Bob F

Have you looked at the SeaChamp 2000C? 6" with 640x480 resolution. That's want you want. If it comes to choice between 6" and lower res, or 5" and higher res, go for the higher res. BF

Very useful. Thanks Rob.

I was Kayaking out of Ringstead last Sunday. It's not a place for launching a 520 from a trailer. You have to cross a sand and pebble beach. Just off shore (50-100yds) there are two small reefs which are exposed at low water. If you want to launch a boat then Kimmeridge is the place. Just be warey of any SW winds as this makes retreiving the boat on the slip "interesting "... Excellent inshore reefs for bass, especially to the east as you exit Kimmeridge Bay. Or go west and head for Lulworth Banks. BF

The Eagle SeaChamp 2000 is very good value at the moment, and a super unit. It's the unit I have. My only gripe with it is the mounting bracket which makes fitting and removing the unit a bit cumbersome at the start and end of the day. 6" display. Extremely good display resolution. And the ability to record your sonar data and look at it back at home on your PC. Great for finding the GPS numbers for a new mark. BF

Not sure I'll have Splash-Out's steering fixed by then. Been away all this week. Away tomorrow, so just leaves part of Sunday to have a look. Then away next week.

Well, that was an eventful day... What started as a lovely relaxing day on the a calm sea turned into a marathan trial. Decided against fish the ledge and fished Xray instead. Got the target bream but only small, and countless dogfish. Little Rob managed to snatch a Starry Smothound which sent him a merry dance for a while, but again, only small. So, upped anchor and header a further 6 miles out to the wrecks. Manged to snag some congers but all were small. Then things changed... Left that wreck and went in search of another close by. Couldn't find the wreck and whilst circling the steering suddenly broke...oh blast!!! Couldn't repair it at sea so, had to devise a way to navigate back to the Ledge where I would meet up with Paul D for a tow home if needed. Through great team work with little Rob navigating at the front and controlling the throttle, and me sitting by the transom seat and manually steering the boat with my legs and feet!!!, we managed to get back to the ledge. Even got to planning speed. Stopped at the ledge with Paul D to wait for sufficient water to enter Xchurch. Paul offered to tow me in but the steering team work had worked so well I thought we could handle the challenge easier on our own, with Neo in close formation in case we got into difficulty. Even with a tow I would still need to manually steer Splash-Out, and because we were going in at low water I was concerned that towing Splash-Out would have causing Neo to sit lower at her transom and so bottom out in the shallows. Anyway, long story short, we managed to "steer" Splash-Out back to Wick under our own steam, and recover the boat without incident. But, it was a hard slog. Steering a boat manually at full trim is one thing, but slow manouvering with the engine trimmed up is another. It's gut busting. So, what could we have done differently? 1 - Tied up along side Neo (or another larger boat) rather than being towed behind. 2 - Beached the boat at Mudeford and then get a lift back to Wick to pick up the trailer (would have saved the most gruely part of the trip up the river). Could've done those things but didn't...instead little Rob has a memory he will recall with fond memories...some brilliant navigation from Rob and quality time with his Dad. He was dead chuffed that we found a way to get back from 10 miles out at sea...and #1, at no time do you panic!!! Catch report 4 Bream each to 2lb 2oz Dozens of LSD to 2lb 4oz Smoothound Pout Conger Knackered and off to bed. BF

Jas, where's the photo of the "special" outfit you had on???

Thought you'd appreciate the extent of Jas's talent...

If you can bring it over to Blandford I will have a look at it for you, Dan. I will not be able to work on it straight away, but if you can leave it with me for a few days I'll give it a good look over. BF

Always pleased to follow in your wake, Rich. Make sure you give me a bell when you intend to go out. BF

Jas's cod was about the same size (1lb). One boat we talked to also had a big cod, so there seems to be a lot of cod on the Shambles at the moment for some reason. Anyway, a Cod and a Turbot is a rare combination. Hats off to you. BF

Yes, which is why Rich paints his bright yellow and orange. He hopes someone will spot them one day. Word has it he even puts his name and address on them...

That's it, just rub it in even more!!! Rich, it's about time you started giving me some numbers for a change.

You jammy S@d!!

That's what I was looking for, Pete.

Fished the Shambles yesterday onboard Pegleg's great new boat, Marichelle. No signs of Plaice for anyone we spoke to (including us). Apparently, the tide was wrong. Too much ebb tide thoughout the day. Need to fish the early flood tide. As usual, we should have been there the day before 'cus plaice were being caught on the early morning flood. But, there were a number of small cod being taken on ragworm, including one for Jas (Pegleg. So, it was good to see Jas catch on his maiden voyage. Jimbob and I just maintained a supporting role throughout the day. BF

There is a new smaller Tube reflector now on the market that is better suited for craft of Warrier 165 size. Unfortunately, I tore out the advert and put it in a safe place, which is so safe I can't find where I put it. I'm getting worried about the number of senior moments I'm having... BF

Nice Ray (Skate?) Coddy.

Fantastic session, Al. What groundbait were you using? BF

I assume the stern gland is under the deck, so presumably you would not notice the leak until a fair bit of water had already poured into the boat and was seeping through the deck (or you notice the bow pointing towards the sky!!), by which time it might be too late to do anything to stop the leak. I guess an automatic bilge pump would help in these circumstances. But are auto bilge pumps always left on?

Happy Borthday. Lads. Have a goodun. BF

Graham How are you intending to mount the antenna? You need to get it pretty high for it to be effective. Not sure how you are going to do that on an Orkney 520. If it's too low you will get too much sea clutter on your screen. BF

High Performance Radar with daylight Readable screen! Small in size, the 1623 is big on power, clarity and advanced radar features. The waterproof slim-line monochrome LCD display and lightweight radome antenna make it ideal for power or sail boats as small as 17 feet. This 2.2kW radar has a 16 nautical mile range, yet will zoom down to 1/8 nautical mile for tight navigation in harbors and inlets. The 1623 radar lets you readily identify objects, thanks to a high definition 6" Silver Bright monochrome LCD screen that clearly separates targets. Plus, the four-tone target display with 240 x 320 pixel resolution lets you easily differentiate between stronger and weaker echoes, helping to alert you of any danger. The watch mode utilizes guard zone technology letting you know if a target enters or leaves a specified area. With 2 NMEA data input ports the radar features a lightweight 9.9 lb. radome antenna, auto tune, gain and STC controls, echo plotting, 10 presettable ranges from .125 to 16 NM, EBL, VRM, guard zone, watch mode and zoom. Display measures 7.4" H x 7.2"W x 3.1" D. Compact antenna measures 15" diameter x 9.4" H. Package includes the display unit, radome antenna, 10' power cable, 15' antenna cable and installation materials/guide. [bF - screen resolution looks a little low and it's B&W rather than color, but it's a good price so you shouldn't expect more, I guess]

Graham, Try to attend the May club meeting. We will be having a session on using Radars. Furuno have a pretty good reputation, so it should be ok. BF

BB, I will be printing out everyones renewal forms so they will be available at the AGM next week. So, you just need to check your details are correct and then hand your fee to Bob Horne. I will also put a blank 2007/8 form on this website tomorrow so that people who cannot attend can fill in the blank form and send it to Martin with their fees. cheers BF