ONE thing you can certainly say about Jamie Owen - he enjoys a bit of a challenge. When the BBC Wales Today and BBC Radio Wales presenter decided to take to the water again, he thought battling the hazardous Irish Sea with a camera crew might be more interesting if he trained for a RYA qualification at the same time. Setting sail from Cardiff Bay on the 100-year-old pilot cutter 'Mascotte', together with boat-owners Tony Winter, his sons Will and Paul, pilot John Hart and his navigator wife Mags, plus producer Helen Callaghan, who was making a programme about harbour communities for BBC Radio Wales, Jamie was attempting to pass the RYA Competent Crew course. Oh, and he also had to find time to write a book about the adventure at the same time. "It was an extraordinary adventure," he said. "There are two ways of doing a series like this - you can either stay in hotels and pretend you're slumming it on a boat, or you can really live it, which is how I prefer to make television. "It was quite worrying because the Harts are Royal Yachting Association examiners and I was nervous about failing the exam on TV, but fortunately I passed." In the series Jamie Owen's Magic Harbours (Tuesday, November 9, BBC2 Wales/2W) the gang of salty sea dogs set off on a voyage of discovery, finding fascinating people, places and stories among the coastal communities of Wales. With nothing but wind and tide to guide them on their journey, it was far from plain sailing for the crew, whose three-week itinerary included visits to Cardiff, Barry, Port Talbot, Swansea, Mumbles, Tenby, Milford Haven, Landshipping, Dale, Fishguard, Aberaeron, Aberdovey, Pwllheli, Caernarfon and finally Conwy. Featured in the programme about Tenby are town guide Marion Davies, museum curator John Beynon and lifeboat coxswain Alan Thomas. "We had a very warm welcome from the communities we visited," said Jamie, who also passed his home town of Pembroke Dock along the way. "This series puts at centre stage those communities who are on the edge of Wales." From shanty singers in Mumbles to a ship's pilot guiding super-tankers in Milford Haven, Jamie embraced the chance to meet colourful characters along the way. "The focus is the people who live and work in the harbours of Wales, and we discovered simple, captivating stories. For example, I spent a day with a lobster fisherman in Aberaeron - I didn't have a clue how to catch a lobster - and it was fascinating." At the mercy of the weather, the crew was very lucky that the icy Irish Sea was warmed by a good dose of blazing sun. "I'm a fair-weather sailor," admitted Jamie. "My idea of sailing is being in the Greek islands with a gin and tonic, not on my hands and knees being half-drowned in icy cold, water. But, in fact, as it turned out, we were very lucky, with hot, sunny weather." Nevertheless, thrown together in a confined space, with multiple tasks and testing pressures, the 'Mascotte' must have resembled Big Brother at times. "Quite early on we arrived at Tenby in complete darkness," recalled Jamie. "It sounds daft, but if you were driving a car at night you'd expect the motorway to be lit, but the sea at night isn't lit. So we spent an hour flashing lights around trying to find the mooring buoy. "There were frayed tempers and lots of shouting, and I thought, 'It's only day two - this doesn't bode well'. But it's a tribute to everyone on the boat that we could put it behind us fast and get on with the jobs we had to do. It's a challenge for professional relationships and personal relationships to live on a boat together for weeks. We're all still talking to each other!" But, despite the occasional tension, the series couldn't be further from reality TV and therein lies its appeal. With the tri-media project - television series, radio series and book - titled Jamie Owen's Magic Harbours, 'magic' is the operative word for Jamie. The sea has a magical ability to swiftly put things in perspective. "In an age of some TV programmes which thrive on public humiliation, and relentless make-over shows, I think the audiences have a quiet regard for a genuine rip-roaring adventure," Jamie said. "It's a celebration of a very beautiful coast. I think people have got a lot of time for that. "I was brought up by the sea and our lives were dominated by it, and the only time I feel genuinely relaxed and calm is when I'm by the sea. And when you're sailing a 100-year-old boat around the coasts of Wales, it puts your life in context." Jamie Owen's Magic Harbours starts on Tuesday, November 9, on BBC2 Wales/2W, at 7.30 pm. The radio series, Magic Harbours, is on Sunday, November 7, on BBC Radio Wales, at 12.30 pm. It will be repeated on Monday, November 8, on Radio Wales, at 6.30 pm.