Steve S

I have the exact same problem Jerry. I now have the chain painted at the stop point and hand haul the last 0.5m. Something of a minor nuisance and need to keep an eye in the waves so not ideal. I tried a few different means of fixing but nothing worked, the chain always is above the anchor as it comes over the roller. Very interested to find a solution, do let us know how you get on. Yes use nylock nuts to hold the cable ends, I would add loctite as well to be sure.

Tarpon of 170lb, caught on a swimmer crab on the ocean side of Islamorada May 1999. It was my first tarpon and a whopper. I first knew something was up when I saw a huge tarpon leap high into the air about 50m away making a big arc against the sky... then my line started running off the reel, after 5 days of trying over two trips to the keys I was starting to lose hope, to say I was slow on the update is an understatement! Forty minutes later I was knackered but so was the tarpon, as it was my first one and huge specimen to boot, I was super keen to get a photo of the fish and me with it so jumped off the boat. I wouldn't do it again as I only thought about the sharks later!

Great skills Jim, well done

6th April 2008 (exactly 12 years ago today), Bream fishing the ledge in a snow storm on John Skeggs old charter boat. Most of the guys were just drinking tea in the cabin! When we came back in the land was white and the kids in the road had built snowmen! As I recall we caught 3 bream of no great size.

I've worked from home for 22 years, I go to the office in Basingstoke 1 or 2 days a week, I run the company with another director. Like Andy I can be up early and also working late as most of our business is international. When I'm working I'm very much working so Diane often complains she doesn't see me much even though I'm in the same house! I quickly found that if working at home all the time it gets depressing, problems seem worse, there is no banter, phone calls and video calls help but there is nothing like going into the office regularly. If I lived near the office I would work there almost all the time but as it stands it's 1 hour each way so that 2 hours less work done a day. Some people are unsuited to home working, they get distracted too easily.

The Shambles beckons, I may overnight in Portland, sleep and eat on the boat.

The islanders will have it totally to themselves, just how they like it!

Hope it will be well past the peak before the Southampton Boat Show comes around, the exhibitors will need decent notice period though.

perfect Charlie, no electrolysis at all.

No I haven't, all the ones in the photos I could reach from the swim platform if I needed to. There is one under the outdrive, can't even see it unless I put down a camera on a stick.

It not like that at Lymington Yacht Haven where my boat in on the hard, you can park anywhere there is a space. A lot of that space is by a boat.

Here are the anodes after 10 months in salt water. Basically to change in the water I can just lean over from the swim platform to get at them. You can't check the connectivity if replaced underwater. Water pressure behind the anode causing them to drop off if replaced underwater sounds like a wind up to me!

So a year on, how did the aluminium anodes do? Well they worked fine, no evidence of electrolysis on the legs or props. The anodes have all been eaten away a bit but here the REALLY GOOD NEWS, I don't need to buy any new anodes this year, yippee! quite a cost saving. I'll post some photos of them next week after I've been down to the boat but I'd thought I'd let you know now in case anyone else want to reduce their anode costs by 50%!

Hi John, welcome It's all very different here, from very little flow and shallow in Poole and Christchurch harbours to 5knots round Hurst and 200ft deep and everything in between. To fish it all you will need everything from 1/2oz to 2lb (which is often not enough but I usually move on at that point). Your uptiding skills can be put to use, it works even in 120ft on the offshore banks with 12oz fixed wire jobbies.

Always difficult to id the babies when we base our id info on adults. Come on Steve, go catch bigger ones and leave the babies alone!

Ok, I've given him a call, helpful guy. Even he warned me about the price

Any idea how I might contact this chap near F pontoon? It's quite a trek for me to get to Cobbs on the off chance.

Thanks Chris, nice, local too, I'll give them a call.

I want to make some teak dinghy tube rests to fit on the roof of Tigerfish so I can put the dinghy up there inflated and strap it down during voyages, eg to Alderney. I've no idea where to buy some lumps of teak to make them from, any suggestions guys?

Tigerfish - Steve - Terry, Alun Tarlach - Neil ? Reel Magic - Dave? Madness - Dean, Martin, room for one other crew member Alfresco _ Charlie + ???

err, lots of words, what's it saying. We are still working on it?

There was a bit of premature Alderneyfication going on last November however the time has arrived to start the chat proper. Last year I thought the flatty fishing was 'ok' certainly better than the previous 2 years remembering the catches from all the PBSBAC boats, hopefully that bad cycle is now past us. Tigerfish is planning to make the trip ideally a 4 day trip 1st to 4th May which coincides with neaps with a backup of 15th to 18th May which well duh is also neaps. Sadly the early May bank holiday is on a Friday!! and unfortunately it's springs that weekend. As ever the aim is a 4 day trip but be might reduce to 3 or move a day or so either side depending on the weather. Alun and Terry have agreed to put up with me again this year. Terry I assume you will be sorting the accommodation, I'll be sleeping on board, I just can't get enough of those late night dinghy rides across to the mooring after a beer or two and the deluxe Alderney shower facilities . So who else is up for making the trip?

Great boat. I particularly like that you have managed to fit a swim platform. Very handy for motor work and easier retrieval of people who go for a swim whether intended or not. You could consider fitting a pull out ladder under it, greatly helps get people out of the drink.

Well done, looks great, very distinctive, will make a great fishing vessel [emoji2956] How many metres? What size engines? So all ready to rock and roll now?

Thanks for the details and fessing up Charlie, something we can all learn from. The urge to pun is strong in this one, but I'm resisting charging down that route for what must have been a very flat experience.