Watch point

Well now, I haven't actually seen the whale in the flesh myself, although I almost did as someone exclaimed  'What an amazing sight!' but by the time I had extracted my bins from under my coat it had submerged again. I couldn't stick around because the dog was shivering.

However I've been enjoyed the sight of the watchers, lined up here at the old Fishguard Fort which enjoys a panoramic view of the bay. 
 I cast my mind back - it's not the first time spectators have scanned the sea from here.

In 1779 there would  have been people ogling the alarming antics of the privateer The Black Prince.  Captained by Stephen Manhant  an American scoundrel flying  French colours, it bombarded the town for a few days in an attempt to extract a ransom. As a result Fishguard was provided with a defensive fort right here, complete with cannon.

Eighteen years later, in 1797, the small detachment of  'invalid soldiers' stationed here sent a cannon ball across the bows of a French frigate  spotted nosing around the far side of the bay. The fleet turned tail and the invading force  clambered ashore on a less populous part of the coast. It was the start of The Last Invasion of the British Mainland and this must have been a significant vantage point for spectators hoping to catch some action.

In WW2,  watchers stationed at the coastal searchlight battery here scanned the  horizon for enemy seaplanes attempting to mine the approaches to the harbour..

And in 1954 locals trooped up here to see if they could spot... another whale! Only that wasn't a real one; it was a mock-up constructed for the filming in Fishguard of "Moby Dick". Gregory Peck saw the whale come loose and drift away from the Pequod and it floated so far out into the bay that the lifeboat  was required to rescue it.

Meanwhile "Humpy" is still around and providing lots of entertainment:
https://nation.cymru/feature/watch-majestic-whale-makes-splash-in-fishguard/