Adam F

Update: Turned out to be quite trivial..... Salterns were very helpful, a call yesterday morning had James and Martin on the boat at 11am this morning, a quick explination of the problem and they looked up the fault code on the Volvo's EVC (onboard computer) a quick check of the workshop manual revealed it to be 'low fuel presure', a quick check, a bleed of the pump and a few minutes of cranking and pumping and she fired - the fault went away and she is all back to normal. It seems the cranking in the morning and the fact the fuel level was low and sloshing around may have caused a small air lock - causing the sensor to detect low fuel pressure and shut the engine down in safe mode. We had been keeping the fuel low as we need to fix the fuel sender which hasnt worked from new, and the tank needs to come out for that. Anyway - a few lessons learnt. How to find the fault code on the EVC (OEM mode - Faults - Fault codes) that we need to get a workshop manual to decifer the codes and what they mean, and finally that keeping a good head of fuel in the tank is essential (FWIW - we had 25ltrs in the tank, but that only equated to about 3" in the bottom) All part of learning the engine I guess. The D-Series do seem to be great engines, and some of their strengths is the EVC system, but it can also be a hinderance as they have a rep. for being very 'sensitive'..... must be a female engine! Adam

It was one of those days, the alarm goes of at 5am and looking out of the window its pitch black and everything is white, I pop out to start the car and warm it through and it shows minus 7c.... brrrrrr I decided to get down to the boat 30 mins before the crew to get her warmed up and defrosted, but despite 30 mins of trying the pig wouldnt start, anyway, Alun and Gord turn up and I not happy....another 20 mins of trying and despite starting it keeps cutting out. I tell the boys to unload and the trip is off....I'm pissed off by now, bloody new engine.... anyway, Ive locked the door and last job is to turn off the fuel feed...... ah..... that'll be the problem them - I thought I was turning it on at 6.30am, infact it was already on and in the pitch black I couldnt see so had turned it off. Dufus... Anyway, Ice Breaker mode on and cracked through at least 1" of ice and into the harbour. Door shut in the warm and 20 mins later we settle onto an inshore bank for a few cheeky whiting. All in all the day was slow with about a dozen whiting and the odd doggy - still it was a nice morning to be out. Time to go, so engine on, tackle away, anchor in and we are off to catch the tide and get back on the potoon for 1pm.....then the engine alarm comes on and the power drops of. I shut the engine down, but now it wont start and the buzzer of going, plus we are drifitng at 2 knots towards Portland. She isnt going to start, so a few quick calls and thank God Humphrey answers a call on 72 - well god bless him, he winds in straight away, and even though I dont know him that well, is alongside within 10 mins with a rope. Top man. Anyway, we get back only to find no water, so we do the only thing more boring than flounder fishing - not fishing at all for 2 hours until we have water - Humphrey then comes back and tows us to our berth. Bob came down to help us get the last few meters in. I'm pissed because a 12k engine with 9 hours on the clock should'nt do this, but hey - I'm a realist and many new engines have teething problems - better now when its new than on a bigger trip in the summer. A call to Salterns on Monday is now the next step. Some days you wish you should have stayed in bed! PS; I know Humphrey doesnt get on the forum, so if anyone who knows him does, please pass on our sincere thanks - a real gentleman and the saviour of the day. These rescues are becoming a bit regular, but mt heart sank at the thought of a call to Portland CG - having a fellow angler / boater to help if worth its weight in gold.

Another here if you need another option Dave. Adam

Martins comments are pretty accurate. I'd budget

Your going to think I'm causing hastle!.... So why do all other forums allow it? Surely they are open to the same issues as us? I just think a pasted link is a bit crap, when you have have the embedded image. I only ask as I have quite a bit of wreck footage I'd like to upload for the members....

A day out west (St Albans / Aleolan Sky etc) for me when I had Blue Warrior (warrior 165 60hp Mariner 4 stroke) was about 40-50 litres and she used aout 1 litre per mile, as Charlie says, the run down, the run back and a load of moving around on marks, pulling anchor etc. Adam

Peveral Ledge is closest - roughly 15-20 mins from Chain Ferry St Albans is next - about 25-30 mins from Peveral Chapmans Pool last, tucked round the corner from St Albans - 10 mins max All in all, Chain Ferry to Chapmans Pool - 1 hour at the max. Post on here when you are planning and I'm sure you'll get at least one buddy boat. The areas you mention are great areas, but often there is no need to travel as far afield. HTH Adam

IMHO that doesnt really help! All other forums I use, it is just a case of embedding the Youtube link? If we cant do that, can you not post instructions on here somewhere?

PITA? Pain in the arse... HTH......

Dom, Firstly the 'alarm' going off isnt always a call to your particukar unit - if a group or Mayday call is sent them your unit will pick that up also. With regards to deleting the MMSI - this usually required the unit to be sent back to the manufacturer to clear, they can only be set once from scratch. Finally - the fuse blowing, sounds obvious, but check the fuse rating - a VHF uses a fair whack when transmitting, so check the unit or the user manual to see what you should have. If it isnt this then you'll need to look for a short or fault in the wiring, if all of this is OK, then it's probably inside the unit (we have just had this with a brand new ICOM) in this case, again back to the manufacturer. HTH Adam

...have the permissions altered in this sub-forum to allow members to upload videos from Youtube? Having a video section where we cant do this is a PITA. Ta Adam

Two piccies sum up last years trip for me:

So, as this is still a way off, we have the option of doing the 2nd - 5th? This still takes in the BH Monday, but just slides it one day??

I'll be staying onboard, but those who will want B&B would do well to drop Mark Harding a line at Alderney Angling. PM me if you want his mobile, but I'll drop him an email in the next few days letting him know of ou plans. I think he can take 5 or 6. He also has the advantage that he doesnt charge if the trip is cancelled due to weather - most of the hotels and B&B's will. Also bear in mind the Armoury is'nt an option as they closed it.... I did find it rushed last time, but for the effort of going over, why not spend another day after the turbos!! I think JV will have space for 1 more, but Ive already had a couple of requests.

I've been pondering this over the last few days and I'm keen to make this a 4 day trip to make the most of being over there, and enabling 2 days on the banks as well as the wrecks and tope etc... As it stands currently, Joint Venture will be aiming to head over on Friday 1st May leaving early (circa 6am) and returning Monday 4th evening. All weather dependant of course!!

Weather is looking good for a session at the weekend. Bigish tides, but was planning an inshore assult on the whiting - anyone else care to buddy along? Bob is on with me, but we'll have space for 1 other. Adam

Happy Birthday mate!!

The last few trips have been FREEZIN!!, much worse in the wind, which got me wondering how windchill is calculated.... http://www.home-education.org.uk/ir-windchill.htm Brrr!

I'd agree Alan. Our main VHF is kaput at the moment, and my little handheld has been sat there never used for 5 years - on Sunday it proved invaluable.... Who hasnt got one?

We now have a number of boats in the club capable of making the run across the channel, so for those who havent done it or dont know what exactly is involved, here is a rough idea: The run from the chain ferry to Braye Harbour is about 60 miles. Apart from the last few miles Poole end, this is in exposed channel and sea conditions. Hugely dependant on sea conditions, but in reasonable conditions the run can be done in just over 4 hours, however most times we are hopping across the various wrecks in the channel to break up the journey. If it blows up it can get really nasty - esp. Alderney end making the journey alot slower. The run over and back is just a part of the trip though. Fishing around the island usually invloves a reasonable amount of steaming, so this needs to be factored in. Even in fair conditions, it is usually the tide that causes big seas around the islands. Hugely varing bottom contours, rocky outcrops and massive tides can cause 'interesting conditions'.... This is'nt meant to be scaremongery to put people off just to give an idea of what can be effected. In flat calm conditions the whole trip is a real joy.... if it blows up you can feel a million miles from home in our small boats. Accomidation on the island is available, but needs a little prior planning anf booking. Staying on the boat is easy enough if you dont mind roughing it. Bear in mind getting to and from the dock needs either a tender or the water taxi.

Another update on the radar: Used it again yesterday and it was the first time JV has been out after dark, it was also new to me being in a wheelhouse in the dark and not being able to use the MK1 eyeball to steer home (twas toasty warm though! ) The Lowrance radar really proved it's worth as we neared Poole, showing up 3 potential collision course boats, numerous small pot and marker boys and then finally the start of the East Looe channel. I'm a definate convert. Tom and Charlie - both Quest and Alfresco showed pretty signficant targets on the screen. Fuel consumption -- she seems to be using just under 1 litre per mile. We did about 35 miles yesterday on

Another update on the radar: Used it again yesterday and it was the first time JV has been out after dark, it was also new to me being in a wheelhouse in the dark and not being able to use the MK1 eyeball to steer home (twas toasty warm though! ) The Lowrance radar really proved it's worth as we neared Poole, showing up 3 potential collision course boats, numerous small pot and marker boys and then finally the start of the East Looe channel. I'm a definate convert. Tom and Charlie - both Quest and Alfresco showed pretty signficant targets on the screen. Adam

Nope..... Welcome back!

Frans, Not sure where you are based, but if you want a ride out in ours you are more than welcome, just drop me a line. Adam

Completey agree Pete. I'm just saying that they are damn ugly and given a choice would have one of the enclosed versions. What are the regs on having a reflector - should every boat have one?