Mike Fox

I think we should have cod competitions throughout the year....with bonuses for other species at different times Mike

1.) Ian Jones - JV 2.) Bob F - JV 3.) Alun J - JV 4.) Martin B Awol 5.) Dean B Awol 6.) RobF - JoJo - with non member 7.) Alfie and Stuie on Dream Drifter [defending Champion 2010] bring it on 8.) Graham + non member Little sal. 9.) Charlie A - AWOL 10. Charlie C Alfresco 11. Dan C Alfresco 12. Gordon Moore Alfresco TBC 13 Stuart Summerel Alfresco 14.Nigel Allen. wishin 15.Mike Toms wishin 16.Craig Jackie Abode 17) Bobi and Colin Boblin 18) Andrew + non member - Conyn Du 19) Chris Enstone plus brother (non-member) - Hilda Maud 20) Tony Deavin - Serenity 21) Paul Dore - Serenity 22) Kev Couzens Yelo 23) Mick Pike Yelo 24) Toby + non Member - MONDAR 25) Jonk + 2 non members clare ann 26) James + 1 non member Dawn Raider 27) Mike Fox as crew on Court Jester

Well done all....great to know there's a few around. Missed out today, but here's hoping for next weekend! Think the car park will take too long for me, so will stick with Plan A and try for some pan-sized whiting within 5-6 miles of Poole entrance...and hope for a bonus lunker! If anyone could suggest such a spot I would be grateful. Mike

Found this via the Alderney Angling site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-15573809 Can see this being popular news for those that pop over to the Channel Islands for a spot of angling. Mike

Think of it as a curled up pipefish!!!! So, fish, yes! Must have been caught on a 5mm shrimp on a No 24 hook!!! Mike

Well done that man!!!! Mike

Brilliant! Mike

Let's see if we can help prevent more thefts/damage between us. Looking at this simplistically I can see several things we could all do: - Minimise valuables on board when unattended; - Visual deterants (Warning Alarm signs, extra shutters, big padlocks, etc); - Fit noisy alarms (PIRs etc) to stop them in their tracks (or possibly text you?) - Improved physical security (big locks, no visible screw heads, toughened glass etc) - Improved marking (etching, indelible / UV pens, microdots, DNA water - on EVERYTHING left) - Look out for other club members (location of other known club boats) - Challenge suspicious activity, taking pictures on mobiles - Inform Harbour control, Police etc (VHF, mobile) Surely between us we can do something? Anything to add to the above? Mike

Am gutted for you Paul. Hope you can get it sorted relatively painlessly, and tighten up security too. Is there anything we can do as a club to reduce this risk ? Get a security expert to give a talk on our realistic options perhaps? Hope getting it all back together goes smoothly, and you can get out with the cod and whiting. Mike

See here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-20...enby-Wales.html Mike

Well done both, and congrats on the whiting...always good when a target species arrives. Funny, we didn't find a doggie all day. You'll have to let me know when you go out "doggie charming" again Dave Mike

Good stuff Lofty. I tried for the whiting today East of the Spoil Grounds, but none landed, and not even any bites. Looks like they might have been closer in! Well done, Mike

Am currently looking at the next weather window on Friday with great interest.... Anyone else out from Poole then? Mike

If it's inside the harbour, are you still going for a 50% minimum specimen size? Thanks, Mike

Out yesterday on Frisky with Carol, seeing a few club boats out and about. Tried for Gilts in the harbour, and Triggers on the inshore rocks seeing as the water temperature is holding (too warm for cod still?), but no joy. We stuck with the breaming gear, and had just one mackerel, a couple of 1lb pollack, ballan to 2lb and corkwing wrasse, dragonet and pout. The pout were tried as livebait with no success. Just the one mackerel kept. Overall, found the SE kicked the sea up rather uncomfortably even inshore, and we struggled in the harbour. We drifted instead of anchoring, as our small fishing anchor might have been pulled out with the motion. After power loss on the engine 2 weeks ago, and the starter cable fracturing last week, was keen for an uneventful trip. However the engine was loud, knocking in tickover and I couldn't work out why, and guessed the idle speed adjustment had slipped. Returned early on the 2.30 bridge lift and discovered that there was a missing nut from one of the front engine mounts, and the whole engine moving alarmingly at tickover, though normal vibration at a few hundred revs more. Strangely, I couldn't find the missing nut, and my spares box had nothing the right size. Cobb's chandlers provided a replacement (and a few spares at the needed size and above). Cranked it up tight, and all seems normal again now, including tickover speed. Also, remembered to check the alternator hadn't blown a diode, and is stlll working fine after the cable fracture (should have checked that last week!). Hope that's the end of the engine problems! Hope others did better than us. Mike

Was hoping for a lively little session somewhere....so out on Frisky on Saturday, subject to rousing the troops. While I'd love a cod on board, I haven't had one on one of my boats for ages (10 years or more), so this winter the plan is to fish for whiting with intent....hoping for a few pan-sized ones on medium/heavy gear...and hoping for a cod as a bycatch. Any news of whiting yet, or does everyone else try for cod, and keep the whiting as a by-catch ? Mike

Hey Lofty, If you fish just outside of the bay you get some interesting tides you can use to your advantage. Close in to the white cliffs of Ballard Down you can often find a counter-current that will take you towards Old Harry when the tide is ebbing, or back towards Swanage during a flood, for example. Vary your distance offshore (or depth) to find out what it's doing on any given day. Standing off a little further will get you into the main tidal run. Similarly, you can get some strange back-eddies in Swanage Bay that flow contrary to the main tidal stream outside. To test the actual tidal stream direction, if you paddle a straight course inshore, and can line up two fixed objects...one in mid-distance and one in the far distance, then you can try to steer the straight line "transect" towards the two. You'll soon see what the tide is doing, and whether you're within the counter-current or not, by which way you're pushed sideways. Also, check the current direction on every pot buoy you pass. Some might be different to expectation! Motorboats can and do ignore this, but at my slower speeds, and yours, this can be important for travelling, and setting up drifts over the cleaner ground. We fish a mixture of spots in the bay and just outside, and can catch 8-10 species fairly quickly some days. Also, we fish the Swanage area generally at neap tides, as at Springs, the tidal strength can warrant pretty substantial leads to hold bottom. Others find the spring tides get the fish to feed better, so you takes your choices... One tip - do take care with Peverill Ledge. The tide can howl across there, and overfalls are common, even on calm days. Mike

Injector now sorted, all three re-checked and re-installed. Engine fired up and back to operational! The return feed to the tank has only a small outlet diameter, and hence stopped the unusual pressure from bleeding off. Thanks for all of the comments folks. Let's just hope that was the cause! Mike

Update: The marine engineer has removed injectors and cleaned up, finding one of the needles marked as if it had been "scuffed" by some grit or something. His suggestion is something got past the primary and secondary filters, wedged a needle open, and the non-combusting cylinder pressurised the copper piping back up the system. between the filters and the injectors. The pressure and grit stopped the needle dropping again. My relieving the pressure caused the injector needle to lift fully, flushing the grit out, and restoring the injector to operational condition. Not sure I understand why the fuel feed back to the tank didn't clear the excess pressure, but it sounds credible. He's re-assembling. Mike

Thanks chaps.... Injectors were removed and serviced in July, when I had a compression test done. I have changed to non-Volvo filters, as was unable to find the usual ones last time, so perhaps that's a check/change I could make. Hadn't thought of that! Additives, yes, sounds a good idea - injector cleaner, head de-coker, diesel bug killer, extra lube etc.....but where do you stop ? Have also had the suggestion of a couple of tank fulls of road diesel, as the additives for cars also apply for marine use. My last tank of diesel was from Cobb's about 10 hours ago...usually use Coralls. Wonder if their fuel has higher bio-diesel content, which can sometimes cause problems? Keep them coming! Thanks, Mike

Can anyone explain the following sequence of events that happened this morning shortly after leaving on the 9.30 bridge lift? Motoring down the main channel, when I suddenly heard the engine revs die, and experienced a loss of power, but the engine kept running. The engine is a 21 year old Volvo Penta 2003, 3-cylinder, 28 h.p. diesel. Suspecting weed/rope round the prop, I engaged forward and reverse several times to see if the cutters could clear it. No difference. I next tried revving the engine in neutral, and while revs did increase, they were very slow to pick up. The water pump appeared to be working still, but the engine was producing clouds of smoke at this point. Tried stopping and starting the engine a few times to see if that might help...but no difference was seen. (At this point had boats everywhere, a wicked flood tide, and no chance of turning to starboard due to the Middle Mud, so sailed towards Parkstone where Carol and I picked up a mooring buoy on that side of the channel). Next checked the throttle linkage (having had cables fail before). Again, this was not the cause. Checked the weed strainer, and this was clear, and the pump was cold when restested, so not a blockage/siezure. Checked the engine oil, still which was still on the middle of the dipstick and fairly clean with no signs of water emulsification, having done oil and filter change about 20 engine hours ago. Restarted the engine with the engine bay open, and the problem persisted, but was now able to hear a "whump whump" noise, as if at least one of the three cylinders was not firing. Was now suspecting something dire, so phoned up a marine engineer, who suggested head gasket which would warrant a tow home, or a fueling issue. I asked him what he'd check next, and he suggested opening bleed points to see if fuel was being stopped at some point. I next opened the bleed point on the secondary fuel filter. This was under extreme pressure, and I was sprayed with diesel. I've never see such high pressure here before when bleeding the system. After the pressure subsided, I checked to see if the lift pump would "pulse" fuel through, and it did, so closed the bleed point again while pumping by hand. Again, tried to start the engine, and this time it fired perfectly on all 3 cycinders, and has continued to run since (but took boat back to its berth), including up to cruising speed. Question: What caused the engine power loss, and how did relieving the pressure on the bleed point appear to correct it? Any advice welcome, as I cannot really explain what went wrong, or what's to stop it happening again! Oh, and have already asked the marine engineer to check it over next week, and the boat will remain lashed to the pontoon until then! Thanks, Mike PS Had the great offer of assistance from Dave (Pirky) on Alice II if needed, which was much appreciated as a possible lifeline home!

1 - Mike Fox (on another club boat, no Carol or George) 2 - Dave HH 3 - Martin B 4 - Ian Jones 5 - Alun Jones 6 - Bob F 7 - Adam F 8 - Dave Evans 9 - Colin F 10 - Charlie C 11 - Gary Austin 12 - Graham Little Sal 13 - Alf 14 - Sally

Great piccie Lofty, and well done on getting out! Am just a little bit jealous... Mike

Could a 2mm washer be another way of achieving the same result using a 6mm screw? Mike

Quick check all....is the comp still on this Sunday? I might be interested if so! Mike