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some of the wrasse the boys caught.

Lucky you didn't have your cold beers in live bait well!😯

I agree with Brian 100%, use a dedicated antenna for the AIS, for the best results from both VHF and AIS, that how I set mine up. The AIS antenna will be about 70cm long. Sharing antennas and reduced signal strength is quite well documented, also the ideal AIS antenna length is different for the VHF as the frequency is different so although it will 'work' it's far from the best. The AIS antenna does not need to be particularly high, on top of the cabin roof is fine, higher is better but the improvement in range is fairly small, mines on the cabin roof and it appears to be good for 10 miles at least for the ships.

I thought I saw your car in the cobbs carpark this morning when I arrived and thought you had got there really early. It would explain why you didn't answer my calls during the day and I didn't spy your boat at the normal marks. Freelanders must be two a penny at Cobbs Hope all goes well with you tomorrow

Had a very pleasant trip out today although there was a bit of a swell during the flood in the bay. I tried everything to coax a mackerel out from Durley Rock with my new Sabiki Rods and home made Sabiki rigs but they just didn't want to play. I reckon my drifts were not accurate enough. Very frustrating as they showed up on the sounder but by the time I got the lines over the side all was barren😕 Anyway all was not lost as I managed to christen both rods with some good sized Pollock. Headed back early so I can be refreshed for a further attempt tomorrow Thursday

Good luck Stuie, I was about today cleaning water filters blocked solid, heads and live well, as your all such a sensitive bunch I will not go into detail, other than to say, do NOT flush the head when the live bait pump is on 🤢 Much more wind than forecast today, managed a mullet in the marina. 😜 Hope the wind drops tomorrow and you find a few Stuie.

8.30 am left Cobbs with Geoff Lambert - went to swash and drifterd for plaice on last of the flood and caught - nil Anchored on ray mark and pestered by small bream but caught dogs and a smoothie as well as spider crabs. Mackerel head fooled the bream and landed a double figure undulate on the downtider. Another bite on a bream skeleton and brought nothing to the surface but the skeleton. I saw a brown shape on the surface and dropped the skeleton into the water and a cuttlefish shot across the surface and latched onto it. Managed to net it ok. Thats two on successive Sundays. (All we need now is the cod) Anyway after a little while I noticed the uptide had a big slack line and after a tussle another double undulate came aboard - on a slightly straightened size 1 SWC. Tide eased and the wind got up a little so being whimpish we made back to Cobbs and after re-fuel and wash down joined the junior competition celebrations.

Results: 1st Over 11 - Jacob G - 82 points - from July Round 1st Under 11 - Blake W - 62 points (need to confim when i get back home) - from September round 1st Specimen - Leo - 1lb03oz Scad - August round Well done to the 10 juniors taking part - there are a number of photos that others have and can be uploaded. Thanks to Andy at PSAC for sponsoring the prizes via a great discount!! (amazing actually, but I am sworn to secrecy!)

So a plan was hatched as Saturday only allowed for a potential short trip, which was cancelled. Sunday I tried to hitch another ride, to no avail. And this forecast was so good Jo mentioned the 4 of us going out. Great idea. We can fish the comp. Well, good intentions and all that, we hit some small scad early on after a 9:30 launch at Mudeford. With no livebait well the scad were too good a opportunity to give up, so in to a coolbox with water they went. And off to the ledge. A few drifts and we had bass a drift and a couple of keepers. Then I remembered I didn't lock the trailer! (Too much going on with family when launching, left my brew in the car too!). Then after popping back to the quay with the key we needed more bait, managed one in 30 mins so not great. Met up with Alun on Gastro, stalked him to find bait, that didn't go well! So we hit the ledge with one bait and feathered whilst drifting. We managed a bass a drift and put a few back of undersize, kept a few (bonus having all of us aboard) and lost some in the fight. Wind picked up on what had been a clam day, so what to do. Kids want to head out to a ray mark, so off to near southbourne rough and find a featureless flat spot. It was sloppy, a few white caps and the girls loved the journey out! We had baits down for 10 mins and Lottie had her thornback on which was fun @10:13 Then we had a couple of dogs (go mum and dad), then Livvy had an Undulate of 12:4 that gave a good account for itself. Not bad for 40 mins ray fishing. We then headed in at 16:00, tired and happy. Met with Al on the slip, he had some plaice, and a bass but nothing special. Great weather (little cold) and good fishing. Thanks for the radio check Mal, I do seem to have interference on the radio from the plotters. Shame we didn't meet up with JV, we had planned to but they were enjoying the plaice as we enjoyed the bass. Rob

Just for my own records: Changed the plugs lats night, still.got a stutter around 2400/2700k. Added some fuel cleaner / redex stuff, half a bottle / 50litre dose in to 12 litres of super unleaded. After a good blast over hook sands to Poole patch we noted she ran smooth as silk on the way back in the sloop. So I'll pop the plugs and check if they are all similar in colour / burn. R