Bob F

Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone. Ducan, Tom, It's the lower bellows that connects from the pivot housing to the transom plate exhaust (all outside the boat). Secured by two big jubilee clips. Water is dripping from either end of the bellows. Coddy, yes, anti-freeze is in the system. Have to have it all year round. cheers BF

Should've asked me partner. I have one that's bigger than yours (as usual ). If you are thinking of taking the soil to the local tip you don't want to take a trailer that's too large. They get a bit anti with big trailers. Mine is ok. We can swap trailers for a while. BF

Yep, pleased as punch. I was kissing anything that moved!! Can't beleave she started on the first turn of the key without any cranking. The only slight snag is that we noticed water leaking from the big baffles that come from the back of the leg into the transom. Not sure if this is normal or not. The water was being fed into the leg via some water muffs.

That's assuming that the numbers you entered in the first place were orginally WGS84 numbers. If they were OSG36 numbers and you had the GPS set up for OSG36 when you entered them, the GPS will automatically convert them to WSG84 when you change the set up to WSG84. So, do not assume your original numbers were all WGS84 or OSG36. There is probably a mix of both. The problem is that you cannot tell which format the numbers originated from unless you know the original source. My advice would be to keep the numbers you have entered in OSG36, and then enter a second set using the same numbers but with the GPS set for WSG84. You then end up with two numbers for each mark. If you navigate to a mark and cannot find it, try going to the second mark. In this way you will eventually find out which marks have the correct numbers. BF

Hi Charlie It's good to hear that the newer paper charts starting to use WSG84. That'll make it much simpler for everyone. BF

It's taking all my self control NOT to turn the key to postion 2. Haven't thought about who will do the key turning. This might be the start of our first conflict of opinions. I guess we will have to toss a coin...although Adam is probably better with the fire extinguisher!!

Most paper charts for the UK will use OSG36 as the datum (Ordinance Survey Grid - 1936). The chart will usually say which datum it uses somewhere. WGS84 is the default Datum for GPS's. It's the model used to map the world and is applicable anywhere in the world (if you were in the Africa, OSG36 would be completely inaccurate, but WGS84 would be ok). Many of the older dive sites use OSG36 but the newer ones are moving to WGS84. As a club, we are trying to standardize on using WGS84. BF

Yep, all the auxillaries are now on and the ECU, etc hooked up. Turned the starter key to position 1 for the first time and all the instruments lighted up as expected (hoped!). Also successfully went through the software down load and initialization, so we're ready for blast off and the first engine start-up this weekend. Fingered crossed. If there's a mini black hole detected near Shaftsbury it will be nothing to do with CERN. cheers BF

The stress was getting to Adam and Charlie, so they disappeared for some light relief...

Hi Coddy When you say it's not wired up for DSC I assume you mean the nmea cable that links to your GPS??? The cable is needed to feed the GPS coordinates into the radio. There should be two black wires hanging out the back of the VHF for this. Go to Maplins next to B&Q in Poole and buy on of their connectors to suit. BF

Here's a tip if you are having to feed a lot of cables. Use something like an old throttle, steering or brake cable and tie a length of string or 150lb mono to the end of it. Feed the throttle cable through the tunnel until the string comes through. Remove the throttle cable, leaving just the string. Then tie the string to the other end of the string so that you have a continuous loop (half in the tunnel, half out on the boat). You then use the loop to attach the cable to, and pull them though. Having a loop removes the need for feeding through another piece of string each time you install a cable. BF

Great to hear from you Sam. There's some great fishing to be had in the Tamar right by you. Mid channel for Rays on prawns; anywhere along the shore for bass on crabs; and good mullet on bread. If you want to get your conger fix, Devil's point from the shore at night has been a good spot in the past. cheers Bob

Hi Charlie The rubing strake is spot on. It took a while to clean off but its going to look great on the boat. What's your thoughts on fitting a metal strip inside? Bridge Rubber said it's not needed, but Pete highly recommends that we fit one to stop rippling. If we used bolts at 8 inch centers and used silkoflex to bond it to the hull would that remove the need for the metal inner? If we do need the metal inner, we will need 17m. I assume we would need to order it in one long length (presumably it will coil up for shipping). If it came in shorter lengths I can't see how we would insert each consecutive section and then get it aligned(???). Got to go...cheers BF

Thanks chaps. We've decided to fit them in battery boxes. BF

Thanks for the comments. The batteries will be strapped down and the terminals will be covered with proper covers to prevent shorts. And the terminals will be greased to prevent corrosion. Mark, I got these batteries from Roy and Sue Pritchard at S&R Services near Hengistbury Head. 110A Numax Marine battery for

Debating wether to fit our batteries into battery boxes or not. As you can see, the batteries will be installed on a shelf under the deck which is protected from any water spillage from above deck, and well above the hull floor. I'd prefer not to fit them in battery boxes to make access to the batteies and connections easier. Is there any real benefit in fitting battery boxes in this situation? Welcome your comments. cheers Bob and Adam

Sounds a great setup, Graham. Can you get Sky TV, too?

Latest update: 12 Tope to 40lbs 6 Turbot to 20lbs. 24 pollock to 12lbs. ...and I'm sat at home.

Rumour has it that they've had a 20lb Turbot today.

No problem, Mark. Next time.

Yep, my boat buddy has deserted me and jumped ship for the Alderney trip. The little slut. He said they had pollack to 12lb on the mid channel wrecks and had a brief stop on the banks but that was a bit slow. They will be fishing the banks again today. Martin had an oil leak on the way over, but I think he got it sorted out in the harbour in Alderney. All boats made it across safely.

Hi Jim. Just some reminders of the GPS set up from Thurs meeting... WGS84 Degree/Minutes A GPS connect give an accurate compass reading until the boat is moving. Use the Waypoint Projection option to set a waypoint where your anchor point should be in relation to the mark that you want to fish. This allows you to easily place a distance marker from a wreck. For example, a wreck is in 30m depth, so you need to place your anchor a disatance of at least 3x the depth (to enable secure anchoring), so 90m, plus an allowance for the fishing lines to drop from your boat, down tide to the wreck (this distance will depend on the strength of the tide and the amount of weight you are using). So, for example. set a distance of at least 110m from the wreck. It's always better to anchor a little further from the wreck as it's easier to let out more rope if you are not close enough. But too long will make you more prone to swinging off the wreck. Use your rudder (outboard motor) to steer you in the tide if you start to swing off the mark. cheers BF

James Do kayakers always fish with a buddy? Do you carry VHF radio? Do you fish at anchor? If fishing at anchor, how easy would it to be release the anchor and paddle over to your buddy to give assistance or witness his catch? Do you fish in competitions from your kayaks? Bob F

Nice little write up James, and super pickies. Incidently, how long does it take you on average to paddle out to the mark from Kimmeridge?

Walkies!!! [Hi high pitched Barbara Woodhouse voice]