Kim Hollamby | The anchor swallowed

The forecasters threaten rain, but we make the most of the brilliant sunshine to give Missing Link a good look over in Torquay before moving on to the quieter sanctuary of the River Exe.

Missing Link finds a gap in the weather, noses out of Poole hoping at least for Weymouth and manages to get straight through to Torquay. Crew very happy!

Weather stops play yet again, so Missing Link’s crew head ashore with the MBM Cruising Club to visit Sunseeker International and the RNLI’s headquarters depot.

A full gale is blowing but the crew of Missing Link have to undertake underway trials and photography of the chart plotters on test. Will Poole Harbour provide a safe enough haven?

Faced with strong winds and as much water falling out of the sky as sitting below the boot topping, the crew of Missing Link stay put and go goggle-eyed over chart plotters.

Running before the threatened wind, Missing Link stays with the MBM Cruising Club fleet and heads eastwards for Poole, but takes time out to bask in the sunshine at Lulworth Cove.

Against the weather odds, Missing Link has made it to Weymouth on the coat-tails of 19 MBM Cruising Club boats. But it may be that the next leg will be east, not west.

They’re off! The crew of Missing Link meet up with 19 Motor Boats Monthly Cruising Club boats but have to guess the implications of a marauding low-pressure weather system.