WITH just six days to go until the Bournemouth Air Festival (Aug 19-22) we thought we would whet your appetite with some of the highlights from last year's displays.

Today we look back on the Royal Marine's daring beach rescue:

GUNS, explosives, fast boats and helicopters – all in day’s work for the Royal Marines and their Reservists.

On Saturday they had one extra task – rescuing ME from the ‘terrorists’, Royal Navy Reservists Sean Townsend, Nick Cordy and Sgt Taff Lawrence who had taken over one of Sunseeker’s finest as we floated off the Pier at Bournemouth.

Being rescued by Britain’s elite fighting force is everything you’d imagine. After abseiling down into their fast boats from their helicopter, they stormed the yacht, securing the lounge, the bridge and the top deck where I was held captive.

Shouting, shooting, with spent bullet casings peppering the yacht, it’s a thrilling thing to be part of, especially when Marine-infested boats started to encircle us and after a final stand, the hostage-takers were dispatched.

As I was bundled into another fast-boat to be taken to my place of safety, Minehunter HMS Cattistock, the Marines launched phase two of their exercise, an amphibious beach assault.

Under covering fire from Cattistock, thousands watched in awe as the Marines landed on the sands, firing up the beach as they went and securing the position against yet more terrorists.

Impressive as it was, it’s worth remembering that this encompasses only a fraction of what the Royal Marines can and frequently are, asked to do.

Their motto, By Land, by Sea barely covers it. They train on skis in the Arctic. They fight, hand-to-hand. They are currently fighting in Afghanistan. They are an elite fighting force whose proud boast is that 99.99 per cent need not apply. On Saturday in Bournemouth, thousands saw the reason why. They are awesome.

• Catch the beach assault this year at noon on Saturday or 12.30 on Sunday