duncan

well it's off to Belgium tomorrow!

not being able to get out fishing I got on my bike and headed into Tonbridge to take see the bikes go through leaders entering Tonbridge high street 6 minuts later the main group pass hmmm - standing there for nearly 2hours for that..........bit like fishing !

nice report Mike - regret no getting out there with you! was going to head down but Jo was (is) unwell & Dave's done his back! those congers can be great fun can't they!

Bob - yep but the balance of the post implied lower than the existing (otherwise it's a non issue!) ah well....

lower possibly but lower than the existing bridge - I can't see that one

sounds about right....................

Thanks Paul - was certainly a factor in my timing. I hope that some fish stories and pictures get created over the coming weekend though. btw the big turbot took a live mackerel bait.........

so at 0450, after a warming cuppa (well we didn't have the heating on as the exhaust port was straight onto AWOLs pretty blue gel coat) we knock on the hull intending to head off shortly afterwards. To say it was foggy was the day's understatement. AWOL's crew quickly decided that if they were going anywhere it was with radar support so we gave them a few moments to get sorted and headed out about 0530h. Viz was about 10m and it was somewhat erie leaving between the harbour arms without sight of either except on the screen. Staying at 6 knots until we had run radar scans at 1, 3 and 6 miles we moved up to 11, as much to hold a constant course as anything and juggled between 0.5 and 1.5 mile range as we made out way up the Little Russel. Target for the day was the Schole Bank because it was the closest and the most likely to be avoided by traffic because it is charted so clearly! Staying close to AWOL, with vis now up to 20m, we commenced drifts in the time honoured fashion. Launce were plentiful, we had fresh mackerel, and the fog was obviously going to burn off at some point......... Wasn't long before Dave was into a fish, and not much later another almost identical fish came over the side - to Dave again. and yes - that smile was there all day long! as the tide slackened the dogs arrived. the viz was now up at around a mile or more but the flats were missing, I was blanking and AWOL wasn't doing much better either. They decided to stay as they were experiencing a slight problem with their engine but we moved off to look around once they confirmed they were happy. heading West we of course ended up in thick fog pretty quickly but as skip I was heading for an area I knew (relatively well) so 'fishing first'! whilst things went quiet for a bit I eventually got into a fish and some time later this 9lb + turbot came over the side (Dave was still smiling) followed by a brill and another, smaller Tub Dave's still smiling (just). Headed back into St PP where AWOL was tied up to the pontoon, and Geoff had moved into the main marina for the night. Martin recounted how the fish had gone mad on the Schole shortly after we left, but that whilst Dean had done well he, Martin, had hooked and lost the big ones............. A hot shower and a mexican meal later Martin was still , Dave was all , Dean was enjoying the beer and I was asleep. For various reasons we agreed that Phaeton would be heading back early but AWOL was staying on to fish the day. Geoff was coming with us but had screwed up his calcs and wouldn't be able to get out of the marina until about 1230h the next morning........... Phaeton headed off to the Schole to catch Martin's monster whilst AWOL waited for the fuel quay to open and Geoff the tide to come in. AWOls problems have already been documented, our plans changed again following a telephone discussion mid morning with home and after a hard day on the Schole we headed into Braye to pick up Geoff who was waiting there. Bass to both of us, a tub apiece and some good pollack fights saw a weary crew head out of Braye at 1700h ennroute to Poole. About 8 miles off Anvil Martin picked us up and called his situation in but declined company on the basis he was comfortable they were getting in - but slowly! 1925h we passed the chain ferry. The boat was hauled Monday, inspected Tuesday, claim forms and everything else by the following Monday and a satidfactory agreement reached with the insurers this week. As posted on the thread entitled 'Insurance' Mardon agreed Holes Bays assesment of the situation and the slightly more expensive option presented that would get the job done quicker. Roll on the next trip - 23rd Sept weather permitting................

Well - I'll start at the beginning. Last year we had a great time fishing around Alderney, the weather didn't play ball through May so the weekend of the 48hr was selected (booked with SWMBO) and fingers crossed. Posting such on here got a couple can we come too's - but Tom B eventually made the call to spend time with a young lady instead. Forecast was amazing - and stayed that way. Phaeton had been out for a full service and hull cut and polish as well as a lot of those little jobs that accrue over time.......... On the one hand relaunching with new control cables, the OD just put back together and a few other such bits would normally suggest a bit of a shakedown but as I had done it all myself, and nothing for the first time, I was happy if we got halfway there the rest of the trip would be fine! Plan was to leave Rockley Friday orning for a leisurely run over via the fuel quay in Poole, and with another friend joining the trip in additon to AWOL, and using the 1030 bridge lift, timings fell into place from there. With a neap'ish flooding tide due to go slack around Alderney 1300h and a v light NE breeze timing was relaxed and would shift from wot into the afternoon. Giving ourselves a few minutes ahead of AWOL we loaded up (seemed to take hours!) and then set off for fuel. To this point everything was going perfectly........to perfectly of course. Dave had just poured the first of many anticipated coffees, the sun was shinning and ......thump. A glance at the sonar still showed over a metre with nothing shoing on a flat bottom but we had clearly hit something with the drive. By now the engine was off and the drive being raised - from what we could see everything looked intact so we lowered it again and started the engine. Engaging forward seemed ok but any revs and we got a serious vibration. Rope (large) was imediately discussed and reverse/forward tried - no improvement. Call to Rockley suggested that they still had the trailer attached and would get us straight out when we got back, call to Martin was useless as radio and phone off, so we limped back and straight out. Imediately we were out the damage became obvious - one mangled ss prop, one bent to b******** prop and absolutely no skeg left at all - ripped straight off! Being concerned about the others we radioed my m8 Geoff and advised of a possible delay.......... Leaving Dave aboard opening a beer............I called up Holes Bay and asked if they had any props on the shelf. They said they would call back but I told them not to bother as I was on my way! Meanwhile the boys at Rockley were looking at the drive and scratching thier heads - but promised to look into the damge a bit further. As I approached Cobbs a call advised the props were off and the shaft appeared straight without any oil leaks from the casing. Holes Bay 'lent' me a customers props (in exchange for

I don't know but there looks like a lot of fishing space and it should cover the trip out and back in a reasonable time................. but then there's the fuel bill

With many threads dedicated to the price of insurance, policy terms and conditions, small print and, I suppose ineveitably, more on claim issues than resolution I am delighted to advise complete satisfaction with Mardon following Phaeton's recent surprise contact with something hard in Poole Harbour I have to say the process has gone extremely smoothly - engineers talking to claims underwriters, clearly laid out alternative solutions and costs and finally, amazingly, the insurers proposing/agreeing a slightly more expensive replacement approach over a strip and rebuild that would clearly take some time to accomplish and carry an element of risk of future problems. The engineers are Holes Bay following recomendations on here and elsewhere. OK we have to get the work completed and everyone paid but even the written confirmation takes a whole load of my mind. Even the boatyard were overly reasonable and out to help rather than take advantage! Finally we think we may also have found out what we hit - we were passing the uptide position of a large barge used to store mooring bits (with hindsight we think it was still in it's downtide position as the tide was only lightly flooding) and it is believed that a concrete block found it's way over the side shortly before our passage........it may well be sunk in the mud by now but I will run a sonar scan onthe Lowrance unit and post it on here (at high water!) when I am back in just to check and post it on here . What's the chances of getting back afloat before you finally fish the species comp? I realise that this is only one view but, as others have posted, Mardon are competitively priced with good renewal service etc and here's a first hand claims experience. Having been with them for about 12 years I hope I can manage another 30!

trust me Alun - don't even bother to set the alarm..............

believe it was a Farr 45 Paul - and interestingly that the Mayday was via mobile on 999.......guess it happened really quickly!

that certainly sounds excellent Adam. I am looking at a replacement tonneau and it looks pretty simple............

indeed - many happy returns to all does the club have a veterans section?

it's difficult to be 100% sure - but 99% says that's a real blonde not dyed!

there is little that won't fit in a bag for life plastic - tope and conger being exceptions. equally most rays convert them from 'bag for life' to 'shredded plastic with handles' quite quickly - but definitely fish friendly. worth a few p - and if you don't catch big fish use them to transport your table catch home.

easy one Mike - lying or cheating is a deliberate act that you can't realistically regulate against (even weighing in doesn't prevent it) so you have to accept that if someone decides to do that there's nothing ultimately you can do. on the other hand an honest mistake about fish identification or reading a pair of scales accurately/fairly may happen to anyone - even faulty scales! However at least they tried and followed the required rules. Dave is about as experienced as anyone about estimateing fish weight - and whilst he is 95% right 95% of the time when he's wrong he can be miles out; conger and flats/rays being the hardest to estimate with huss/smoothies/spurs/tope close behind! if someone says they weighed it I believe them; if someone says it weighed 6lb I believe it probably did ... but if you want to register it weigh it. btw I realise you were simply letting us know what you caught in your first post - great - I'm responding to your specific 'challenge'.

1st & 18lb 4oz would have got you 2nd.............but as you can only weigh in 1 fish of each species you would have been disqualified so all's well..........honours even etc - you get the message (either fish could have been the winner)

these figures are almost identiacal to Phaeton's. The gph is more a function of Poole Harbour boating than anything else though and, whilst a practical guide for people doing similar boating, would be misleading in most circumstances. I prefer to think in terms of 4 gph which is my 'up and running' consumption rate..........or statistically looked at it a completely different way the more engine hours I log the better value I am getting out of moorings, maintennace and the capital cost of the boat!

yep my sources agree - those in the northern club waters will get sunburnt whilst anyone still south of about the 25s midday Sunday could get a little damp and find an E3.............shame!

'cos the trips not a huge amount longer, includes wrecking, St pp beats Weymouth and i know the marks better................. if i was launching from weymouth it would be different - i am on a trip not out to win by heading over

thanks Tom - see you thursday ps slotted, posi or hex head will do ta

if anyone can help I would really appreciate it. in order to save precious time on Friday morning is there any chance someone could pick up 4 x #12 x 25mm ss panheads for me? I am expecting to actually make the club meeting (although I may be a little after 1930h....) to exchange cash for screws I will look in here up until last thing tonight - after that a call to my mobile would be appreciated. It's not the end of the world without but..............

well here's a movie clip of PaulD with a starry from 30/4/2004 - no doubt it can be cross referenced to the book for a weight but looks 7lb 8oz to me.......... video