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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 14, 2014 17:36:34 GMT 1
Still no consensus on the weather!
xc weather showing W/NW winds in single figures for Tuesday & Wednesday, yet BBC are still forecasting E/SE winds 10/12mph which are definitely "no go" winds for Belle, so it's a case of watch & wait, whichever day is suitable then I am ready to go. I went down the boat this morning & replaced the solar trickle charger that got broken on Sunday, & re-armed the lifejacket that I accidentally inflated, so we are ready to go as soon as the weather plays ball! I checked the fuel tank to see what we had left, after our run to the Strombus, Mumbles Pier, back to the berth we used 4 litres we must be the greenest, leanest, meanest boat in the marina, "Oysterdog" would use that from its berth, to the marina lock gates! I swapped the buoy on the Alderney Ring just in case it was skimming the surface instead of running down the rope we will see what happens next time out with the smaller buoy. We are "all shipshape & Bristol Fashion" all we want is some decent weather, so keep your eye on the forecast & on the first day its suitable we will go for it. There is still 68 litres of fuel in the tank, so we have enough for 17 more return trips to Mumbles before we fill up Watch the calendar, & the weather forecast! The winch didn't arrive today as expected lets hope it gets here tomorrow so I can have it in the armoury for next week!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 12, 2014 17:52:25 GMT 1
Update on the weather 17th/18th
There appears to be a slight discrepancy between xc weather, & BBC Weather, on the wind direction & strength for Monday & Tuesday! xc weather forecast N/NW winds 6-7-8mph Monday, & 2-3-5mph N/NW on Tuesday BBC give E/SE on Monday 10-12mph, & 10-12mph on Tuesday also at E/SE Now I don't mind them forecasting a slight deviation in windspeed & direction, but to be 180 degrees out? & 100% difference in wind speed, when you have banks of computers, a sky full of satellites, & a television studio full of faggot weathermen, you would think there would be SOME similarity in the forecasts? So anglers we either have a flat calm day on Tuesday where the world is our oyster, or its going to blow E/SE & we wont leave the berth, at the moment the jury is still out!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 12, 2014 15:55:10 GMT 1
Its a joke obviously?
The consensus amongst boaters is what I thought initially, that in a big tide run, Belle isn't fast enough over the water to drive the buoy down the anchor rope & lift the anchor when using the Alderney Ring method (it works fine at slack water or in a slow run). So in a big run of water, the answer is to motor up to the anchor (taking in the slack as we go) & lift the chain using the chain gypsy on the winch. One slight problem however, there is no winch handle with the winch, so I contacted the makers to ask if they still supplied them, yes they do, @ £138 each! So it seems that my No2 son is going to be given the job of making one using his new TIG welder & plasma cutter. Why is it that whenever its something to do with a boat its multiply the cost by 4, add on 50%, then VAT
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 11, 2014 18:07:50 GMT 1
More additions to Mumbles Belle
The last couple of times we have been out, I have found it difficult to get the Alderney Ring method to lift the anchor properly when in a strong run of tide, it works fine when there isn't much of a tide run, but it is reluctant when the run is strong. All I can put it down to is our lack of speed through the water when fighting the tide, with my smaller boat it was simply a matter of pushing the throttle up & the lifting buoy was forced down the anchor rope & chain until it lifted the anchor automatically, on Belle it doesn't work like that. On Sunday for example we decided to move into the shelter of Mumbles when the tide was running hard, & I struggled to get the buoy to lift the anchor, in the end I had to run up over the anchor & lift the chain & anchor manually, yet when we picked up the anchor in Mumbles when we were coming in, it worked perfectly with the buoy running freely down the rope, then "dancing" as it ran down the chain until it reached the anchor, when it bobbed almost under then popped up again. Pulling the anchor rope, chain, & the anchor itself across the surface of the water on a floating buoy is easy, pulling it up by hand is a different story! So I have bought a "Clyde Anchor" hand operated winch with both rope & chain gypsies, which will enable me to lift the anchor at any time, simply by turning the handle, this will be even easier when I have a crew who can wind the slack in as I go ahead, then use the chain gypsy to lift the last 30ft of anchor chain, this will enable me to keep the boat bow into the tide. I look forward to fitting this winch, & it will be mounted on oak bearers & secured by stainless bolts (don't worry I will provide those) :oYet another "mod con" for the pride of the fleet My proposed trip on either 17th or 18th of November is looking dodgy, since I proposed the trip the forecast of both xc weather, & BBC Weather have changed from W/SW to E/SE & I wont be going anywhere in Easterly winds, so keep watching the diary in case I have to call it off. Attachments:
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 10, 2014 14:09:30 GMT 1
Not too bad a day
We locked out at 9am as planned, & made our way across towards Mumbles & the "Dab Spot" Ken & I found last time out, unfortunately somebody forgot to tell the dabs? It was dogs, dogs, & more dogs, & rough, rough, & rougher, eventually the need for a cup of tea & a hot dog became so great that we upped anchor & headed for Mumbles moorings & calm water! This we did, & along with tea & hot dogs came (you guessed it dabs, dabs, dabs lol) along with the inevitable dogs we also had whiting, a small bass, a small smoothie, a few pouting, & most of all calm water to eat & drink (most important) Downsides to the day, were me accidentally inflating my lifejacket in the wheelhouse door (looking like the Michelin Man stuck in the wheelhouse doorway), & the breaking of the solar trickle charger used to keep the batteries topped up. So its a re-arming of the lifejacket (nice to know they do work), & a trip to Maplin for another solar trickle charger). I don't want to be in the situation where I try to start the engine only to find the batteries are flat! Some sensational thunder & lightening storms, sheet rain & hail, which tested out the cover offered by the sidescreens (they worked 100%) keeping us dry, whilst Ken Davison chose to road test his brand new Imax waterproof suit in the deluge, his only criticism is that the hood is like an umbrella, a small price to pay if it keeps you dry & warm in those conditions. I cant do anything about the lifejacket or the solar charger until Friday, as my "Fartbox" is in for a service & tuning (it splutters & farts when you try to rev up so its a job for the professionals), whilst I study my online charts for new dogfish hotspots! It wont be worth going out again until all this freshwater has drained off & the sea temperature drops. Looking at the forecast the next suitable weather forecast is for 17/18th Nov with very small tides at about 3am & 3.30am but with small tides like that, there should be enough water in the river to get out if we have an early start, lets see how the weather develops, before we make plans, but those two days look to be the earliest Belle can get out on.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 8, 2014 17:02:38 GMT 1
Despite my doubts!
The BBC, Met Office, xc weather are all giving 6/7/8mph winds from the West tomorrow, so I went down to check Belle over, & started her up & checked that the instruments were working, & as usual she is ready to go, so as long as the weathermen have got it right, its a 9am lock out for us. The forecast is for quite heavy showers so I suggest you wear your waterproofs, I shall certainly be wearing mine! I am concerned about this wind, when I came past the tower at the top end of the marina, the wind nearly blew me off my moped, & there was quite a chop in the marina itself, (which moderated as I was messing about), but the quicker it drops the happier I will be! Lugworm will be the order of the day I think if there are any codling about with all this freshwater but we can but try! If anybody tries to get in touch with me I have misplaced my mobile, so it will have to be on the home phone 01792 527518. The plan for tomorrow will be fishing for dabs & plaice, maybe the odd whiting, & avoiding the swells that are bound to come after this blow, we will be inside the Mumbles Head so hopefully we wont get bothered by them too much, if we do, I will take us into the moorings in Mumbles! Cos I don't do uncomfortable or dangerous!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 6, 2014 11:37:02 GMT 1
New Club theme Tune!
"There are nine million dogs in Swansea Bay, I know that, we caught most of them today!" (sang to the tune of "There are 9,000,000 bicycles in Peking") . Aboard "Oysterdog" we had a world record number of growlers on Wednesday Nov 5th, sometimes they came in 3 at a time, from every spot we fished! There were a few bright spots Tommy landed 4 codling (2 keepers), Phil managed to catch 5 uptiding but no keepers, new member Peter Mansell had a 9lb huss & one keeper codling, apart from a small conger all I had was a thousand growlers. Everybody else managed a couple of undersized whiting & another thousand growlers each. We tried in each spot for dabs or plaice but never saw a single flatfish all day, we even had people refuse the sausage sandwiches & the hot dogs (a silver lining for Richie & myself, who made sure they never got wasted) All in all a poor fishing day, but at least we had good weather & we gave ourselves a chance, next time it will be on Belle, maybe the poor fishing was an omen that we left the originally booked boat tied up, & took the "pretender" instead, perhaps it was the curse of the Belle
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 2, 2014 18:28:13 GMT 1
Wednesday is filling up fast!
Only 2 places left for Wednesday, & although we can always switch to the cat if we are oversubscribed, I am committed to running Mumbles Belle & I don't like having to divert income from Belle to Oystercat! Because in the final analysis, its £sd that is looked at when the balance sheet is read, & Belle turns in another loss at the end of the financial year! So I need TWO more anglers for a 9am launch on Wednesday 5th November! Boat Full A pleasant note for Wednesday a full boat for a change, weather forecast still holding good at 10mph N/NW which should allow us to go to the outer Green Grounds mark to start with, to see if there are any sizeable whiting or codling about, if not we can try either the Blue or Kidney Banks, or just off the Strombus where there is a good dab mark, & there is always the drift from Mumbles to Singleton to try for a few plaice. I think that a 4.30pm lock in is civilised with plenty of water we may even have a free flow back in, things are looking good, all we need now is for the fish to play ball! Looking increasingly like We are going to have to switch to "Oystercat" with other anglers wanting to go on Wednesday & with Belle full! In which case the lock out will have to go back to 8am for enough water in the river! Watch this post for confirmation, because you will have to get your bait on Tuesday ready for Wednesday (unless the bait shop is open in time to get your bait before we go?) Just checked the Bait Shop opening hours & its 0730 so you wont have time to get bait on the day!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 1, 2014 20:30:55 GMT 1
Looking at Wednesday 5th Nov
Wind is reasonable (<10mph) & from N/NW direction so I have posted a Belle trip for that day, there has to be whiting & dabs in my favourite spot on the Green Grounds (along with a dog or two). With HW at 0445 we can go for the 9am lock out & still have 2 hrs of water in the river after we lock out, this also allows the anglers to get bait on the day, just in case the wind changes direction nearer the day, so there is no need to be stuck with bait & no trip! I need to push as many trips as are safe, & supported, in order to eat into last years deficit of more than £5,000 suffered by Mumbles Belle Mooring fees, Insurance, fuel, anchor chain etc & other sundries soon mount up unless it is working, so prepare to be severely hassled this financial year as I strive to break even on Belle, & I see the whiting, cod, dab fishing from now until March, to be the period most likely to see her in demand. So get your names down when you see these trips advertised, I need your support to ensure the future of Mumbles Belle!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 28, 2014 17:32:58 GMT 1
I "jumped ship" this morning
To help John & Richie fuel up "The Pallet", & remove the anchor running mechanism which is badly worn, out of the "Last of the Summer Wine", I was the only one who could crawl into the crawl space under the anchor winch, to get at the nuts that held the idler roller on (Richie having fell off a ladder at home whilst painting & has a grapefruit size swelling on his wrist {serve your right for painting at home}) . From the amount of wear in the bushes of both rollers, there needs to be a rethink on the metal to metal system currently in use, either some grease nipples in the pins, or sacrificial roller material to stop it happening again, I am sure somebody will come up with a better idea than what we currently have. Whilst emptying the forward anchor locker to get in there, I uncovered spare ropes, spare fully rigged anchors, fenders, buoys, its like a chandlers under there, I also found an unattached length of chain, which I spirited across to Belle, to replace the light chain on the spare anchor (which came off my small boat) this one is much heavier & will make the spare anchor much more effective, if it ever has to be used. Then with the threat of rain on the horizon it was home to experiment with some "cart" (having just bought a cart making kit) basically you mix up all the old bait you have in the freezer ( I had frozen lug, old squid, mackerel, sprats, stinking razorfish) & I threw in 2 tins of sardines, & a tin of mackerel fillets I bought by mistake, added a bag of brown crumb, & poured a bottle of pilchard oil into it for good measure! This "cart" maker produces sausage sized baits in a gauze bag, which look exactly like a sausage (or a turd) & according to my wife it smells mortifying, her favourite expression for anything to do with bait, luckily I have sinusitis so I cant smell anything, but she is whingeing big time about the smell in the shed (she doesn't know yet, that the cart "sausages" are in ice cream containers in the outside freezer) All in all a productive day.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 26, 2014 19:13:59 GMT 1
Is this weather?
Ever going to give over? Winds forecast until after NEXT weekend now, by the time the winds drop the lock will be closed!!!! Well at least I should be able to go back down the boat to potter about after 10am tomorrow, the "new" wheels go for an MOT then, & provided it passes, I will take it for its maiden spin down to the marina, to make sure the automatic bilge pump has been working properly! My son asked me if I was taking up a job as a pizza delivery boy when he saw my new bike, I care not, it will do 120mpg & I don't pay to park anywhere, only thing is I need to carry a Taliban IED with me to stop it getting nicked! I still haven't had the other one back yet, in fact I still haven't seen what is left of it, between the police & the insurance company they seem to be keeping me away from it? Anyway here is the new "Fartbox" (as Hugh calls it)
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 24, 2014 20:27:19 GMT 1
SYSAC COD COMP 2015
SYSAC have announced their Cod Comp for 2015 will take place on JAN 4TH 2015 from 0830 until 1630 with provisional alternative dates of 18th Jan or 8th Feb, I don't know how places are allocated on the boats, but I have already had firm bookings from Ken Davison, & Richie Pearce, to be anglers on Mumbles Belle, with me taking up the 3rd place, that leaves only 3 places left on Belle. As far as I know, it works on a first come, first served basis, so if you want your butt on the Belle, get your name down asap. There are often too many anglers subscribed on the boats for events like this, & barring a "names out of the hat", first come, first served, seems the best way of doing it.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 21, 2014 20:46:19 GMT 1
Nothing to do with boats!
Well it might be connected, because without it I cant get down to the marina! I have bought another bike, this time a Honda C90 Cub which is more "steerable" than the scooter (which had a mind of its own on tarmac joints), I am picking it up on Thursday morning from Bristol, (Richie is coming with me as navigator & rigger). So with the weather looking good for Sunday, its business as usual with a "gentleman's" launch time of 9am, that's if I can get any anglers. Do I go back to where we were catching the dabs last time out? Do I risk another anchor & chain? Or do I play it safe & head for where I know we have a good bottom with lots of dogfish around? Decisions, decisions
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 20, 2014 14:41:57 GMT 1
It's like Aladdins Cave on there!
Working on information received that there was a Bruce type anchor on Oystercat that was too small for it, I did a quick raid this morning to see if it was suitable for Belle. I looked in the forward locker, & it was like Aladdins Cave under there, anchors, chains, ropes you name it, they have it, but no sign of any Bruce type anchor, but there was a very nice homemade fisherman anchor in there, which was quickly liberated & spirited away to Belle, to be attached to the chain we bought yesterday, the frayed rope cut back to undamaged, shackles fitted, cable tie trip fitted, new Alderney Ring fitted, ready to go again now, all we need is some tidy weather!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Oct 19, 2014 13:14:46 GMT 1
Margam Boat Jumble
Went to Margam Boat Jumble this morning with Richie, to find that it was about half as big as it was in previous years, & like most other things, the stuff was more expensive! I managed to find some suitable anchor chain, & managed to negotiate a sensible price with the guy (it is the last jumble of the season) so I managed to get him to sell me 10m of 8mm short link galv chain for £40 inc shackles, & a new ring, (which is about 60% of what they charge on E-Bay), & apparently there is an undersized (for the cat) Bruce anchor on the cat, which should fit the bill for Belle. I would have liked to replace the fisherman anchor that I lost, but there wasn't one big enough, & the ones that were there were expensive! The only one that MIGHT have done the job was far too expensive, so I will make do with the Bruce from the cat, until a suitable fisherman turns up. It looks as if the weather is going to be nasty for the next week at least, so its admin time, a modification to the interior seat so the tackle box sits firmly on it is next on the cards, & of course sort out the wrong positions being given on the plotter & VHF! I am finding it most inconvenient to be without my scooter, it was easy to nip down when that was here, I will be glad when the police & insurance sort it out so I can look for something else! If anybody has a scooter or moped in their garage that they no longer use, then sell it to me please, I would like to paint the inside of the boat it is starting to look a bit shabby, & a mini roller & paint tray would make short work of it, so getting wheels is my first priority, so I can do things as they cross my mind, because my mind is getting to the stage where if I don't do it quickly, I forget it!
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