great white

Nice one Adam Thanks for the confirmation. I look forward to fishing the open in September and competing for our excellent cod trophy in November. Tight lines Charlie.

Adam If you see this before you call him can you ask him what the diesel prices are in Braye harbour, he was going to check for me. Cheers Charlie

"so I feel we are making progress at last." I hope so Martin I know the guys you are now dealing with and feel sure that you are in the best hands now. I hope that once the engine gets to Ferndown, not only can they repair it to the standard you require, but they can also give you an increased confidence in it for the future. Charlie

Hi Patrick sorry to hear that you have a problem and good job its covered on the warranty. The cause is a hard one to guess, probably best to ask your enginer when he sees it come apart. It could be down to an impact on the prop, grounding, poor alignement, mount problems. etc etc What symtoms did you have prior to failure? Charlie

When I fitted the Glass to GW years ago it was available cut to size by many glass companies, toughened or laminated. Mine were fitted in rubbers so i had them cut and ground to take off the sharp edges [which I think I talked them into including in the price] This method is a hell of a lot cheaper than the ally framed ones, probably as you do not need to use the marine industry. Charlie

Happy Birthday Jack I hope you are keeping well Charlie

Hi adam I am not sure where to send a Diawa or get parts but fixing must depend on what is gone I have just replaced a handle on my Shimano TLD 20

That a bit typical of the mixed messages we get. I am not sure what the weather has been like today afloat, but from where I have been it seemed much better than the forecast. Tight lines Charlie

Hi Gordon I have just googled this and it sounds like Alun is right we will have to change to slimline belly busters. Or find a few fishing spots where we are to busy to get the frying pan out. Get well soon

Hi mate I will have to keep an eye on what bait you are using next time we go eeling. Wishing you a speedy and total recovery from the op Charlie

Happy birthday Derek and Dave I hope you both have a great one Charlie

You are spot on GW used to get a bit slower towards the end of a season, but on bringing her ashore I used to have to make two trips with a granada estate to get all the gear home. I always vowed to carry less but eventually it worked its way back onboard When I put her on the market and took all the extras and spares off, her performance was almost as good as when launched each spring and she had been afloat 9 months. Charlie

Its all food for thought Alfresco seems to handle the extra weight well, in the weather that we choose to try and fish in. After launching we sea trialed her to check we had the correct props, she was at 100% Fuel [100 Gal] 100% water [20 Gal] 3 spare anchors, tools, oils etc onboard together with a crew of 5. Aim was to set her up as close to her operating weight as possible. keeping the tank at 2/3 seems to more than compensate for any additional weight added in her first year. And the additional weight added to the crew by making use of the fitted galley and guests cooking abilities The slime on her hull makes a lot more differance than filling her fuel tank. Charlie

Hi Adam I tend to Fuel up at work. Due to the low demand at this time of year and most boats filling up prior to Nov 1 we are still on last delivery prices 70p plus the extra 43p for propulsion fuel. 60/40 split at about 95p from memory. [Cheaper at shell for rd diesel] but other places with more turn over should beat that. As to the harbour dues you should get them through Parkstone Bay Marina if you are staying there in the summer, I will check prices when at work if you can not get it from them. Charlie

Hi Peter It was very full on Nov 1st and although it did not make a lot of differance you could feel it. I now keep her about 2/3 she holds 450 ltrs, and did the Alderney trip last May all three days without a need to top up during the trip, [had about a day to spare] every delivery is getting cheaper so its not just costs, that said when every delivery was getting dearer I kept her full Charlie

Thats good news Adam Although you needed a tow at least there should be no damage to the Volvo and your nice new boat. My sender has also played up from new, it was changed recently and now at least it reads, even if a little high. I have direct access to the top of my tank through the filler so I have monitored the fuel by dipstick. I do not keep it full because of the weight, but maintain it well above half full. See you out there when the weather allows Charlie

Happy Birthday Peter I hope we see you on the water often in 2009 Tight lines Charlie

Duncan, Nice to read your comments on here again matey Your experiance of these trips is valuable to all. I think this year many will wish to go and I hope we all get there at some time, but Duncans words are wise, please be aware that the enjoyment is also balanced with effort and long days on the rods and hours at sea. A good forcast, safe boats, keen crews and sense of humour are probably far more essential than a well filled wallet. Costs incurred last year were food/refreshments carried onboard, fuel burnt, socialising ashore in the evenings, berthing fees. water taxi's and of course for those living ashore accomadation. Costs somewhere between Paul and Adams at a guess Charlie

Hi Adam /Bob Gutted for you guys, glad you got back in OK, sorry I could not help more. Well done Humphrey and the Ow Much crew. As I also have a D series Volvo I am very interested in the outcome. Good luck on Monday Charlie

Its all about getting to know the boat/engine what is the best cruising speed for comfort and economy?? generally the last 1000 revs are the ones when the OBM really gets thirsty for fuel If you can maintain the boat on the plane 1000RPM below Full throttle revs you should cover the ground fairly efficiently. allow about a ltr per mile, until you know exactly. but it would go up in poor weather. About 15 miles to St Albans a few more to Chapmans Pool. and a lot more for searching for marks etc etc. You will be surprised how many miles you do when looking for marks and drift fishing. Charlie

Hi Peveril ledge is just off swanage and once clear of the harbour is about 20 mins or less for you> Be aware of the overfalls in the middle of the tide and the pots. Easy to go around the overfalls staying outside the buoy. St Albans is probably a steady hour to the headland. Staying in close to rocky shore can keep you out of the tide but be aware of the pots, also a lot of overfalls especially on bigger ebb tides. These overfalls extend well offshore, but there tends to be quieter water close to shore. Chapmans Pool only a few mins past St Albans with some interesting marks between the two, Nice quiet spot in all but SW-W winds, again some pots close in. Hope that helps Charlie Charlie

"Thanks for all your kind wishes, although there seems to be an error in the dates as I'm only 40 " That must be on the Moore scale then mate You wish

Nice picture Martin It sounds like we could get a convoy going over. and a real chance to get most of the interested/available Members an opportunity to join in. I will try and look out a pic of Braye in 2008 charlie

Shame it took 3 years How many dead fish is that??

You need a Dean What for? to help the island with its beer consumption If Sam is around he may give Dean more of a hand this time after all he has been in the Navy for 6 months now and has been practicing hard on the Guiness. I would love to head over for 4 days/nights, but may have a problem with work and with FPO as 1st is my birthday and she may not want to be up at 5 to give me a pressy. or come down to load the food requiired for that sort of trip. However if that is the general consensus and the weather plays ball we may have to see what we can do, I feel sure Wendy would rather us go in company than alone. I had better get Dan working on his Mum Charlie