My experiences of the Jetfoil will remain with me all my life! I will relate a few such episodes which may prove interesting, they certainly were for me!

• One of the fitters repaired a high-pressure air hose by re swaging a coupling and when I informed him that I would get it tested to 4500 PSI he was most upset. "Don't you trust me he said"! Of course I do but etc, etc. He then sat on the remade coupling and calmly re pressurised the system using the adjacent remote on/off valve. Point taken I said! - Not quite what I said I must admit.

• One Sunday while not on shift I got called out owing to water pump ingestion. My diving partner could not be contacted so I called out the professional diver I had trained. Never have I come across such 'dirty water' as even with a powerful under water torch, visibility was only a few inches. After 15 minutes we had not located the pump orifice and I led the way back. Alas we ascended into a mass of 'rubbish 'and I concluded we had come up under the pontoon the Jetfoil was moored to. We made it out and the diver retorted "never again" and disappeared, sensible man! My usual diving partner arrived and the second attempt at sealing the pump was successful but bloody hard work and again a full cylinder of air was used. Although we were working only a few feet down the tide was strong. The pump was cleared internally but we then had problems in removing the seals. My partner (10 years my junior) sustained severe cramp and had to be dragged out of the water. I used all the remaining air, mainly in trying to free myself as the safety rope became snagged below me and I was being pulled down by the shore crew who thought they were pulling me up. My knife was trapped so I could not cut the rope! After a rest I realised the tide had slackened and the visibility had improved so I discarded my dry suit and without the safety rope finished the task in a few dives. The memories of those dives have haunted me ever since. At the time the actions only seemed 'foolish' and on par with say over taking President Makarious and his Motor Cavalcade on my motor cycle while on a rally in Cyprus or over taking vehicles on the left hand side 'Bondu' verge going up Mountainous roads in Cyprus or as a 15 year old swimming out to the Naval vessels moored 2 miles off the coast at Eastbourne. It is not until later, often years, that the reality and stupidity of such actions hit home.
• Trying to get some of the non ex Service fitters to use torque wrenches on bolts up to about 3/4 inch was difficult as they insisted they were capable of achieving the correct torque by 'feel'. I believed they were capable but that was not really the issue. I received a call from a Boeing Engineer I knew who was inquiring why we were the only operators of the Jetfoil who were not having problems with some universal couplings. Owing to the design it was virtually impossible to use a torque wrench so I admitted that they were tightened without a torque wrench as we had 'proper fitters'.
• The reason that a turbine change, other than one during the Annual Inspection, was such a disaster was because the procedure took about 5 days of working round the clock. The engine was below the water line and had to be removed out the top of the vessel. Revenue was lost for the 5 days, thousands of passengers were upset and the adverse publicity was bad for the Company. The over time bill was huge and I can still remember the workers downing tools near the completion of one such turbine change demanding a bonus because 'they had worked hard'! I was the one who really suffered as the schedule for the mammoth task ran to only 2 pages and only one signature was required. Guess whose?
• On completion of the turbine removal it had to be moved about 200 feet. There were apparently no proper slings available and a general duties guy (labourer) used ropes to secure the engine to the hook of the crane's 100 foot jib. I showed some concern as to the safety of the operation. His answer was he would trust his life to his knots. He was sitting astride the turbine and promptly signalled the driver to lift and seconds later he was being swung over the sea at 50 feet. A different world in those days!

Towards the end of 1981 the decision to sell the Jetfoil was made public. Not surprisingly the Maintenance Staff were very upset, as they knew that they would be laid off. Apparently my future was safe but quite what I was to do long term escaped me.