TomBettle

I may be up for camping, but do agree that "matey boy" our forever drunk taxi driver is the way to go.

Nice Conger and medium shark rod.

Brian Good luck with the sale. Just a thought, but for the cost of fuel (and your time and your inconvenience) getting to the harbour entrance, why don't you take a swinging mooring at any of the usual suspects in the main habour? We have plenty at Parkstone Bay and I can't see it would take too many trips to make the time and fuel saving worthwhile? Not trying to sell you one of ours, but whilst cruising th river is pretty, it's very boring and tedious. I couldn't spend over two hours everytime I go out trundling up and down...

Geez guys This was a bit of fun, as seen by the vast majority of people who have watched it and commented (some names known to us all who very very loudly fight are corner are on there and found it funny). I have read Article 47 and I have been corresponding a lot with a number of MEP's and also the Chairman of CIPS along with many hundreds, possibly thousands of other anglers from a single website. Which, incidentally has more registered members than Angling Trust has sea angling members. Peter, I have the utmost respect for you and what you are doing for conservation and our club, but I can assure you there are other ways to skin a cat. I don't profess to have anything like the knowledge you have in this field and to be honest, I don't want it. But, I am extremely passionate about my pastime. I want to be able fish without being told when and how. I don't have the answers, but I want to be represented by someone I have asked to represent me. The NFSA did almost nothing for us yet I remained an indicidual member and a member through the club. We have now been swallowed by an organisation who claims to represent us all. Trouble is, all different arms of angling have different needs. There was nothing personal in the video and I, simply lifted it from the "other" website as it was funny and needed sharing. For godsake, lighten up, you have issues if you take it to heart. I think you all need to get the rod from out of your back and relax a little. It was fun, a joke, funny. You know when you lift the sides of your mouth and show your teeth, sometimes a little giggle comes out too. A bit like this

Peter, I agree with Tom and if anything I have posted gives you cause to believe that I am targeting you personaly Then I appolagise unreservedly. Derek. I simply saw te video as a lighthearted look at an otherwise crappy situation. I didn't even think of our own clubmembership at the time. I would put money on all but Peter himself seeing it the same way.

Graham I'll have it for

Peter I think you are taking this all a little too personally. The Youtube film has been put up by someone somewhere on the Interweb who feels strongly that Article 47 is a joke. It's brilliantly funny and has stimulated more reaction from Sea Anglers in two days being there than Angling Trust (or the NFSA previously) could hope to do. As it happens, if you think nothing is happening apart from chat on forums then you are very misguided. I know for a fact that I as an individual am a tiny percentage of the people that have written to DEFRA, SSFC, MP's, MEP's, CIPS and so on. Angling Trust barely even recognises sea angling and it only does it begrudgingly. If we want to be counted, relying on them will do nothing for us at all. We have to stand up as individuals and be counted and more and more of us (except Paul J as he has a dodgy hip) are doing just that. Tom

Peter Don't be fooled. It is only just starting. The fall out is about to happen and then we will have to properly start fighting our corner.

When I saw it yesterday it only had 100 or so views. On almost 1500 now. It's going to get around! Just keep bumping it to the top on the various forums.

Someone else put it on WSF and I get the feeling it is one of the Weymouth boys whose piece of artwork it is. It definitely needs to be emailed to a few of the MEP's, boththose on our side and those against. Tom

I don't care what the name of the ship is and where it is coming from. I want to know if it is on a collision course with me and how fast it is going. That will work regardless of what details are in the system.

Only time I've used it was on the Troms Explorer delivery to Norway and that was receive only. Martin was with me and used it too and will probably agree that it was an excellent tool, particularly in high seas, bad weather and at night. If you could transmit too, then I think it will work alongside radar and gps wonderfully. Something I would love on my boat if I used it a little more. Tom

I was off the same opinion.... Based on aving that slight confusion it took me an extra 10 seconds to make my guess. Tom "guess" being the operative word.

Tom Without reading the byelaws, isn't it that beach anglers or boat anglers in an un powered boat under 6m can legally sell their catch? If so, then why not have a red tag for commercially caught fish and a blue tag for fish "legally sold" by anglers. These can have reference numbers that can be traced back to individuals. It's not hard.

In which case, your tagging system has to be the only way forward. It can be forged / got round, but surely it is better than wrecking our few days afloat for the sake of some stupid, greedy, unlicensed fisherman.

Martin I agree wholeheartedly about if we are subject to bag limits then so should the commercials, but the bit I have saved from your post is the bit I am unsure about. I am sure that Coddy brought it up at the meeting as being a voluntary limit for local clubs to get involved in. So my understanding: 1) It's voluntary to take part 2) But once participating, we (members) would be subject to the limits Not withstanding that, I thoroughly agree that if we started something on a voluntary basis it would be very shortly mandatory. Count me out. Tom PS: The tagging system sounds great.

It will be a nail in the coffin of my club membeship if I was expected to go by these rules. I am all for conservation and all for managing a fishery responsibly, but I am not all for it when we are clobbered, but those that are behaving illegally simply continue to get away with it. Instead of hammering the decent law abiding members of a local angling club, the powers that be should put their resources into catching the culprits. They know who most are, they simply need to be monitored. Ask them to put a quota on Haddock and Coalfish. I can deal with those and SSFC certainly believe there is a substantial Coaley fishery in the Solent.

I may only get out on my boat half a dozen times in a year. If I am lucky, I'll also get two or three trips out on oterh club members boats. Half of the fishing on my boat is offshore and for the very few times I go, I damn well hope to have good days. Typically my catch will be Pollack and Ling, but if they are there, I will try my hardest for Summer Cod. For the tiny number of times I go, I will certainly attempt to catch more than 6. I pay a huge amount to operate my boat and to bring a few fish back is a very small bonus. I don't go nuts and anyone who has fished on my boat when the Cod are on the banks will know I am the first to start returning fish when I have had a sensible number. Bass? Well I am not a good enough Bass angler anyway, and I will count myself lucky to catch half a dozen in a session with maybe 50% being returned. I am not so bothered by Bass as the trips are invariably inshore and only a few pounds of fuel has been spent chasing them. In my view, rather than going for us, the soft target, concentrate resource and effort on the people conducting the illegal activity. Many of us know who they are, they just need catching in the action. Leave those of us who are responsible enough to conduct our own fishery management alone. Tom

Force 4 have them in stock

He was wearing them in my office yesterday.... I'd be knackered on the SSR registration. Pretty sure I comply on the rest (red diesel aside as I will always carry spare - will now remember to stick it in the tank when under tow!)

Proof of ownership would normally be a purchase invoice showing VAT paid on first purchase. Your Hull and Engine Invoices should suffice. Copies are usually ok. Normally you would also need: Builders Certificate from the boatyard to the dealer or first owner Chain of title (Bill of Sale for each previous owner) to the current owner Declaration of Conformity (CE certificate). Have no idea what you guys would need, but suggest a quick call to teh MCA to find out. I didn't know you had to be on the SSR and thought that was only if the boat was to actually go into a French port (or possibly actually take a mooring in a French port????). I didn't know about the red diesel thing either. Odd one that, I certainly won't "not" take extra fuel with me as I always want to have enough to be safe.

Paul Your insurance company will be working to the old CE regs which were effectively offshore and inshore. CE regs work differently now and are based on sea and wind conditions. Your boat, for example, is CE Category C. This means she is capable of being safe in winds of up to force 6 and wave heights up to and including 2 metres. Marsel, for example, is CE Category B. This means she is capable of being safe in winds of up to force 8 and wave heights up to and including 4 metres. In both cases, either boat would be very uncomfortable, but driven well they will keep you safe. The insurance companies haven't yet caught up. Most boat insurance companies have to policies for sea going boats up to CE Category B. 1) Inland and Coastal 90% of us will have this policy 2) English Channel, Brest to River Elbe Those of us working the mid channel wrecks and venturing over to the other side should all have this policy. Tom

Thank you chaps. Yes getting fatter and greyer by the day. I'll soon be just like you Mark!