crews being scrambled to a stricken sailing boat that is taking on water in a Gale Force 10 storm. The family on board are fighting for their lives against the monstrous waves and the ferocious wind. After several knockdowns, they make the call. Mayday. Mayday. Mayday….  The Sea King helicopter is scrambled and the highly trained crew are in the air within 2 minutes heading to the last known co-ordinates. A Severn Class lifeboat launches in to the rough seas motoring up huge walls of water and crashing through the breaking crests of these monster waves only to slam down hard in to the trough burying the bow in to the wave in front. It’s a rough ride, but there is a job to do and time is running out……..and so the story unfolds along with the music.

The Sea King is one of my favourite helicopters and I've read so many stories of brave rescues by the crews of these awesome helicopters. It’s perhaps not the prettiest of helicopters but it must be the most beautiful thing on the planet if you are in trouble out at sea, fighting for your life and one of these appears overhead!

The familiar red and grey Search & Rescue helicopters were once a common sight in the skies over Cornwall but Squadron 771 has recently been decommissioned. During its 42 years of rescue operations, 15,000 lives have been helped or saved with over 9,000 sorties. Simply amazing. Total respect for these crews.

There are some great books written by Sea King pilots and Search & Rescue divers: Here are a few that I've read that are absolutely excellent:

• SAR by Jake Watson
• Sea Pilot - Cheating the Sea, by Jerry Grayson
• Rescue 194 by Jay O'Donnell
• On The Wire by Dave Peel