rich

For info only and this refers of course to the "Old" Poole bridge The lifting bridge between Hamworthy and Poole Quay will be out of use and in the "up" position from midnight on Tuesday the 30th November to 2359hrs on Wednesday 30th due to industrial action. No vehicles or pedestrians will be able to cross. We advise you to make alternative travel arrangements. Never seems to happen when the weather is good and we could get unrestricted passage from Cobbs. Rich

Please note these changes to Poole bridge lifting times. Borough of Poole PR 639 23/11/2011 [For Immediate Release] Changes To Poole Bridge Lifting Schedule Temporary changes to the lifting schedule for Poole Bridge will be in place from Monday 28 November 2011. On weekdays (Monday to Friday) the 2.30pm and 4.30pm bridge lifts will be cancelled and replaced with a single bridge lift at 3.30pm. All other bridge lifts will remain unchanged. The revised schedule, to allow completion of work on the new Twin Sails Bridge, will continue until early 2012 when a new timetable will be introduced for the operation of a two bridge system. Councillor Xena Dion, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Borough of Poole, said: "The revised schedule will help the contractor during the final stages of construction to complete the Twin Sails Bridge. Motorists will be alerted via the variable message road signs in the area. We apologise for any inconvenience that this temporary change may cause." The full schedule of lifting times can be found on boroughofpoole.com/poolebridge. Rich

Managed to get Anita up (reasonably) early and set of from Cobbs in glorious sunshine for a day out on Warren. We got as far as the lifeboat station only to find a marine exclusion zone in place 100 meters either side of the new bridge construction.... and it was'nt only us that was caught out! PLEASE NOTE The Blackwater channel is closed from 0800 - 1800hrs today, Thursday 14th July. It is also going to be closed on Monday the 18th July and Wednesday 20th July for the same time period. I would advise you checking the PHC website for conformation. I was under the impression that the channel would be kept open for shipping throughout the bridge construction. Rich

.) Adam F - JV 2.) Alun J. 3.) Paul F. .......we will either be on Gastro or Imagine 4.) Martin AWOL 5.) Dean AWOL .) Crew AWOL Anyone want a ride out? 7) Dave Evans WIGHT MAGIC 8) Steve Morris WIGHT MAGIC 9) Graham (Little Sal) 2 non members as crew. 10) Kev and 1non member on YELO 11) Bob F - JV 12) Little Rob - JV 13) Colin - Boblin 14) Bobi - Boblin 15) Mick Barnes Wight Magic 16) Serenity - Tony deavin +? terry bartell to confirm 17) Rich - Warren 18) Mike fox - Warren 19) Neal Sturt - Court Jester 20) John Young - Court Jester 21) Sereity - Rob Francis (her heater did not effect my choice of craft, much!!!) 21) Allan Green and Dave Samuel - Kind of Magic. 22) George - Warren

1.) Adam F - JV 2.) Alun J. 3.) Paul F. .......we will either be on Gastro or Imagine 4.) Martin AWOL 5.) Dean AWOL .) Crew AWOL Anyone want a ride out? 7) Dave Evans WIGHT MAGIC 8) Steve Morris WIGHT MAGIC 9) Graham (Little Sal) 2 non members as crew. 10) Kev and 1non member on YELO 11) Bob F - JV 12) Little Rob - JV 13) Colin - Boblin 14) Bobi - Boblin 15) Mick Barnes Wight Magic 16) Serenity - Tony deavin + ?John kennedy +? terry bartell to confirm 17) Rich - Warren 18) Mike fox - Warren

One of the highlights of 2010 was going to Cobbs Quay this morning, Christmas day, slipping the mooring ropes and spending a couple of hours going around Poole Harbour on an absolutely flat calm sea. In all that time we didn't see another boat on the move. Almost spooky, but as they say in the advert ...priceless! Other highlights are of course sharing fishing trips with PBSBAC members. Seasons greetings Rich

Don't get to excited though. I recently attended thePoole Harbour Commissioners annual open meeting where there was a presentation by Jim Stewart Cheif Executive, Poole Harbour Commissioners. He outlined plans for the future of the harbour which included ideas about the proposed new 800 berth marina which has been in the news recently. Among the suggested features of this facility which could include workshops and tourist attractions was the mention of a slipway. As this would be adjacent to deep water it would certainly be an improvement over Baiter. Please bear in mind though that these are outline proposals and should planning consent ever be given you are looking at several years away. However, it may be an idea the club to write to Jim Stewart and lobby him on this issue. Given the genuine concerns club members have about using baiter slipway he may take it on board and see the need to retain a slipway in the plans. Another presentation was by the Managing Director of ENECO Wind UK Limited. It would appear that a wind farm consisting between 180 and 300 wind turbines is moving closer. Sited between Portland and the Isle of Wight the nearest turbine is going to be a minimum of 6 -8 miles from any point on the shore. Other than a small safety area around each turbine the area would be open to fishing. At another meeting recently, members of Poole Council Transportation Department and the engineers from the Twin Sails bridge project presented a question and answer session. The bad news is that the new bridge is only going to be a few centimeters higher than the existing bridge. When asked if it would have been better to make it at least a meter higher to enable the majority of motor vessels to get under without necessitating a bridge lift and having a conjested holding area, the answer was that it was built the same height to encourage pedestrians to cross easily from Hamworthy to Poole and therefore help to recuduce traffic congestion. On a more alarming note. When I asked how many boats they could safetly accommodate in the holding area the transportation guy said that on peak periods such as Bank Holidays they would consider having a booking system in order to limit the numbers. Is this progress? Rich

Hi Martin, You could try Mark Taylor of "Taylor Made" He is a local guy and is often working in the area. Not sure of his number but it is sure to be in yellow pages if not on the net. Rich

There certainly does'nt seem to be to many about. I fished for a few hours at Ham beach this morning and managed to catch one. It appeared that five other guys fishing along the prom. all blanked. A lot of the flounders caught Sunday were released at Cobbs Quay... perhaps that's were we should be looking. Rich

I am a bit late in adding my two penny worth to the reports from Paul and Alun. Only to say many thanks Paul for the trip out on Imagine and thanks for the numerous cups of tea and coffee that were served. The only downside to that was the number of times I had to struggle out of the wet weather gear as a result of the fluid intake. As always I come away from these trips with a few ideas and a wish list. Firstly I need to get some more substantial rods and reels. The present kit is OK in Poole Harbour but in 60 feet of water it is sadly lacking. So before the Spring gets here I shall be looking around for more suitable gear. Secondly, because of the thick mist that descended around us I realised how important it is to have a Sat Nav and be able to use it to find your way back to port. More practice needed in this area I feel. Thanks again Paul and Alun for your company, a most enjoyable day. Rich

1.) Adam F 2.) Alun J. 3.) Zed 4.) Neal 5.) John Young 6.) Martin 7.) Dean 8] Dave Evans 9] Jim Davies 10] Mark [zippy] 11) Littlesal (Graham 12)Tony D 13) Rob Francis (on JV) 14) Charlie Annear (on JV) 15) Carl 16) Aaron 17) Rich (on Warren) 18) Jon (Jay Kay) (on Warren)

Despite having a plan which we stuck to, no fish came aboard Warren other than some (very) small chequers to Allan Green. Still a great day out in the sunshine. It seems we were not alone. Any explanation why so many boats could'nt get any fish? Rich

I shall be out on "Warren" along with Allan Green. Rich

Two other places to try. Towsure at Southampton. www.towsure.com This place is like a camping, caravan and trailer supermarket. The other is called wessex Trailers at between Wareham and Dorchester. www.wessex-trailers.co.uk The latter would be my choice. They manufacture trailers there and can supply just about anything trailer related. Rich

If you can solve this one let me know! The cheapest pontoon mooring at Cobbs works out at

My immaculate Orkney 520 ( March 07) with 30hp Yamaha is up for sale. For details and full inventory contact me on 01202 674791. Rich

I raised the matter of late bridge opening times with councillors at the last area committee meeting. I emphasised the problems from the marine view point. I have just received a written reply in the "Matters arising from the minutes". It's a bit long winded but here goes. There are apparently legitimate reasons for delaying the bridge lift for a few minutes, examples of such circumstances were given as follows : The Emergency Services notifying the council of its need to cross the Bridge at a time when a scheduled lift was due. to assist with dealing with the emergency, (Council) officers would delay a lift for up to 15 minutes. If the Bridge Operators were notified that a commercial vessel(entitled to request an additional lift) was due to arrive at the Bridge a few minutes after a scheduled lift,(Council) officers would delay the lift to avoid the need, and subsequent (traffic)disruption, from an additional lift. The Control Room performed a range of functions. Once a lift had commenced the Operator was committed to completing the task. However if a lift were due, when all the Operators were dealing with an emergency or urgent task(such as operating the Lifeline System or working the CCTV System, to support a Police operation) a bridge lift would be delayed by afew minutes. Under previous legislation the Council could not raise the Bridge before the published time but could delay a lift by up to 15 minutes for operational reasons such as those noted above. The principle of a 15 minute tolerance was still practiced although as far as possible, the Operators worked within a couple of minutes of the Scheduled Timetable. There you have it. Not much we can do about the late openings, but at least they are aware of the feelings of the Marine fraternity. Rich

The matrix signes along Blandford road Hamworthy are advising people that the 1230 bridge opening time is being changed to 1200hrs as from May 18th. Not sure why. Rich

In order to get some brownie points, which of course translates into fishing time, I need to get a traditional style , inkwell type lobster pot in order to complete a landscaping project for trhe FPO. If anyone has one for sale or can suggest where to get one (other than fouling one with the prop ) I would be most grateful for a PM. Thanks Rich

Well done Alun. Great fish and a great report. Rich

Thanks for the company on Tuesday Alun. It was great to get out on the water on such a nice day. At five flounders to nil by early afternoon I was becoming somewhat perplexed, but eventually persistance paid of and I went back wth one in the box. After analysing the day I am putting a lot of the blame for my poor results down to my bait presentation. I was also using shop rag as opposed to Alun's dug worms. I am convinced it makes a difference. Whatever the results it was a very pleasant day out. Rich

Well done Mike. A super fish. rich

It's only a few hundred yards from home, so as soon as it opens I shall let you know. Rich

Warren is out of the water having her bottom painted and whilst this was being done I took the opportunity to check around the engine. I noticed the "stainless" steel bar that supports the hydraulic tilt ram was badly corroded. The boat is kept in the water and has been for twelve months and this bar is just about on the waterline. I spoke to BHG about it and it would appear to be an unusual problem and they would send a replacement under warrenty. Whilst it's not going to fail in the immediate future, it would in time fracture. I can only assume that it is a piece of poor quality stainless that has slipped through the inspection process but it would be worth other Yamaha 30 owners checking their engines for the same problem. Rich

Not just restricted to Sky. I have had the same problem for about 6 weeks or more. I have had to enter user name and password every time I log into PBSBAC and then again every time I wish to view a different topic. I have been unable to start a new toic or reply to an existing one. In the end I gave up as I could'nt justify the time I was wasting. I am using AOL. The situation, for some unknown reason, seems to have sorted itself out in the last week. Fingers crossed! Rich