Rob

No he would be held under quite quickly!!!

Well done for reaching another year Dave!

Excellent Graham, You'll remember that day for a while! Maybe it was karma, from the help you gave the rib!? I probably would have taken them to Baiter at best, or in to Whitley bay shallows where they could have tried to restart their motor. Rob

See you at the club meeting tomorrow Jason? Rob

I'll bring a big stick to the meeting and Bash you with it Rob. Or maybe I'll just spill beer over you. Jim Jim, You won't spill a beer on purpose! So, the stick it is!!! Rob

Jim, Tom is after an opportunity to speak to skippers who have not just owned their boat for a few years, but used them!!!

His wife thought that too! All remember, you need "crew" to be eligibale to fish. They do nto need to be club members, but you can't fish alone (Yaks is a different story I think). Rob

Hi and welcome! Yes, please fish the Open, the more the merrier!!! Question: is that radar in your craft? If so, is it broadband? If not, it looks a little low to be safe! Could give you a headache or much worse! Rob

Blimey Trev, thought you were much older than that! Enjoy!! Rob

This could be a possibility but most unlikely. I cannot imagine anyone switching the isolator switch to on, lowering the engine ready for removal then re-isolating the switch when they realised they didnt have time to complete their task (or once they saw the locks). Surely they would have left the isolator switch in the on position? I was thinking they could drop the ob via the manual release screw, then tightened it prior to removal. Time will tell, and if you see boblin driving I'm circles you will know why!!!! Sorry Col & Bobi!

Enjoy yourself Sam. Rob

Just remember that the depending on the wind and tide the buoy on the rode can get stuck / have a preference to sit on one side of the boat. If the is the "wrong" side for your retrieval, I.e. You have your anchor bucket and gunnel protection on the other side. Don't try and pull it from the wrong way! Just pull it from the safest side, the turn the boat once the anchor in under the buoy and drift back and collect the rope on the preferred side. Rob

Mike - MetChesk is the least accurate weather forecast as far as I am concerned!! They are always nicly optomistc, shame it's a load of bollox!!!

Mackerel will go belly up in 10 mins without fresh (sea) water.

Colin, Just make sure somene hadn't lowered it prior to "removal"!!!! I assume they have locks on the securing bolts. Rob

Part 16 is the one on mine for manual lift:

I do that too, lower on to manual rest when trailing. But, should you read the Yamaha manual, you should trail with leg down! Meaning I would need a trailer 1ft hight than current one! Madness!! But I shoudl also remove the prop when running on muffs in case I chop my leg off!!! Rob

Col, On my yam there is a big screw that allows the hydraulic system to be bypassed and manually lifted or lowered. If it is at all loose the engine will lower. Maybe your has worked loose? You don't want it to be seals! Does the tilt unit make the right sounds (motor spinning) if you try lift / lower it on the button? Rob

Paul, Don't take it personally, it is not becasue you're old! Hope you do det away as planned! Rob

Withdrawl from Alderney overload! Best treated with a large dose of DIY and windy weather!

I caught a Slipper Limpet on Star Turn - is that allowed? Didn't put up mcuh of a fight, though it a strong tide they can pull like a 1oz bomb! Sometimes they gang up and all pull together! You can put your 6lb Kenzaki away if that's the case!!!! Rob

But a gull swopped down and ate the scoreboard, never to be seen again, honest!!! I didn't believe him either!

Well done Dave and John, Just remember, don't be afraid to ask if you are not sure what \ why things are happening, what boats and crews are doing. As you will have seen, some boats fish early until late and other have a more relaxed approach (and have a break \ holiday!). There is so much information \ many things going on for a first trip, just being crew is bad enough! Let alone a first time skipper and crew, next time will have more time \ a clearer idea in your mind of what you want to do. Many of the decisions are last minute and decided on the fly, Adam may ask us what do we want to do "now"? "Stick or twist" (another good boat name)!! So decision made quickly and we could be up and off on Plan C,D or E!!! Rob

Peter, After checking out with us did you check in with the Coast Guard? Advising them of your position and checking in every 15 mins and advising them of your return. I would have! Glad you got back safely. How much fuel did you use compared to the journey over? Rob

But then you get the situation where the wind in onshore and a bit sloppy inshore (3 miles or so), but further out over the deep water is is flat calm! Good luck and stay safe! The pier webcams are always a help!!!! http://www.sortedsurfshop.co.uk/weather.asp?cam=boscombe Rob