Afishionado

ANy sailmaker could do it but anything 'marine' is ridiculously expensive. I bet you can't get a quote much under

Yep, I'm with boat insure too. Same insurer but cutting out the middle man so the premium is very much less. Also why deal with some one who was prepared to rip you off? If you had accepted their proposed renewal at face value and not called to question it, they would have happily accepted the higher premium. Mad Mike

I am curious..... 700 worms? does one seriously need 700 worms for what seems to be 5 hours fishing? That's gotta be

Well done Sam................ And as for .........step backwards off the pontoon and the worst bit dad didnt even notice until i got out. BRILLIANT!! Mad Mike

Crickets make thier noise by rubbing their legs together rapidly. But how that would affect a VHF set goodness knows Mad Mike

Any ideas for a mark or two not too far from Poole say mabe Swanage way for a relaxing days fishing?? Also I am told the mackerel shoals have split and departed the area. Is this true? Mad Mike

That'll be good by to trailers then And hello to mooring fees, antifoul, lift out lift in and that averages out at 25p every time the engine does a revolution Can't bl00dy win can we Mad Mike

As I said the holiday monday looks fair???? Mad Mike

Seriously Martin I think you ought to change his 'handle' to Windy or Hurricane Mad Mike

Well beggar me the blighters done it again. Next year he could get Florida to pay him to stay away Three dead in Florida hurricane Katrina whipped up waves of up to 4.5m Hurricane Katrina has hit south-east Florida, killing at least three people and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity. One man in his 20s died when a tree was blown onto his car after strong winds and rain struck the Fort Lauderdale area at 1900 (2300 GMT). Earlier, motorists stocked up at petrol stations and emergency shelters were opened as the storm closed in. As rain fell in sheets, forecasters predicted flooding for some areas. It's not over yet Max Mayfield NHC Director Animated guide: Hurricanes Katrina hit the densely populated coastline between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach, said the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Skies darkened as winds reaching 130km/h (80mph) whipped up seas to an estimated 4.5 metres (15ft) high, toppled street signs and knocked down trees and power lines. Some areas might be drenched with up to 40cm (15in) of rain, the NHC said. Click here to see Katrina's predicted course A 54-year-old man was hit by a tree outside his home in Plantation, Broward County, while a 79-year-old man died in a car crash during the storm in Cooper City. "The message needs to be very clear. It's not a good night to be out driving around," said NHC director Max Mayfield. Warning Although the hurricane is not as big as some Florida has seen, he warned against complacency. "The back side of the core of the hurricane has yet to come. It's not over yet," he said. Thirteen years ago this week, the maximum-strength Category Five Hurricane Andrew hit the same area of Florida - the most costly hurricane to hit the US. Katrina, however, is only expected to be a Category One storm. Before it hit, residents in the area most at risk, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, stocked up on food, water and fuel. Authorities urged people in mobile homes or low-lying areas to evacuate to safer ground because of the flood risk. Coastal warning Katrina was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane around 1530 (1930 GMT) on Thursday. It is expected to weaken before reaching the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, when it could strengthen again and turn north, towards Florida's Panhandle, probably hitting early next week. Parts of the Bahamas saw heavy showers and powerful waves from Katrina on Wednesday but no major damage was reported. The Florida Panhandle has already been battered by Hurricane Dennis and Tropical Storm Cindy this year. Click here to return

Coddy confidently claims....... finders keepers Yes but can you afford to run it? Mad Mike

I take your point Charlie but even a half throttle she is just nicely on the plane. If it's lumpy I drop back to displacement speed as I hate the nose up semi displacement attitude some boats adopt when being pushed beyond displacement but not enough to get over the 'hump' and actualy plane. And as I am only little I can't see over the bow when it's ar5e down and sharp end up Mad Mike

All duely noted and thank you for your thoughts guys. It seems that I am firmly in a sorta 'If it works, don't fix it' situation. The engine goes splendidly and will push the boats speed far beyond my and Marks comfort level. Most of our traveling is done at between 2/3rds and 1/2 throttle. I guess we will have to 'pay the ferryman' and shut up. Humm? Any ideas how to get an outboard to spontainiously explode whilst one is several miles away (with witnesses)? If so I'll just check the fine print on the ol' insurance and I'll get bactk to you for the details. Mad Mike

The fair forcast made earlier this week for Saturday seems to have been prematurely optimistic. Niether Sat or Sun look brilliant but the holiday Monday looks like the best of the three days. Mad Mike I will check the seaweed again later on Friday.

SAM!!!! QUICK !!!! GO TO........ jeanneau new matic 360, 30 pk yamaha, trailer Item number: 4569780303 On Ebay and find some one who can speak Dutch.

Quote .......What distances do you travel for your 10 galls or 45.5litres? Yes bl00dy fool me I shoulda said OK for those with a gps they can work and know these things........ Cobbs to Christchurch ledge, one or two marks in that general area and back to Cobbs was virtualy two tanks worth. (about a liter sloshing about was all that was left) Or Cobbs to B'mth pier whizing about at the end of each drift for a morning, back to Poole (Brownsea), whizing about at the end of each drift for about an hour or so, then back to Cobbs via PYC equaled a tank and a half. At the moment I am agreeing with Duncans feelings

Opinions please............. I have a 60hp oil injected carburated 2 stroke Tohatsu that powers the boat (Samurai) very well, but we are using between one and a half and two full tanks of petrol per session. Or 10 gallons in old money so at virtualy

Anchors???? We 'WANT' three really ....... A proper anchor for 90% of our needs A 'lunch hook' for family picnics and short stops in shallow waters A 'can afford to loose it' re-bar grapnel for rocky areas and wrecks. To balance that we have what we NEED..... Personaly I use a 5kg bruce and chain to nylon warp for my main and a 5lb fisherman to nylon rope for a 'lunch hook' in the harbour. The fisherman stows nice and flat in the anchore stowage well that the Samurai has. The Bruce it's chain and warp together with the Alderny set up are in a box that slides under the transom when not in use. I leave it permantly rigged to the bow roller and front cleat and leave enough slack for it to be stowed aft. Currently the tackle box is a problem as it takes up too much floor space if you have it by your feet when fishing and is a pain to scrabble about in when kept in the cuddy. So I am going to make a tray to hold a medium sized flat box which will have swivels, booms, hooks , some leads, trace line etc in compartments. this tray will be 'loaded' from the main box to suit the sort of fishing being done on each particular trip. And idealy I will sort out some sort of mounting arrangement so the whole thing can be fixed at hand hight whilst actualy fishing. Mad Mike

Poole Canoe........ An interestig history actualy. Begining in the 16th Cent' Poole built up a strong North Atlantic cod fishing fleet. these boats would cross the Atlantic to catch the cod fish on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The method used was 'short' lining from small boats sent out from the mother ship. These small boats were propelled by oars not sail and carried a crew of two, one to row and the other to set the line, recover, rebait and set again. the whole process being continuous untill the small craft was full of fish. It would then return to the mother ship and be hoisted up, tipped over to empty it and returned to sea to start again. The main basis of the design of these small cod boats were that they were simple to make from flat sawn planks, that they should 'stack' well together one inside the other up to 10 to 15 high, and that they should be easy to handle in every way. Thus the flat sided, single hard chine boat with only a slight bottom rocker at the bow was evolved. Interestingly the other place in the world that our Poole canoes distinctive shape can be seen is in and around the rocky shore and ports of Newfoundland. Mad Mike (look at Life 38590075933098128)

He need naquer laquer to give his cluster a luster Mad Mike

Nice eating. Prep' like squid, cook the body only VERY fast in a little olive oil, garlic and salt. Sorta flash fry for about a minute. Sprinkle with lemon juice and eat. Ice cold beer goes well with it. Mike

If you think you might keep your current boat and would like someone to have a look at your setup for another opinion then just ask There is an easy way to use your existing winch to 'pull' the boat back off the trailer. It's easier to show than write an explination, so give us a shout if your near B'mth and I'll give you the sp. Mad Mike

My hands are too little and stiff to guide the line properly any more. Exploded! Had you been cleaning it with a saturated solution of diesel and certain weed killer crystals? (a much beloved IRA formulation) Mad Mike

I have been given a Diawa sealine SL175H level wind with the little do dad that travels up and down the rotating level wind drive shaft missing. A/ can it be repaired? B/ if so by whome and how much? C/ considering I can get a new Okuma thing for

I have a Samurai bought new with a 60hp Tohatsu and a trailer for under