Wednesday last week and it was my turn to host a game, remotely, for the chaps.
I chose to continue the Cruel Seas campaign I started a few months back. Quick recap.
Mark had been promoted to a full lieutenant with a shiny MM to go with his successes from last game, HQ had also gifted him a shiny new Fairmile D MTB (named by the crew HMS Torpedo Boat McConkers Sporren, no don't ask me either). Jonah Ralph had been lent Mark's old boat, Boaty Mc F***face with its armoured deck, while Clive retained command of his lucky ship 'HMS Gladys Ormeriod'. A potent force, especially with a shiny new Dogboat - if it was not having engine troubles, so was crawling with engineers while Mark took her round the sandbar to test the engines.
The crescent moon was setting in a clear night, what dangers await out there?
The sandbar ahead. Ralph breaks left to explore.
Mark looks at his map while pointing out which way to go, portrait by noted war artist Len Siscracked!.
Turn 4, and a lone plane is seen in the distance (ignore the lack of basing).
Oh that cannot be good, a FW190 coming in fast.
He flies in low, the Britsih unleash all their AA and score 3 hits, but the pilot is brave and presses his attack. 
He misses the Dog Boat, but his cannon and machine guns slam into Gladys Ormeroid, chewing
through a load of his hull points, but no criticals. 
Approaching the sandbar, Ralph heads around to the left, while Mark and Clive head the other way.
The plane must have called in friends, as three S-Boats arrive at combat speed (2 S100 and one S38). The boys had been pootling around at slow speed mostly as they were not risking Mark's engines (any combat speed would be a 1 on a d10 to break down, and 3 at full speed).
Those things move quickly! Really quickly. Two break off to follow the Dog Boat, one tracks Ralph as he rounds the bar, thinking about the bar at the mess no doubt!
The British continue rund the bar, Mark signals to Clive to follow him. 
They really are closing quickly! (German boats are faster than the British anyway, but they are not hurrying).
Ralph rounds the point, but he is being followed...
Mark in silohette looking menacing, the tide was low, so the sandbar blocked line of sight.
Erm, hoping they won't bump into each other here.
Seriously boys! How close can you get? The S-Boat motors in. You may be wondering about the British and German shooting, basically... it was pants(1)! It all missed. 
At the other end of the sandbar, Clive dawdles a little as the bigger, heavier, better armed, faster S-Boat comes in FAST, guns blazing. It misses.
At the other end, the S-boats shooting is rather more effective, chewing lumps out of Ralph.
Clive is rather out gunned here. In the distance, Ralph shows the mobility of his boat as he swings round.
Clive tries accelerating out of trouble, causing hits on the way, but not many.
Dog boat vs S-boat, a lot of hits go in as tracer lights up the night.
The S-boat slows, and pours fire into Mark, his new boat will need a lot of duct tape to repair it.
The S-Boat returns fire, but only front guns. This causes a lot of damage back.
He also launches torpedoes (I had mentioned several times that S-boats were too shallow to easily hit) one misses, the other is a dud!
But Mark's retains the initiative, at the start of the next turn, his main weaponry opens up, hits upon hits pour in, top is 6lber, twin 20mm left,, centre is HMGs and the rest are MG hits. This is enough to rip the bottom out of the S-boat.
No need to roll for criticals here, that S-boat is matchwood (and somehow Mark missed the sandbar).
Clive finally works out where the throttle is! However, Gladys Ormeroid keeps her reputation of a lucky boat, as Clive rerolls the potentially crippling crew hit (special ability) and with his final 5 hull points guns the throttle. 
There he goes, brmm brmmm... 
Can they escape now they have upset the S-boats?
The S-boats circle like sharks round a wounded seal.
Not quite sure how they did it, but by the skin of his teeth Clive missed taking Mark's back end off (and probably sinking both of them).
Honestly, I even had a laser out to check.
Both boats make off into the distance, leaving Ralph at the mercy of the approaching S-boats
They could cause a lot of problems here as Mark's massive amount of guns are getting masked again.
Ralp passes the sinking hulk, shooting for all he is worth and causing damage on the second S-boat.
Which has not slowed in the slightest, and although it hits Ralph, for once his luck holds. Also, somehow, the guys are back in formation.
Mark's rear guns open up on the S-boat, but only causes a few minor hits.
Mark shields himself with the sandbar.
'ROADHOG!' Clive swings in front of Mark, and leaves the potential for another collision is Mark goes first next turn.
Mark and Clive are aiming to turn about the die and come back.
The rear pursuing S-Boat opens up on Ralph, opening up with his forwards guns, but only causes minor damage (minor on a boat with very few hull points).
Clive tries a handbreak turn! Trying to brinmg himself back into the fight. Ralph kills his throttle and spins his boat on the spot to block the way. 
Not as well armed as a Dog boat, the MkI Vickers opens up with everything, and hits with everything! No criticals, but still 24 points of damage on an already wounded S-boat helps a lot. (Clive's boat looks on at the roll).
How will the next turn resolve itself?
Mark follows Clive's lead and swings the Dog boat around (and I thought they would have made a break for it having already lost piles of damage), but he is pointing straight at the sandbank...
But with some fancy manouvering, swings exactly parrallel to the bank, and I suspect the crew are leaning over with bage poles to push off in case!
Ralph shoots again, his damage (and yes, again, every gun hit) is decidedly below average!
But it is enough to finish off the second Dog boat, somehow our very own Jonah has knocked out a very formidible enemy (with a little help from both the others).
Good shot of Gladys! 
Ralp again sits still and uses his weaponry to tear lumps out of the third S-boat.
Clive echos Marks' turn and neatly parks against the sandbank. Not sure he thought this through, as if Mark moved first next he would rip Clive to pieces!
With two S-boats down the third had the option to turn and tried to break through the gap beneath Ralph, but in doing so would leave himself open to Mark and Clive's weaponry. Cowardice is the better part of valour, and he turned away and fled into the night.
A cracking, if chaotic game, initially the British felt severly out gunned by the Germans, and you could sense the panic in both Clive and Ralph when their boats took one hit and lost nearly 50% damage early on. British shooting greatly improved by the end and Ralph played his part superbly. Mark's new boat did not break, and his gun crews did him proud with teh destruction of the first S-Boat. Dog boats are seriously powerful craft, and teh guys used all their boats well this week. 
Footnotes:
(1) Pants: Adjective. British. Rubbish
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