Well im still here but haven't posted for a while, 1 spinal probe and 2 Epidurals into my back have finally got some relief.
Blue Swell has been to Fécamp France this August for a few days, an uneventful crossing in a Force 5 South Westerly picking our way through the white stuff....... All I can say is that I failed to keep my 1 new crewman supplied with Coffee.... well keep it in a mug! 65nm and 4.5hrs maintaining average 12-14 knots.
The return run was 4 hrs with excellent conditions and bright sunshine, picked up something briefly round a prop but the rope cutters had dealt with it instantly. Plenty of coffee, food prepared and served enroute ! see photo's
2 weeks prior to my crossing the Starboard Engine developed loss of power and 2 injectors had failed resulting in all 6 being reconditioned and the other 4 were 15-20psi below spec.
After a good trip to France the Port engine developed a similar problem so immediately removed the Injectors and sent for testing to find similar problems to the Starboard engine but all resolved quickly and both running well
Family and friends have been afloat this year to watch firework display and enjoy the good weather
Regards
Geoff
-- Edited by Blue Swell on Wednesday 23rd of October 2013 07:05:09 PM
HI. Now that I have your interest I Just wondered if anyone was left on this forum as it is REALLY quiet of late!
Whats happened to Chas, (grumpy old git) Geoff, how's your back? Harold, hope you are not near the fires! Kees, still got your boat? Robbie diesel, Hanson brothers, Stugsy, Nitroxwill, Wouter, Dave P and all the others that used to contribute?
I know Martin and I have been speaking, but has everyone else gone?
Simon....anything interesting going on within Lochin?
The back problem sounds nasty, so I am pleased you are at least getting some relief even if the cure is probably painful!
Seems like you had a good trip to France but did you manage to do any fishing? 'Blue swell' obviously coped well with the white stuff and carried on like nothing was happening, even if you were taking a bit of a jolt!
I remember getting a rope around a prop on my twin engined Seaward, but unfortunately I didn't have rope cutters on her so I was glad she was a twin! 'Sorcerer' had rope cutters and so will the new boat.....too much junk floating around in the channel and every precaution!
We were out mid channel a few weeks ago in the Mitchell 31 when a squall came up.....sh.t it went black, chucked it down, lightening (great!) and the sea state went from about 3 to a 6 in a couple of minutes. I had to keep the nose into it at 3 knots, wheelhouse door closed and we took some really big green ones over the top of the wheelhouse and into the ****pit. After another ten minutes it had gone....much to our relief!
Anyway, nice photo's and 'Blue swell' is looking very good indeed Geoff!
you realy got my attention with your Buxom blondes.
Yes, we still have our boat and she is used a lot this summer. The reason for more use is that spring 2013 we moved Tommie to Breskens marina, 20 nm. closer to the North Sea, so we are not so much depending on the current when planning a fishing trip to the North Sea. Now we have to drive 20 nm. home / marina and visa versa with my car, but this is much faster and more fuel economic.
This summer we had suddenly an invasion of sole, Chantal and me cached 132 pcs. on one evening, but this news traveled fast and one day later two commercial trawlers with there 10.000 hp engines cached everything swimming on that spot, so a few day's later we cached only mini whiting. Pity, but this fishermen's have to make a living of it, we don't.
End of September I must have made the weather gods angry, because from then until today every weekend it's windforce 7 or it rains cat's and dog's. Lets hope November will do better.
Geoff, good to hear you got some relieve in your back pain, I know what it is, as I have a day and night remembrance on a motor cross accident 35 year ago, where a spine intevertebral split and never healed.
In April Chantal passed for her licence ICC-2 qualified skipper, and it'sa great comfort to know that if something happens with me at sea, Chantal can bring possible friends and Tommie home safe.
Ha Ha Kees, thought that would make people look....sorry to disappoint you!
Glad to hear you still have 'Tommie' and it makes sense for you to move her closer to where you will fish from with rising fuel costs. The time saved too must be of benefit for more fishing time. The only slight downside I guess is, as you say, she is further away from you so if you forget to take something with you, its further to go back and get it, so don't leave Chantal behind!
Great to hear Chantal has her ticket, that is a great relief to you I'm sure, knowing you can be outside in the sunshine dozing after a long trip catching all those fish, while she brings Tommie home.
Sounds like you weren't the sole (ouch!) users of your 'secret' mark either. Usually fishermen keep their marks pretty quiet and either don't tell where, or divert others in the opposite direction!
We have had some reasonable catches this year, but not sole, generally Pollack, cod and Ling. Several of the Ling this year, like last year, have been over 20lb, the best one just shy of 25lb.
Anyway, great to hear from you and I hope the sole return!
you make us jealous with this kint of ling weights.
Ling is rare in our coastal waters and cod is only arriving close to shore in October / November hunting scrimps. To catch cod in the summer we sailed now and then to a shipwreck on a +3 hour trip at 14 kn. cruising, where sometimes nice cod was swimming and we had a good chance on some big sea bass over there. As some 'sport'fishermen started selling huge numbers of cod and sea bass to hotels and restaurants to make their boat affordable or simply to make money, professional fishermen started off course to complain at government, who came with a simple solution. In place of tracking this moonlighters down and reward them with a big fine or confiscate their boat and also fine the hotel and catering industry who is buying the fish, they introduced a bag limit for all sport fishers.Belgium introduced some years ago max. 44 lbs cod and sea bass together, of this 44 lbs max. 33 lbs cod, but moonlighters from Belgium brought their catch a shore in the closest Dutch marina to get round this law. So Holland introduced this summer max. 44 lbs cod or bass with a maximum of 25 fish. So, if we catch after a 3 hour trip four 11 lbs cod per person we have to return back to the marina. In general this is 6 hour boating for 1 hour fishing.That's why we started fishing for sole in the summer, but who know's if there is a bag limit for sole already in the make also, as it must be an interesting fish for moonlighters to.
Great to hear everyone has been getting out and about using their Lochins. LJ is now waiting to get back to her winter hard standing but there is no rush. If the weather picks up we will use her for pleasure trips/fishing and do a bit of prep for next year.
Unfortunately on our last trip we picked up a rope in the prop on the way home. It was too thick for the cutter to deal with and ended up anchoring us to the sea bed! It was a trip rope from a fish farm anchor and must have lost it's bouy or popped up to the surface recently. It was about 1 inch dia and really tight and had a huge loop tied in it at 1 end. Luckily the weather was perfect and a mate was finishing his days creeling only 3 miles away and came to tow us home so no drama and no passengers aboard only friends. A diver removed the rope the next day and everything seems ok, only possible damage is to the rope cutter and we won't know till we haul out.
I am pleased with the new engine and reckon we have saved about 25% fuel on last year, a fair chunk over a season. Not planning any major works this winter, biggest thing could be removing the steel mast from the roof and bollards from the deck and replacing them with a radar arch and stainless bollards. Will have to get some prices but it will stop all our hard work getting ruined by rust streaks when it comes through the paint. Also a couple of original hand rails are now rusting and causing hassle so they could do with changing too.
Just back from a week in Menorca, some lovely little bays and anchorages but I bet it gets really crowded in summer. Plenty of boats in the marinas but no sign of a Lochin just proper little meditaranean fishing boats and gin palaces. back to reality now, hope everyone weathers the storm the BBC are forecasing.
HI all, weather here is atrocious and not looking much better for the foreseeable future either, so no fishing for a while yet!
Kees, that's bad news about the weight limit for sport anglers, hope that sort of thing doesn't come this side of the channel!!
Heard recently a new wreck netter will be coming to Brixham....great!
Martin, sounds like you were probably lucky you didn't have a more powerful engine and had been travelling faster! There was a twin engine Aquabell in Plymouth that picked up a two inch rope. It bent the P brackets and shaft and I think did damage to the coupling. My builder had to do the insurance job on it.
The storm that was forecast last week didn't amount to much in the end, luckily, in fact it has been worse this weekend, but wind from the west or south west and sheltered pretty well in the marina.
Interior fit out of my new 40 continues and is starting to look good, but I fear there are many more weeks to go before she is ready to launch yet!
