Rob

Yep topped up water in cells, charged on CTek and Nige popped round with his battery load tester and advised it didn't need replacing! It held up going out every day last week!

Hindsight, wonderful! With my battery issue, I had a warning which was one of my plotters would switch off when I started the engine, I thought I just needed to clean a connection as it had been fine the week before!

Oh! Great! Pair of Yamaha 350 outboards? Yummy!!!

Ok, I just was wondering if by failed starter you it was that an not the solenoid or connection, brushes etc, something to look out for possibly for other users. How many hours had it done? I had a starting issue, but was due to low water in a battery cell, but luckily my little 50 can be pull started! Rob

Do you know what the issue was yet? Tough luck! Rob

Nice weekender Andrew! Are you saving yourself for the cod? Having a heater is good for the cod I hear! Rob

Welcome Nick! Best way to learn is to for out on other club boats or take an experienced club member with you. If you do that your learning will be 100x quicker. Dave S is organising a discounted VHF course for club members, search for training etc. Keep an eye on the forum for guys wanting crew or offer your services as crew regularly! Rob

In the 70's & 80's it was the mullet.

A few pics from camera:

It's why we do it isn't it???!!!! It was reassuring to know that the weather was not expected to get worse, as we had the CG on 16 for weather updates etc! Also, to have my PLB adds some reassurance.

Lets close this thread and just buy one for him: http://www.force4.co.uk/104/Baltic-Pet-Buoyancy-Aid-.html

Bloody cheek!!! Thanks Dave, it was a long shot but paid off!!!! Rob

Is this Dave L? Welcome, thanks for your support at the Open and it will mean we no longer have to take our reels to you, but just to a Club meeting result! Rob

Small but perfectly formed!

Alderney on JoJo? Now I'm thinking..........

Small boats rule OK!!! Though JV would have been more suitable for the journey back to port!!!!! Don't underestimate the tiddlers! Inc yakkers, as I think JoJo is only a foot and a bit bigger than a yak!!!

For anyone interested, I made traces with: HD shark wire (5ft) then 10ft of 500lb mono. Crimped with biggish swivels and a 9/0 circle. Rob

Next time I hope Jim!!

Well done, what a cracker!

Shark fever has struck the club. Not wanting to be left out, though one of the smallest boats in the club, I bought the gear for making some heavy traces up! I had taken my Ray fishing (now shark fishing) rods with us to Dartmouth, the intention was that these 30lb class rods would be great for sport for sharks. I had some info from Neil at Bournemouth Fishing Lodge, as he had recently been to salcome on Random Harvest. So, we has some family days on the boat, some mackereling, potting etc. Wednesday my longest friend and fishing buddy NickT came over to Dartmouth for a days sharking! We headed out, found mackerel and plenty of them. Then we started the 13mile journey to our drift site. We drifted for 5+ miles, mincing and rubby dubby scaking and making maccy soup all the way! 5 miles of drift and neary 5 hrs, choppy sea, F3 / F4 and the tide hadnt turned as I had hoped to push us back homeward. We decided to pack up and have an hour on the blondes before home. One rod in, feathers in and screaming run!!!!!! (This time it was not a gull (we had 4 or 5). Nick had picked the rod with the red ballon, and this was on the red! I set the hook and passed him the rod, after 5+ mins of screaming deep runs I saw a shape 20ft down in the clear water. It was a blue! Sat side on facing the tide, beautiful! Nick was surprised as I donned some gloves and advised it was coming onboard! The long thick trace was so easy to handle, my crimps held and we had ourselves a blue onboard after a careful tail and dorsal lift. Nick got too close and lost part of his trousers, luckily the lower end by his ankle!!! We did not have a sling onboard and we wanted to return her. We measured her, so if anyone has some size to weight tables for blues, I would be grateful. I estimated that she was 40-50lb. As they are quite slender compared to tope. And she was at least a 1/3 of the length of the boat! Nick held her tail for a good 10 mins next to the boat, she was relaxed and didn't struggle (as I put the rods out again!). He let go and she very slowly headed down with a waft of her tail, amazing! We fished on for another hour, but only a bird made us leap up with hearts pounding! The drift had headed north and then back home. Then I looked on the plotter, with the drift and the initial starting point, we had a long way to get home, 21miles and a sloppy horrible sea! In the morning I had been to the petrol station and bought 2 x 5litre cans with fuel as backup. I put the backup in the main tank (which was low) and connected the full reserve. The reserve got us 1/2 mile from the entrance of the Dart, hooked up the 12/15 litres in the main tank and we were back for 20:30 in the dark. The takeaway curry beat us by 10 mins, and was well deserved! Ah.......I thought holidays were supposed to be relaxing!

Top Man!!!!!!