Fishing at last

Sunday gave us a welcome window in the weather, westerly F4 and dropping. Tides meant a very early or late start, so I opted for a warm bed and a late start. As I didn't entirely trust the forecast I headed towards the Island to benefit from the shelter, and spent the afternoon on Culver. There were plenty of large pout and dogfish, and a solitary whiting. Other boats further on in Sandown had a few ray, small cod and conger, including a large one. Arron followed me home in Aquaholic, and we took photos of each other in the evening light. Arron took a superb one of Salar.

Wipers

Fishing Blog - that's a joke. There has hardly been any fishing for weeks thanks to the coincidence of strong winds every weekend and any fishable days being mid-week. Ho hum, better get on with some jobs then. Next on the list is a dodgy-looking windscreen wiper blade. The factory-fitted unit is a rather basic motor and single pantograph wiper, which has seen better days. Every other year it has some off for a de-rust and clean-up, but this time it looks terminal. I checked the price of ordering it as a Trophy spare part (HOW much??), then Googled wipers. I settled on Vetus as the only affordable way of getting a known brand that could sweep the massive glass area of a Trophy windshield. I ordered everything from switch to motor to wiper blade. Next weekend, with any luck it will be too windy for fishing so I can fit it....

More on Pumps

Crummy weather two weekends in a row, an ideal chance to do the three pump-related jobs that needed doing: replace the bilge float switch, find out why the fish-well pump is whizzing but not splurting, and connecting the manual pump with the outside world. Simple. If only working on boats ever was. After my first trip to Marine Superstore I set about replacing the float switch. After a lot of staring and coffee drinking I decided that the only way of getting at the old switch was to remove the engine, or part dismantle the entire front end. We'll leave that for a bit then. So on to the next job, the pump outlet. I'll cut the story short, as it involved three more trips to the MS including buying back again the skin fitting I had returned on a previous trip, and buying screws to replace four I had put in a "safe" place (only to find them again as I stepped back into the boat). All that because for some reason, the manufacturers had installed pipes and skin fittings only very slightly different from local ones, but different enough. Two weekends later, all the jobs are done. And I never needed the replace the float switch either: in the course of my burrowing in the bilges I found a broken electrical connection which I fixed in five minutes. Now I wonder if MS will take that new float switch back...?

Bilge Pump Chat

It all happens at once. The rain before Christmas found its way into Salar's bilge where the float switch should have triggered, setting off the bilge pump. It didn't. Which is hardly surprising, as the mechanical float and electrical contact live in the darkest, wettest, muckiest part of the boat. I went to buy a new one and found something more expensive but infinitely better - a vacuum switch. These operate on air pressure. As water rises, it pushes air up a sealed tube to trigger a pressure switch which can be mounted way up out of harms way. This is likely to last a lot longer. My only problem is, the original pump and switch are mounted under the engine...

While I was about it, I also bought a manual bilge pump, something I should have done a long time ago. I had to shop around for a compact one that could be mounted behind the cockpit wall, accessible via a neat little trap door. Whale make one, no more expensive than the standard bulky version either.

Excel London Boat Show January 2008

This is not my favourite show, I think has lost its magic by moving to Docklands, but at least it is a boaty place to go in the middle of winter. More of a show for bigger boats; there is more choice at the cheaper end of the market at the Southampton Boat Show but you've missed that until next September. The point of this message is (finally) - if you want a dirt cheap ticket, raid your Tesco vouchers, you can get in for £3.25 if you book through http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/product.aspx?R=583 but you have to do it before 11th January.

Queen Victoria

Yet another weekend of gales and rain, so I wasn't too upset to spent part of it doing Christmas shopping. We went to West Quay in Southampton, and surprise surprise (because I had not been following the local news), Cunard's newest cruise liner Queen Victoria is moored next to Mayflower Park, right across from the shopping centre. She is a fabulous sight, I expect we will see her along with the other two Queens, heading past us when we are fishing the Nab area. She will be named on Monday 10th December.

Portsmouth Harbour Notices

Many moons ago I registered on http://www.qhmportsmouth.com/ which is the official Portsmouth Harbour web site. It was supposed to email Notices to Mariners that affected boaters in the Harbours and Solent. Nothing happened, and I put it down to a rubbish web site design. Perhaps it was and perhaps they have fixed it because now it's working! You can get emails telling you about events, major ship movements, dredging and other useful things to know about if you plan a trip in the area.

River Cottage Fish Book Review

This is my review on Amazon.

The best fish cookery books are written by fishermen and fishmongers. My favourite fish cookery books so far have been from Sophie Grigson and William Black, Philip Diamond, Mitchell Tonks and Alan Davidson. All really know their fish because they get out there and catch them, or deal with fresh fish for a living. Now Hugh and Nick join that select band of my favourite fishy authors for the same reason - they know and love fish, from the bottom of the sea to the plate. They write informatively, humorously and passionately, and the reader can't help wanting to pick up a rod or net and get involved. Don't expect fussy recipes: these are best cooked in a farmhouse kitchen or a fishing boat galley, and eaten with your fingers. But they will taste fabulous. Don't expect too many recipes for boring old cod or salmon either, as Hugh and Nick explore nearly all British edible species that swim or crawl. This is a big book, and hugely readable. The authors are both very passionate about sustainable fishing, and offer useful tips to help conserve the more pressurised species, and provide every reason to try alternatives that are right on our doorstep. Buy this book, you will not regret it. (Click here, even!)