jack

nice pics. have voted.good luck.jack

Being a "grumpy old sod" I love it when phoning to complain....I always ask ."is this conversation being recorded ?" then follow up with."good,Firstly can I have your name and position with the company ?" You would be amazed how this sharpens the attention of the operative. Like many thousands of ordinary members of the public,I have nothing to hide and welcome big brothers intrusion,if it puts a rein on the activities of those "with something to hide". Bring it on ! jack

Good luck Martin.I hope it all gets sorted to your satisfaction.Duff engines are not a very good option at sea.especially to a long range man like yourself.Best wishes Jack

Well done,pleased to hear you had put some back.One wonders how many of the reported "200" catch went back last week. ..Cheers Jack

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAM.!! Have a good big one from jack .

Thanks for all your best wishes chaps.You are correct,I have been missing for some while.Andrew had an unexpected offer/deal on the boat which he would have been crazy to have turned down.Boat purchased at good price and genuine offer to use it as if it were his own at any time. We have done so, twice since Oct,with our usual success. Andy has had a major work-load including week-ends so it's a mix of good and bad really,We hope to get back to "jinxing" our way about the seascape as soon as things start to move again.Meantime best wishes to all at the club..

Happy Birthday Chaps..I knew there was some special reason for celebrating May Day !!!!.jack

By the sound of all this,I think it's time we wore the wedding ring through our nose.!! After all,thats where our better halves think it belongs. jack

To keep our Alderney ring set-up at a distance from the boats nose,ready for recovery,Andy and I use an old 6" plastic pram wheel with one of its spokes removed.It has a rubber tyre which prevents any damage to the boat.;it is large enough that it won't pass through the ring.To use it you just fold your anchor line pass the point through the missing spoke hole in the wheel and pass the loop round the rim .it can be removed easily on recovery. Cost.. nothing..jack

Alun.You have restored my self confidence.!!It sounds [Just for once ] that you managed an Andy and Jack day. Not to worry,you are still my Hero. ...jack

Sorry to hear about your finger Paul. Brought back horrible memories,of when I caught my Wedding ring on a protruding screw head on a lorry tailgate when I jumped down. { I havent worn it since] apparently a very common injury amongst working men..shudder shudder ....jack

Andy and I arrived at the alleged car park at 10.am.[late start for us] There were 26 boats on site and we made it 27. I had the smallest tope ever,It was just mackerel size. andy had a super-size Garfish.we sat it out 'till 1oc.then moved over to Ballard down,where we spent a pleasant afternoon sun-bathing.Only L.S.Ds there. Day was ruined because our freshly fitted gas cylinder was empty.an investigation required there,as man the fisher cannot survive without supplies of tea !!.Back in for 4.35. to find that the fork lift at Cobbs had died,so double banking there.At least you can just leave the shore staff to it . Another nice day out...Jack

Never Forget....In 10 years time, Times today.. would have been the "Good Old Days " We are in them.So Enjoy !! jack

Nice looking craft Dave.Looks like you have a good safe vessel.Lots of luck and success in using her..Jack

I recognise him,does'nt he come from Splott in Wales ?

Re. your comment Gordon,You know that name was'nt my main target.....However, on reaching the last reel in the bag,I could not believe the state of Andy's 7000. Its metal-work was white furred all over with green Verdigre in every joint and gap.,wheras my own 6.500. was fine...Strange but true...jack

I was feeling a bit depressed before I saw this....Now I am bloody suicidal.

Sunday 13th. With the forecast still giving much wind,and still few fish about Andy and I decided to make use of one of his few free days to Spring clean the boat. We rang and had it put in from the racks at Cobbs [ One of the drawbacks to this system,is that you cant really drop in on your way past and have a check,or do odd little jobs.]..We began by separating reels and rigs from the various rods. Oh dear,what happened to all those good intentions to wash everything down in fresh water after each trip.? The boat mostly always got a wash,but not so the fishing gear.Resorting to a little light weight hammer and chisel work helped with the separation.Revealing just how salt resistant some of the modern day reels are. The least tarnished reels were The older heavier Penn's.Of the newer reels,Shimano's were least affected.With Mitchell Garcia and modern Penn's showing some signs of corrosion,Whilst a certain brand allied to a famous name of a poet and playwright faired poorly. We were amazed to realise that we had rigged for use 9 outfits.and another 4 rods still bagged and 3 unused bagged reels. The amount of made-up rigs ;floats; shads;hooks ;lures;etc,was almost unbelievable,considering we usually just tie rigs as required whilst fishing.We took home [for checking/attention ]. 2 large stacker boxes,2 holdalls,2 carrier bags of out of date tinned food,a dozen out of date flares.2 spare winter weight flotation suits,spare coats;fleeces;waterproofs; hats;gloves;knives;landing net;a keep net [live mackeral ] scales and God knows what other surplus items which must have gradually accumulated. Hands up anyone who has no idea if their boat is in a similar state...We will now get more M.P.G. surely. We also worked in shirtsleeves on a sun soaked deck,but drove home in lashing rain and sleet.SPRING IS HERE.!! Can the fish be far behind ? jack

A bit like this,.....

I am right there with you,on this one Clive.As whatever I plan,The vulnerability of the floor is of paramount concern. I am opening a second line of thought [Thanks to all your suggestions ] I may try to adapting the existing rear thwart,by constructing a "park Bench" type arrangement,With bracing bars to the transom. [because the seats are rubber mounted to the tubes ] which would allow the tiller arm to pass beneath the back rest and remain useable...If I could make the backrest a hinged one,even better.In this way,I can forget steering wheel and remote controls. Keep adding those ideas chaps,They are all welcome,including fault finding jack

" In future I must get Bob to use that "fisheye" lens that Aunty Mary bought me for Christmas." jack

Thanks Duncan.I have a tiller extension as you suggest.and you are correct it do'es make things a "little interesting"if using the foreward thwart. One of my main objectives is firstly to fit a seat with a back rest to one of the thwarts[as a bad back man yourself,you can appreciate my motives.] but having done this,it makes the use of the tiller extension almost impossible,hence the thought toward a steering/control consul. I fear really that I am trying to get 4 pints into a 2 pint jug. I can't go for a Rib as I need to retain the "fold-up " facility,for transportation My outfit cost

This type of thing would be great,but making use of the existing thwart/s rather than another seat

I would dearly love to fit steering and controls to my Zodiac,so as to improve the riding/driving position.Then I could sit farther foreward and give more control under way.... Problem. The boat is only 10' overall. The floor is a hard inflated one,[hence no rigid structure] I know I can get the wheel and mounting and push /pull controls etc,but can anyone suggest how I can anchor it all into place ? I have seen gear advertised in the U,S,A. but its quite expensive ,and with shipping would be prohibitive. I dont mind spending money,but I dont want to change to a bigger boat,as I can manage ,handling launching and transporting this one on my own. jack

Hi madw... Quote,,last time i was down at low water there was a sand bank there and a man fishing about 100 yards out sat on his push bike. Was the man on the bike 100yds out.? or was he on shore and his bait 100 yds out.?..I need to know because I have got a good bike with wide tyres,but I have never tried that. jack