Nope. There was no miracle Suzy fairy that alighted on my boat overnight, to rectify the faulty gearbox. What there was however, was an overwhelming provision of offers, of other boats. It was enough to stop me opening the bottle of Glenfidych I had been eyeing on my return to Fishyrob HQ last night. Very heart warming. One offer, was to accompany Clint on our mutual friend Jon's Wilson Flyer. I love this boat. Its actually more raked off than mine, and as such has minimal windage. A great boat for fishing lures. I was also offered the use of an Offshore 25, complete with commercially endorsed Advanced power boat certificate holder Tony.
I will get back to Tony an "Kestrel Warrior", his coded offshore 25 later. First, fishing with Clint. It was a day of much mackerel and baitfish, but for a couple of hours in close, we managed at least a dozen bass. Plus mackerel of course, including some big fat ones. . Some squid bumped off as well. A nice wrasse. And most importantly, some quality catch up time with Clint. As well as perhaps leaving Jon's sonar a little more useable. HINT : AUTO on your gain, usually is way too much in sub 60 feet....Try 70 percent.
Then I had to come back in. Partly, because I hadn't been before we went, and a turtle was beginning to stretch its neck. And secondly, as I needed to be there to meet my temporary office while the problem with BIF1's gearbox is attended to. If you had read the blog a couple of days ago, you might have noticed mention of a Tony. That Tony is actually Newhaven skipper Anthony Collins. He had a bad run of luck with boats and other issues, and I had invited him along, to show him how I do things in Brighton.
This year, demand for boat sessions is much lower than last year. It was bound to be. The economic tightening is almost an audible gasp. Throw in war in Europe, and people naturally get cautious in all things. There is suddenly no such thing as spare cash. A pretty bad time to be starting with a charter boat. And without regulars , your really up against it. So, Anthony saw an opportunity to join skipper school. I saw an opportunity to salvage my bookings and keep my regulars happy, so so important in this game, and because I had met, and enjoyed his company, recognising he is a happy heart like myself, we have agreed to work with each other until BIF1 is back in the water.
There will need to be some adjustments to approaches, to factor in the big roar of 300 diesel inspired horses. But, with the boat actually only being 25 feet, I do feel I can make the magic happen. Until such time I prove it cannot, I am happy to say, all bookings from tomorrow onwards can be completed. And our chauffeur is also legally allowed to keep us out into dark. Which is why I have one space remaining for a 2 hour 1830 trip bass and squid, at £40. As always, SMS to 07970 112774 to grab that space...