AFTER eight months at sea Captain Trevor Iles has sailed into Portland to be reunited with his wife.

During his voyage across the Atlantic on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Largs Bay, Capt Iles and his crew have visited a multitude of exotic and interesting places.

Destinations have included the Falkland Islands and the Caribbean.

After docking the vessel in Portland Port Capt Iles, 54, was reunited with his wife Sindy, before returning to their family home in Preston for some well earned rest.

He said: “It was our first UK port in eight months and by luck it happened to be my home town.

“It’s brilliant to be back. I was brought up in Weymouth as a child so coming along the coastline felt very familiar.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing my wife and getting back to my home again to see my family, which is the thing I miss the most.”

Capt Iles has been at the helm of RFA Largs Bay since it went into service in 2006 and has been in command of other ships for ten of the 37 years he has spent in the service.

He said: “The ship was deployed to the Caribbean but was diverted and ended up going to the Falkland Islands.

“The reception when we got there and also in other places was just fantastic.

“People seem to be very reassured by the ship coming to their port and know that it’s protecting the British interests abroad.

“We have made an impact in all the ports we have visited.

“Supporting UK interests in both South and North America has presented many challenges and has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved.”

Highlights of the trip included visits to Rio de Janeiro and Recife in Brazil as well as acting as the start line in Bermuda for the Atlantic Tall Ships Challenge.

After completing a task in the South Atlantic, Largs Bay took up its patrol duties, which were centred around the Caribbean and the eastern seaboard of the USA and Canada.

During the voyage the ship has covered more than 30,000 miles – more than the circumference of the world – visited 10 countries and three continents.

Its primary role is to provide reassurance to British Overseas territories.

It also helps with training search and rescue, fire and marine units in Jamaica and British Virgin Islands as well as carrying out anti-drugs patrols.