TomBettle

It's rather likely I may have secured at least one space (thanks for the offers chaps) aboard a boat. I'll be happy to sleep onboard or have a good three man tent that i'll be happy to put up for 2 of us.... Tom PS: I've also got a really good two bedroom four man tent, but that is more hassle to put up and take down.

Thanks Martin I hoped you guys would see it that way. A qualified diesel mechanic will get himself a very different and hopefully enjoyable job. I don't work for the Belles, but we are all a small team that also includes Dan Chapman and I think we are a pretty sound bunch who all help each other out.

Rather ironic timing after my fun and games at the weekend, but one of the companies my boss owns is in urgent need of a full time diesel engineer. We also own the Dorset Belles. www.dorsetcruises.co.uk We are in urgent need of someone who can go beyond the job of a mechanic alone. A large part of the job will be as full on crew. Meeting and greeting customers as they come aboard and generally being able crew working alongside the captain to make for smooth sailings. BUT The Belles are old classics and whilst the engines are pretty modern, they can and do breakdown from time to time. This is when we need our engineer to do the superman act by dissapearing below and coming out with a working engine and a boiler suit on! The Belles start running from the Bournemouth Pier at Easter weekend and run to various locations from Swanage to Poole Quay, to Brownsea Island. This is a fabulous opportunity to spend the Spring through to Autumn afloat. That said, the job is a permanent contract and out of season you'll be getting stuck in with getting all the fleet (includes the Shockwave jet boat) in fine fettle for the following year and also working as an additional man within our Yanmar dealership. Are you more than just a mechanic? Can you scrub up well and handle thousands of foregin tourists with a smile on your face? Are you a first class engineer? We need you! I have no idea what the money will be, my boss has simply said the right person will be well paid. Please can you email me in the first instance with your full details and a very brief description of your experience. I am not the HR person, but will forward everyone's details to my boss who will hopefully contact you by return. I hope the mods don't mind this. It is an advert, but will hopefully result in a forum member getting a really fun and interesting job, working with a great team of people already on the Belles. Tom

Oli You offer of a space is really appreciated, but whilst you can fish five, a first go over on the banks would see you far better saving the space to help you find your Turbot legs. I'll be happy to look over your charts with you and steer you in roughly the right location, but you'll have loads of guys over with you, all of who will make sure you are heading the right way and help set you up for a successful trip. Thanks again Tom

.....very unlikely that Quest II will now be going that way for sometime. If anyone stillneeds crew at sensible costs then I'd be very pleased to be your anchor monkey.

Gave the boat a damn good wash down too Pete.

Hi Guys Back safe and well and thanks to all for the sentiments, phone calls and texts. We left Poole very early (04:00) yesterday morning for what was planned to be a really leisurly long distance cruise using the big tides to nudge us around the channel. Steered well wide of Old Harry to avoid lobster pots in the dark and tootled along at 11 knots for just 2600rpm. Headed south west and stopped at a wreck on the 6 mile limit for a couple of 7lb Pollock before heading to one on the 12 mile limit where we had a brief flurry of half a dozen upper singles and then the tide died away. We used the slack to head the long haul out to where the bigger fish were supposed to be. Still trundling along at 2600 rpm, hell it was supposed to be a fun cruise, not a race. As we approached the first of two wrecks we planned to fish well offshore we heard a firm clunk followed by that gut wrenching feeling when you know something has hit or wrapped the prop along with the slipping clutch sound as the engine strains against a jammed prop. Instantly the engine was kicked to neutral and with a series of shunts forwards and backwards we seemed to be free and with no apparent ill effects (I don't know if this could have anything to do with what happened an hour or so later) we began the first drift over the wreck. The tide was belting through at just short of four knots! This meant that what normally appears as a massive lump was on the sounder and gone in seconds and with just one similar upper single Pollack caught, we continued our mid channel cruise to another lump a mile or so from the previous and in the general direction of home, erring on the side of caution after the earlier prop incident. This one appeared much larger on the sounder, presumably lieing end to end in the tide. This is one that I had never previously fished, but it was enroute to our final planned mark closer to home and so we gave it a shot. In the 3.7 knots of tide is was pretty snaggy if you dwelled more than a fraction of a second on the bottom, but we had a couple of good fish to low mid doubles before slowly cruising on to have a brief look for a cargo ship that sank nearby the year before. It was a very brief look and save for a few bait fish shoals on the sounder there was no obvious sign of wreckage and so we headed for what was to be our "banker" for the day. A set of banks and reefs well offshore, but much closer to home that typically hold some clonking Pollock. Within moments of pointing ourselves north by north north east and still at the days chosen 2600rpm there was a horrible bang from the engine room followed by very nasty change in tone from the engine. The sound went from the normal rattly sound you get from a diesel to the sounder of a pneumatic drill. Inspection of the engine saw a growing puddle of oil in the bilge. We were some three miles north of the westbound ships and adrift rather close to them so in just under 200 feet of water the anchor went down and at more or less the same time we called up Portland Coastguard to let them know our dilema. At this point we didn't call a Pan Pan as whilst we were completely stuck we were stationary, safe, had food and water and were wearing our lifejackets. We attempted to call a few friends up that we knew were afloat, but people were long distances away and so the coastguard decided to launch the lifeboat. Ironically, whilst we were exactly the same distance from Weymouth and Poole and Poole being our home port, it was the Weymouth lifeboat that came out. It made sense really, they had the last of a huge tide to come the 30+ miles to us and then the start of the return tide to tow us in. At the same time as the lifeboat launch our situation was raised to a Pan Pan. It wasn't life threatening, but our position 3 or 4 miles from the main shipping lane meant that we were potentially in a lot of danger. Interestingly, the first people to answer the Pan Pan and offer assistance were infact those very ships with the closest two offering to standby! This included a giant RoRo that was passing. As it wasn't an emergency, the coastguard thanked them and they proceeded on their course to whatever sunny place they were heading to. A sailing boat called Sunbird also answered. They were only five miles away. We could actually see them just beyond the shipping, but it would have taken them as long to reach us as the lifeboat and so they too were thanked and they continued on to Alderney. Thanks from us too Sunbird. Yep an expensive weekend and lessons learned and lots to think about. Maybe it's time to invest in an epirb? Maybe we should also now invest in a suitable auxilary? (About time!) Our flares are out of date! (We didn't need them, but it made us check!) Maybe we should try and work with a buddy boat when possible? (safety in numbers?) And I am sure much more to think about over coming weeks. Time to pull my finger out and input our MMSI number to the VHF!!! (Idiot) Remember to put the new Ofcom radio license onboard... it's got our call sign which I could have done with and it should be on the boat all the time! (Idiot) Pull my finger out and fill in the CG66! (Idiot, now done) Not a whole lot that we could have done about the incident yesterday. The boat was serviced and up to date (service soon due, but not quite), but lots that perhaps could have been done to improve the situation. A huge thanks to all the amazing people who helped and offered help and those who have checked to see we were OK. Not limited to: The coastguard and crew of the RNLI Ernest & Mable The passing ships who amazingly offered assistance The sailing boat Sunbird who were happy to ruin their crossing to Alderney My marina who found out about the situation and we could hear checking we were OK with the Coastguard over the VHF Great friends like the team on Alfresco who tried to make contact, but we were out of range Our charter skipper friends who have offered their boats as tows back to Weymouth if we need them Our old Weymouth service engineer who cam straight to the boat on arrival in the port to see if he could help My old colleagues at Prime Motoryachts for the offer of a loan trailer to get Quest II back to Poole A number of private boat owner friends who have already offered their own boats as tow vessels if we need them. Friends who have called, text, emailed offering help. What's the point of this whole post? We clearly had a rather cr@p day yesterday. We could have done things better and avoided some of the situation so lots to learn and if anyone else can learn from our situation then that is great too. But, what an amazing bunch of people all users of the water are. Within minutes of our situation, people were offering help and assistance. Old friends through to foreign deck officers who will gain nothing through to the great guys at the RNLI. I would like to think that if I was ever in the position to offer help back then whoever you are, whatever our backgrounds and history then I would always do anything I could to help too. I hope we can get Quest II out again ASAP, maybe as a safer boat too. Tom

Hello Seaspark Welcome to PBSBAC!!! Despite what other forums may suggest, I am not really a trouble maker. Hope you have many a great trip from Cristchurch and make some great new anglng friends from our club. Tom

You'll need them to send you the numbers too Jim. Just to be sure it's not a lucky guess.... of course!

Don't know what you mean Duncan! It was a genuine post.

This one in particular is just over on the French side, fractionally closer to Weymouth than here (so maybe 38 miles from here). This wreck is a legend, but I've never seen a private boat on it, although I was joined by Silver Spray over it once. Silver Spray's anglers promptly battered it senseless with a load of pirks and caught nothing whilst "we" hauled fish after fish. This wreck has produced, Ling, the fish that can't be named, Pollock, Bass, Coalfish and even John Dory. All on shads / storm lures. Without fail (touch wood), it has always produced the fish that can't be named and it has always produced Pollock to at least 14lb usually bigger. This wreck's numbers, whose name I know well has only ever been shared with a couple of most trusted club members and I know they have barely given it a passing look. This wreck shall remain nameless, but if you want to see if you have the right name, PM me which one you think it is, along with it's numbers and I'll tell you if you are right. Tom

Not a fan of fishing deep water on big tides, but I am planning on a jaunt about 35 miles off to a "little" wreck I know. Fingers crossed for a Ling or two over the slack and possible a few of the fish that must not be named.

Shucks... Thanks Terry! Tom

Now, I don't know if Dave is taking the mickey, but the sentiment is there. Welcome Oli. Hope you and the old man have a great time as members of the club. Doing my best to make Alderney, but money is tight. Also have been told I have to work on the Monday now! I may try and get out for an offshore wrecking / codding trip instead? Tom

Crime Number 12909 Officer PC Yates Number 1779 Tel Wareham 01929 552222

Amazing story. He should be reported to the MCA or someone who'll do somethign about it.

Was the charter skipper displaying a black ball? Daft as it seems, if he wasn't, he was probably the one that would be considered at fault.

The ironic thig is that the police know who the culprits are, but they need to catch them in the act or with the goods and when they kit is often nicked to order it's very hard to keep up with it. Keep an eye out boys! Tom

Stolen from Shell Bay boat yard. Lifted (yes nicked off the back of) from a Merry Fisher 625 a Suzuki DF115TL, 2006 engine. Serial Number 683822. Also stolen was the inflatable dinghy stored inside the boat and the Suzuki DF6 that was under the dinghy. ...apparently the CCTV and the security lights were both broken! Note, I know the owner and he has asked me to put the word out. Crime Number 12909 Officer PC Yates Number 1779 Tel Wareham 01929 552222 If anyone is offered anything suspicious, please contact me or the police direct. Thanks Tom

Aren't they 8' x 8' square and then 20 foot or 40 foot long? Diagonally then?

The saving grace is (I hope) that it is too wide for a container!

Between all the anglers an boaters in the UK we must be able to find this one! It is a boat that stands out a mile, it is only a little over a year old and has all the serial numbers and hull numbers! I soooooo hope the buggers get caught with this one as it should be easy to find.

Hi Terry It would only be considered a local mark to Parkstone Bay if you didn't mind the 35 mile steam to just the otherside of the South Parade Pier, Southsea, Portsmouth.

"Varied Opinion" Is one way of putting it. I don't think there is much wrong with the boat, but make sure you really REALLY check how you will be looked after under warranty and what is covered under your warranty.

Mark I never mentioned any members name and I would never have told them it was you!