TomBettle

Hi Mark That Rib on wheels is a UK idea I believe. One of the first chaps to have one moors (parks) in his back garden next door to Salterns Marina in Poole. What are those cats in one of the earlier pictures? Thanks for the tour. Hope you didn't have to wait too long at the airport for me. I simply couldn't get away. Tom

SOLD Bunged it on Fleabay with a start of

I wish you did too

Thanks Rob

I am not getting the use out of my cameras that I should be and whilst having two is very nice, it is rather uneccessary and so I have decided to sell one of them. I have for sale: A Nikon D300 (body only) This camera is in "As new" condition and has had just 2,963 shutter actuations (it's rated for

Happy Birthday Dan!!!

Have a great birthday Dean

Happy Birthday Mark!

Me too please Mark. I'll be there in 5 mins...

No I'd love a look at that little one, smaller if you have it too.

Nige We don't fish more than 8Kg at strike and through the duration of most fights with Blue Marlin. 15Kg is somtimes used once the fish has been leadered (and deemed as caught) to haul it to the boat. ...that's with fish going over 700lb! If you can't stop a Conger dead in it's tracks with 15Kg of drag then something is going wrong!

Can you take some pics of teh multipliers too please. What is the actual make?

Mike Never pass in front of the ferry! Every year someone tries just at the point their engine dies etc. As a result, every year there is always a rather big drama with a boat stuck half under the ferry. Always go behind it. Tom

I'd love to get involved with a programme like that, but I am unsure I can dedicate the time required. It does look like they really want to make a difference, but I guess it depends on how balanced any decisions and views are. What bugged me a little is that you are expected to attend lots of meetings to talk about issues, but there is nothing about actually going out and making a difference by demonstrating, educating and possibly even policing any policies that were put in place.

Hi Jack I think if the documentary was to focus on the positive aspects of our sport and the skipper / angler as a responsible, safety concious person then I would expect many of us would love to help - I certainly would. The downside is that the dates you have are right in our toughest time of year. Sport inshore is all but non existant and sport offshore can be hit and miss with long distances required and no guarantee. If your tutor can allow you much more flexibility over the dates then we can almost guarantee you a spectacular film with genuine enthusiasm, excitement and results. In addition to being a tough time of year, the actual tides on those dates will be pretty tough to fish efficiently. Finally, make sure your gear is fully insured. The skipper, his boat and crew will all be covered, but your equipment may not be. I know how much the cheapest broadcast quality HD camera can cost (

Just thought I'd pipe up that this months Sea Angling News is quite an interesting read. Especially the fishing abroad section It's free at most good tackle shops and the March issue is out now! Tom

You've not fished in the same places Paul. We get 'em on 130 stand-up and when they hit the Adromeda on the right rigger they'll take off about 200 yards on the first run before even slowing to turn the bait. That said, it has to be a J hook in the Andromeda or the frills will cover it, but if fishing a big pitch bait like a bridle rigged small Bonito, Mullet or Flying Fish then it as to be a circle to insure getting that big ol' red spot right in the scissors. Tom Sorry... this cold, wet weather has given me Cabin Feaver again. ....wishing I was Marlin fishing.... For Plaice, long shank aberdeen as Paul says... all the better for a Plaice to spend some time munching on.

Thought I recognised that! Here's another. This is from Colin Penny of Flamer in Weymouth. He recommends it to his charter clients.

It's not all about speed Chris. I'd love Quest II to be faster, but her hull shape means that she'd develop all sorts of odd characteristics if pushed faster and, IMO, she's an awesome sea boat just the way she is. Quest II cruises around at 12 to 16 knots (I run at about 13) and will scrape 20. It's simply a case of training yourself that that speed is plenty. Your Orcadian is fairly similar, she's happiest at a certain speed and whilst you can enhance the ride and tweek the efficiency, if you really want more speed you need to look at a different boat. But then with a speedier boat, you'll have a whole different set of issues to deal with. Try the sand bag route and let us know how the boat handles, but as you are clearly aware, test it gently with the sea in all directions. All the best Tom

If the 23 is anything like the 20 then it naturally runs quite bow high and is rather light at the bow. Tabs would, of course, work to help drop the nose and create a more efficient planning surface, but not much use if you can't fit them. An alternative would be a couple of bags of builders sand up in the forward lockers OR increase the amount of chain used. This will also give a very much enhanced ride in a head sea, albeit the ride may well be much wetter. There is one very obvious downside to this. That being that when you turn the boat around into the same sea, but now it is following, you would rather have the bow up otherwise you "raise" the risk of a possible broach (boat slewing round as it hits the bottom of a wave trough). It's a toughy, but I do know many Hardy and Orkney owners who sware by a bag or two of sand up in the bow. Try it and see if it has a positive effect on handling and efficiency, but be wary of the possible downside too. Tom

Had a quick squizz around the Interweb and saw a couple marked for sale. One on the east coast and two or three dotted around Europe, oddly (for Orkney) right down in the Eastern Med. It all depends on your need for speed. Fit some hydraulic (or electric) tabs and run at 12 to 14 knots and you'll find you will almost half your fuel consumption for the four or five knots off what you are getting right now. It's what some would describe as a "Fast Fisher", but it really depends on whose definition of fast. Tom

That's stumped me Chris! I didn't know they did an Orcadian 23. I've sold a couple of 20's, but not seen any bigger Orkney's other than the PH and DA. Hmmmm. It's a big boat for a 115Hp, but the hulls were in that transition between semi displacement and semi planing (assuming it's a similar hull to other Orkneys of the same sort of size). I would have thought it would scrape 20 knots if set -up and propped correctly. What engine is it, 4s or 2s? How old? Not sure if a new engine is the answer without knowing more, but even with twins it will use more fuel. That said, it sounds like you are running at WOT most of the time already. You may need to simply work to a slower cruising speed or rather than look at changing the engines.... possibly a different package if you want speed and economy?

You'll void your insurance even if you put 2 x 60's on there. What boat is it? Tom

Very roughly it will use about 1/3 more fuel than you are currently for the same speed. It is unlikely to have quite the same performance as the 115 so your fuel may go up a little further than my estimate as you may find you are pushing it harder. If you can go twin 70's you'll match the performance of the single (possibly beat it) and only use the same sort of amount of fuel as the twin 60's. Tom

Bu@@er That looks like it would ruin a nice day cruising the Solent! Glad that the crew are OK, save for burns. Looks like it may have been a Jeanneau by the boot strap too Or maybe a Bavaria.... Nope pretty sure it's a Fairline Targa 38.