1972 - 1984 | Filming at Milford Haven

NOTE: Some of this is identical to what is written on Wikipedia, as both were written by the author of this website, stardust5980 (aka celesteshipping5980). 

NOTE TWO: Huge thanks to Kenneth Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy for providing Kenneth's book 'ALL AT SEA' which provides almost all of the information on this page.

Filming at Milford Haven

- The BBC arrived on Monday, with an assortment of props, timber, and dummy items such as a funnel and ventilators, altering De Wadden's appearance to their liking. Kenneth's family had come down via train to watch the whole saga unfold, with filming sessions starting early in the morning. Soon enough the session was in full swing, cameras and crew everywhere, scripts and other equipment flooding the scene, Kenneth catching the occasional glimpse of a well-known actor. He, Andrew, and Alec would all have parts as extras so were dressed up as old sailors to look the part, which involved soiling the hands and neck, as well as wearing old jackets and caps. They all got to take photographs with the main stars of the show, Captain Onedin and Captain Barnes. Most of the scenes were filmed at the Quayside and one shoot called for twelve sheep to be loaded. One sheep had jumped atop another and fell into the dock, almost drowning, but fortunately, Kenneth had the dinghy launched and managed to save the sheep, heaving it back onboard. Each scene was, of course, a smaller segment of a larger narrative, so they could never really make sense of what was going on.[1]

They spent some time filming at sea the following week, in tandem with Charlotte Rhodes, the other ship in the series. This consisted of sailing up and down for a few hours off the mouth of Milford Haven, making course changes under the instruction of a man with a handheld radio. The ship was in full sail for this ordeal, making them all suitably well-soiled for their part as extras. The time was hectic, being short of crew, but they managed. After several more laps in the bays around Dale filming was all done, with the show crew leaving promptly to continue the project elsewhere. Kenneth's family had returned to Dunoon by train, and Mike arrived back in Milford Haven ready for the trip home with his wife, who was an experienced sailor herself. He thought that the trip would be made easier if there was a four-man crew. His car was loaded on deck, and come April 12th they set off, but upon reaching the entrance to Milford Haven they were forced to turn back due to heavy seas pounding in from the south. They dropped anchor at Dale Roads, waiting for the weather to improve.[1]

References

1.  Kennedy, Kenneth M. (1985). All At Sea. Retrieved 2023-12-16.