Sunday 24 February 2008

Another lousy day in Paradise

I wish I had thought of that line. I didn't but I'm using it anyway, as it pretty much sums up today. A watery sun, wind F3 SE swinging round to the west and dropping meant a short trip to the Blocks for plaice was possible. There was a fleet of about 20 boats all clustered around the mussel beds, including Arron in Aquaholic and a few others I recognised.


It was slow day, Arron and crew managed four plaice including two very nice pan-sized ones; I saw a few others landed but none came to Salar. The anchor tripped by itself so I took advantage of the move and went over to the Blocks themselves, but nothing doing. I decided to spend the last hour back next to Arron in the hope that some of his charm would rub off on me but it wasn't to be. Tally for the day was a sea scorpion and a very small whiting, but who's complaining? I was out doing what I like doing best - it might have been lousy but it's as close to Paradise as you'll get down here.

Waiting for nothing to happen...


Monday 11 February 2008

Wipers Fitted

There is something deeply satisfying about finishing a job on a boat. It usually involves considerable expense, four times as much time as expected, a number of minor injuries and the finished result being completely invisible to the casual observer. This was exactly how the fitting of my new wiper system went. What started as a rusty wiper blade ended as a complete strip out, new motor, new housing, new pantograph (including drilling for a new mounting), new wiring and a new fancy three-position switch. I never knew a windscreen wiper could create such emotion but I am so, so proud of mine. It is shiny, it presses against the glass, it has two speeds, it actually parks to one side and above all it removes water from the glass. All things the old one never did. If you don't have a boat, you just wouldn't understand...

Tuesday 5 February 2008

Web Site

If you are a regular visitor to http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/ you might have noticed some subtle differences to the site. In fact it has been totally redeveloped with the help of ace carp angler Mike at http://www.imagineservices.co.uk/ who took my original navigation ideas and content, and rebuilt the site with a modern, search engine-friendly structure. I took the opportunity to separate the Weather and Tides content and give it a page of its own; add some more attractive text and insert a few quotes for fun. There is also a new Shop page for something that is coming very soon. Watch this space.....