Steve S

Great, glad to hear to got a result with the insurers.

I used to use NavPlanner (for 3 years), I always thought it was rather noddy. I currently use Raymarine Voyage Planner, it handles the raymarine waypoint and route file formats much better than NavPlanner. It allows you to hook up your laptop to the on boat WiFi in much the same way as the MFDs to share routes, waypoints and such like, I've never actually tried this feature though. Using It I keep my master set of waypoints (my precious) and routes on the Voyage Planner and regularly download updates to the on boat system. New waypoints and routes (only the new ones) added while on the boat are copied up to the Voyage Planner master set. These are regularly backed to another disc as well as being on the boat. The big benefit of doing this is security, accessibility and for me importantly the waypoint description field (there is also a comment field) on the Voyage Planner is very large so I can make loads of waypoint notes that the standard waypoint comment field on the plotter does not allow. These detailed waypoint notes can be exported using one of the standard output formats to an alphabeticly ordered list which can be printed or saved as a PDF. Steve

My daughter Martine is getting married on the 2nd August 2014. We are planning to have the wedding in a Marquee, we need one something like 9m x 15m. Any suggestions where to get one welcome. Steve

I wish you the very best of luck. I've had a few goes for Shark a couple of years ago in the Rips and mid channel. Closest I got was hooking up on one on a ballooned live bait only to lose after a few minutes after it went mental, it broke cut line about 20ft up, well beyond the 12ft or so wire trace. From the look of the break it had bitten the line though, really weird. I couldn't keep a tight line on the fish. I have had big shark in other parts of the world and never had one fight like it. Steve

I'll be in the Channel on Saturday, and then over to the Channel Islands. Diane and I are having a bit of a cruise for 4-5 days. We may fit a little fishing in I'm hoping the members bad luck recently is not contagious... I'm not sure what time we will be mid channel yet, I'm doing exact planning tonight. I'll give to a call when we are out there. Steve

Seems like boats are dropping like ninepins A note of caution, it's possible that the gearbox failed in some way and exploded outwards leaving a hole, so you may have difficulty with the insurance claim. Steve

Really sorry to hear your sad tale Adam, glad you hear you got back ok with the help of many friends. Engine out, eeeeeek, expensive Steve

Ah so this is where it's gone. I'm of a view that if the researchers say they are the same species then we treat them as such, they have put the time into investigating it and us anglers just put our time into catching them. I've always catch them using the same methods, but more starry ones than plain. Seems to me it's a bit like hair colour in humans, we still go under the same species name, there are however a few I could name who I could make a case for being Neanderthal... Steve

I'm away for 12 days from today, if the folding bicycle is still available when I'm back then I'd be interested. Steve

Phew Peter you did well there. I use a small (10kg) bruce with a trip (2 small diameter separate rope loops) that the windlass will just break when I'm anchoring rocky area like the Ledge. I have an alderney split ring as a backup retrieve method. I would offer one recommendation that reduces chain rock wrap problem immensely and the possibility of the trip unwantedly tripping. At slack water anchor up and reposition for the tide change. It also means you can be fishing in the right postition for the change in tide. Steve

Hi, I had this very problem when I was in Alderney this year with a Volvo D4/260 except a non specific alarm went off as well. The oil pressure gauge also went to normal pressure intermittently before finally staying off. The engine went into power reduced mode. The cause was a duff sender, a new one was fitted and it fixed it. The oil pressure sender had 2 functions one tracks the oil pressure the oil signals a low oil pressure warning, below 8psi, ie very low oil pressure. The new one was a slightly different design and it was in stock, which to me implied they fail often enough to be a stock item. Hope this helps, what engine is it? Steve

Sorry no suggestions, just to say I've got 2 and they have caught me big deepwater pollock, turbot and bream with no problems at all so your problem sounds a bit odd.

So what's happened to not dumping all the other fish then, when did that part get dumped!!!! The way I last understood it dumping of all fish was to be banned except in offshore waters ie the Atlantic off the France and Spanish coast. That is one hell of a compromise Steve

Here are the photo's of my portable Livewell. Height 56cm Diameter 40cm. The top is screw on with a plastic window so the Macks can see but can't jump out. I keep the top on generally to stop escapes. The barrel bought from Solent Plastics for not much, it is fitted to a square wood platform that can be screwed to the swim platform with wing bolts. The water feed is the top connector, a standard garden hose fitting. The end of day drain at the bottom is a fast flow garden water barrel tap. The overflow is the hole on the right with the grill over. Mine was mounted on the swim platform so no drain pipe was required. There is another hole above the top connector, that was a mistake but has no effect on the operation. The aluminium plate on the inside forces the water feed to flow out one side of the barrel only with flows from the bottom of the barrel to the top using the ribs built into the barrel (the photo does not show up the exit hole well). This forces the water to flow in one clockwise direction only. The inside is kept smooth to minimise damage to the fish. The main water feed is from an inlet with a stopcock at the bottom of the hull fed to a connector on the transom. When I wanted to use the Livewell I connected standard garden hose from the transom connector to the livewell and started the 850 gph pump. Fill time was about 4 mins before the overflow came into operation. The pump is about 1m below the Livewell top connector. Macks stay alive all day in it. Steve

I made one from a plastic barrel I bought from Solent Plastics I think in Southampton, it worked pretty well. I've got it at home so I'll take some photo's and post them. Main points: Lots of water, I used a 850gph rule pump, it kept more macks alive than a 500gph one I used before. Round or oval is best, with square or oblong the macks can get stuck in the corners rather than swim round and round No big macks, they just die Unhook straight into the well if possible, ie don't touch by hand if you can Don't put too many in or they all die, more water helps with this. Try 6 if they all stay alive then go up until you find the limit. The bigger they are the quicker they die. Steve