Sinbad

Sorry Adam, Just for the record - nothing weighed. Paul

OK Charlie I'll have a few on ice for you all going well. Be back before 6pm at PYC If you are not arround, I'll pop some in the boat bait tank. Regards Paul

Right We have a sort of plan involving two vessels, one leaving from christchurch one from Poole to meet up just offshore by 0900. Adam, If we are in range by the time you get mid channel -could you give me a weather report. Radio will be on arround 0700hrs. Hope you have a good trip - Paul Last Call for anyone tempted to join as crew ??? 07946 4872 68

Adam/ Alun Definitely not going all the way..... but what time are you at the chains? I'm not so tide limited where my mooring is - LW is 0739hrs. Not sure on plan as lack of crew at the moment. Might be difficult for those already fishing the comp to commit to Friday - but I'm going out anyway. Paul

Gordon I could also be looking for crew, but have a few options. LW is 0630, so might delay till 0800 leaving Poole. JV is slipping her moorings arround 0500 - but this is way too keen for me....

Gordon - is that for Friday ??? Regards Paul

late call !!!! - Anyone able to be a buddy boat for this Friday ???- alternatively in the 48hour comp proper Sunday. At the moment weather looks better for the weekend, but I'd need to plead on hands and knees to fish the sunday. Paul

) Adam F 2) Alun J 3) Paul Jennings 4) Charlie Chapman 5) Dan Chapman 6) Jon Parker (Soleman) 7) Colin Francis 8) Bobi Francis 9) Gordon Holt 10) Terry Bartell 11) Dean 12) Martin 13) Paul F

Chaps Sounds like you had a great day even though plans changed more than the weather. One minute in land it was blowing, next nothing, must have been a difficult call - but well done for making the best of it. Probably had a fair choice of local marks with so few boats about. Nice to know the bream are in such great numbers. Paul

Dave Your welcome to borrow my trailer from PYC - charlie has the keys - if you think it will do. I think the orkney is a tonne all up, butI cant remember the rating on the trailer. Its got 6 or 7 keel rollers with a swinging back cradle and side rollers. You could take a look - brakes need adjusting up on the backplate bolt but these are easy to do. Paul

Hi Chaps Id be tempted any other forecast... what does a flood all day and an easterly mean ?? Sounds unpleasant to me Could someone advise on the hour difference between say Poole and mid channel for the low water times, and which forecast people use ? Regards Paul

Lovely morning for doing a few repairs out on the swinging mooring, so down to the boat park first thing this morning. Unloaded all the gear from the car, including two batteries, the battery well from the boat, a heapful of useful tools, the inflatable accesories, oars, seat, foot pump, spare fuel, outboard motor.... then went and got the dinghy from the rack, looked a bit floppy so after pumping it up a little, loaded all the gear into it and just for good measure, put the lifejacket on. ran the car back to the car park so it wasnt blocking anyone in. By this time I was getting a bit hot and bothered in the warm sunshine. And the tide was super low, so low infact the slipway was aptly named, with the end of the concrete in sight and the rest a mixture of weed and mud, then the water 6" below. Wheeled the dinghy very gently down the slip, lovely morning, sun glinting off the water, and just at the end of the concrete, one little push to get the wheels into the drink, and PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSWEEEEEEEEEE !!!!! Oh F$$$%%^ and bother... the dinghy went straight onto a bit of reinforcing steel sticking up throught the mud. I've never been able to deflate the sodding thing as fast as it did this morning. So after a few tears, did most of the above unloading in reverse with a now very muddy and floppy bit of plastic rolled up and stuffed into the car. the "irony" of the whole event was I'd just brought it down to the rack after repairing a leak last week..... Your not alone Derek Paul

Wow, and many Thanks Adam for the invite via a third party!! However my social secretary didnt check with the boss, so I wont be able to make it after all. But thanks again. Paul

Hi Steve, Just a point or two - with the Anchor- carry it in case your outboard packs up and you have to stayput - if you make it past the groyne, there are usually loads of pot bouys close in which you can take a loop of rope round, and this avoids having to risk your anchor. They also happen to make good fishing spots, as long as the ground isnt too rough. In terms of most GPS, fishfinder, VHF etc - they are entirely suitable mounted out in the rain or spray and provided you dont immerse them - they dont need special protection at all. I would go with the fishfinder every time for the help it gives when navigating back over shallow ground apart from the ability to put you over some potential fishing spots. I used a Handheld GPS for many years, but they arent essential if you are starting out and staying close inshore. Duncan's comment was also in my mind, as especialy the ledge can cut up quite rough whenever the tide is flowing opposite to the wind direction, so plan to cross it when the flows are going the same way. Also litterally 2m off the end of the groyne is deep! if you go say 20m further out, it gets very shallow - ask Paul D Have Fun, but be safe. Paul

On Gastronought Alun J 3lb 10oz Paul F 2lb 1 oz

Jim You need to blag some space on the good ship gastronought or PJ's rocket to see waht these people are capable of!!! - then some of it will rub off on the lucky crew!!! Good luck.... the mackerel are in, so wont be long now... Paul

Went out in Imagine yesterday, taking Richard (dixc on this forum ?) for a few bream. Plan was to go over to the ledge for the morning in no particular rush, but the forecast made us shift our plans a little forward to get some fishing in before the breeze came up. So we were out of Poole by 0730 and steaming over to Christchurch in bright sunshine and smooth water . Always a nice start to the day, when its flat and you can open the throttle up a bit We rendevous with AlunJ, who was feathering up a few mackerel in preparation for the alderney trip, and then carried onto the mark we'd chosen. Thought we saw Wedge and Otter just inshore of us - was it you ?? Anyway, first drop we are into pout city, and the whole morning kept us constantly busy re-baiting, with the odd bonus bream, but not in great numbers. Richard did well, keeping the doggies away from my rods, and then pulled up a bullhuss just to mix things up. I had the feathers out, and soon snared a large garfish - should have weighed it - it was massive, but i was more busy untangling the slimy thing from the hooks to bother. Then it was a few mackerel and what with reaching for the suncreme - it felt like summer As well as all the pout hauling - which was relentless, we had obviously got a rough patch, so were replacing full sets of gear every half hour. In the end we upped sticks and re-positioned for the last hour of the flood, but didnt fare any better. So with the tally at 4 good sized bream, we headed inshore in what was now a stiff SW breeze. As it felt like summer, out came the feathers, and Bingo we struck a vein on the second drift and were into full strings of mackerel - plus a few jumbos. So after collecting about 30 of these in half an hours feathering, we set of for a few bass drifts, but to no avail. We had a great day - plus managed to pass on a few baits to the Alderney lot on our return to Poole, and Richard was stocked up with a few bream for tea. Paul

Am I missing something???? Didnt Adam get outfished by Mrs Franklin??? Put me down as Unclassified as well, as I was still in the boat yard on 'maintenance' Sorry Adam!

I've just spent almost a year on an internal project at work implementing a digital media capture system, so next time you hear the " calls to this service may be recorded for training purposes - you better remember that 100% of your call is recorded and maintained on file. Worth remembering when the sales assistant needs a good shout and rant at.... I suppose it also is up to you if you would be worried about someone going through your rubbish bin, piecing together bits of your correspondence, mixed up in 6 day old roast leftovers and veg, with a handful of hair picked out of the bath plug. As Tom says, they're welcome to it. P

is that squiggle on the top of the cliff ye olde coast guard look out? well done Paul.. first of many for you I hope.. Paul

Thought this was the cause of the lack of a charging voltage to the battery. Hope the problem has now gone away. Anyone know what could have caused the burn out - old age or senility ? Paul

Nice one Alun Its great to read your reports as a weather vane to the movements of species through out the year. Hope you enjoy your warmer holiday without the fishing rods. Paul

Friday, off the spoils - what a contrast!!!!

Bob I'm enjoying these. Have you ever thought about a teaching Career ? Serriously... long holidays..... golden 'hello' for the mature candidate.... They must be desparate for Physics teachers..

Saturday looks OK, though big tides ?