On the first day of the New Year, Tuesday 1st January, 1963, there was a strong easterly wind blowing … and by the next day it started to snow. This was to herald the beginning of one of the coldest winters that Kent would ever witness. The sea temperature plummeted to a state where alongshore it started to freeze over. When the sea gets to that situation the fish move out into deeper water where the coldness does not penetrate.
Many people attribute cod to the colder climes, however, in the deep water off Norway and the Artic the temperature of the seas, in 1963, were warmer than at Deal. When the sea gets to below freezing, all forms of life either vacate the area or end up hypothermic.
Against a loosing battle some anglers kept trying to catch fish from the beach, pier and boats (when the weather was calm enough). With the bad conditions and total lack of fish, the pier closed every night – and it would not be until the month of March when a starfish was replaced as the ‘fish of the month’ in the pier’s angling competition.
Eventually the fish famine was forgotten, as in the autumn of that year there were vast quantities of cod caught. The results of the Deal Angling Club (1919) boat festival recorded in a total weight of over two tons – which the anglers brought to the scales. Deal, once again, became the Mecca of sea angling.
In those days the record cod stood at 32 lb and one or two fish from Deal started to nudge at that weight. In the years that followed the record was broken … more than once … nevertheless, it was not from Deal. However, in the late 60s and early 70s there were local cod of over 40lb being landed in the winter months. This was topped by a monster fish of 50lb 14oz caught by Brian Maidment, a mere two miles off Walmer.
Although the record at that time was heavier … it was a fish that was caught off a wreck over 30 miles from shore. It was thought that Brian’s fish should have been classed as the British record – as the other fish was caught outside territorial waters.
Brian Maidment, a local boatman, gained fame with his photograph featured on the front page of Deal Councils fishing guide the following year. He had donated the cod to the council, who had a fibreglass cast made of it which was displayed in the bar on the end of the pier. It was a loss to Deal when the replica of the town’s heaviest ever cod was sold in a local antique shop last year.
The next decade saw many cod being caught, although the larger fish seemed to become harder to find by the mid 80s. However, all is not lost, as last year saw a revival of cod caught from Deal … and combined with the very cold winter that we have just witnessed … who knows!
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Fresh Prawns
First catch your prawns – the earliest you can start depends on the sea temperature. April and May produce some large female prawns full of brood and some people enjoy the orange colour eggs (when cooked) as an added bonus. Again depending on the sea temp around about October sees them start to disappear. To catch them can be attained by using prawn pots, drop nets or a push net. The pots can be bought at some tackle shops with deals being made for the purchase of three or more. These are ready to go and only need a length of cord attaching, along with a couple of small weights fixed to the bottom to keep them on the seabed. There are small pouches in which you can put the bait in. Bait can be anything fishy and smelly, I use kippers.
The traditional prawn drop net can be a very efficient way of catching and can be worked at a quicker pace than the pots. To get proficient with these use as many as you can, and bait them up the same as the pots. When worked in the rock pools you will need a small length of cord on the net with a few corks at the end. With the help of a pole and a bent wire coat hanger fastened on it in the shape of a hook you can put and pull in the nets to your advantage.
For the more energetic then the push net will be the answer. Needless to say when using all these items, low water is going to create the best results. Any sandy patch will produce, and is best viewed at extreme low water for any rocks or gulleys that might be dangerous to the pusher. Neoprene chest waders will keep you warm unless you are the hardy type. Whilst on the subject of caution always know when it is low water and consider when to pack-up and not get caught out by the rising tide. Push nets can be made; however, some tackle shops sell a two size version at not great expense. A small mesh bag or a plastic bucket will keep your catch safe and wet until you take them to cook. Another thing to look out for is by catches that you find that you have trawled up. These will be mainly small flat fish – but be careful of weavers. If you do get pricked by a weaver … don’t panic. The infected area should be cleansed with very hot water and no after effects encountered, however, if there is then go to the nearest A&E. Don’t panic unless you have a weak heart, and consider that there are hardly any fatalities experienced but only discomfort or swelling. Again, if unsure then take medical advice … or make sure you don’t get pricked.
Cooking is simple. Boil a saucepan of salted water, and then pop in the prawns. Within a couple of minutes they are cooked. Run under a cold tap to stop any more cooking with the steam and leave to cool.
I’m not going to tell you how to eat them as I feel I have given enough secrets away on one of the finer pleasures of life already.
The traditional prawn drop net can be a very efficient way of catching and can be worked at a quicker pace than the pots. To get proficient with these use as many as you can, and bait them up the same as the pots. When worked in the rock pools you will need a small length of cord on the net with a few corks at the end. With the help of a pole and a bent wire coat hanger fastened on it in the shape of a hook you can put and pull in the nets to your advantage.
For the more energetic then the push net will be the answer. Needless to say when using all these items, low water is going to create the best results. Any sandy patch will produce, and is best viewed at extreme low water for any rocks or gulleys that might be dangerous to the pusher. Neoprene chest waders will keep you warm unless you are the hardy type. Whilst on the subject of caution always know when it is low water and consider when to pack-up and not get caught out by the rising tide. Push nets can be made; however, some tackle shops sell a two size version at not great expense. A small mesh bag or a plastic bucket will keep your catch safe and wet until you take them to cook. Another thing to look out for is by catches that you find that you have trawled up. These will be mainly small flat fish – but be careful of weavers. If you do get pricked by a weaver … don’t panic. The infected area should be cleansed with very hot water and no after effects encountered, however, if there is then go to the nearest A&E. Don’t panic unless you have a weak heart, and consider that there are hardly any fatalities experienced but only discomfort or swelling. Again, if unsure then take medical advice … or make sure you don’t get pricked.
Cooking is simple. Boil a saucepan of salted water, and then pop in the prawns. Within a couple of minutes they are cooked. Run under a cold tap to stop any more cooking with the steam and leave to cool.
I’m not going to tell you how to eat them as I feel I have given enough secrets away on one of the finer pleasures of life already.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Does the internet help ... or hinder?
At the moment there are many sea angling websites on the World Wide Web. For most, these sites produce not only information but witty banter between members; and they also create friendships. Unfortunately, for others, an outspoken posting could also cause a major rift. All in all, it may possibly be classed as a vast angling club that covers many counties.
Information on what’s being caught is almost instant – sometimes being reported, by the angler, hours after the event. This has the advantage for those who want to know what’s about, and not having to wait a week or two to read it in the local papers – or a month or two to read it in the fishing magazines. It also fires up enthusiasm for those that have the opinion ‘Why bother going, there’s nothing about’ (although the obvious answer to that would be if you don’t try then you will never know). The websites eliminates this and gets more anglers out on the beach or boat.
An opinion of some of the opponents of angling websites is that this open information is available to commercial fishermen; who will then smother the venue with nets. In my view, static nets that have been set close inshore (at Deal), normally fill up with weed and garbage. For what the commercial gets fish wise it is not worth the hassle of clearing, or time spent cleaning those nets. Normally they will only set nets close inshore for sole in the settled summer months. Other times you may see them drifting close to the beach with nets for bass or herring; these are surface nets and do not have any immediate affect the angler who is bottom fishing.
Last year an angler posted that there were miles of nets strung between Deal Pier and Sandwich Bay. As this was the start of the ray season most of the posters were up in arms about how their sport was being ruined. As I live on the seafront I kept my eyes open for these offending nets. My daily walk took me to Sandown Castle and beyond and there were NO nets visible. I sometimes wonder if the angler who cast these aspersions managed to have the beach to himself on his next fishing trip (and possibly all the fish as well).
So there you have it! Is the angling websites an asset or not. I think the overwhelming benefits outweigh the negative side; it’s up to the individual – if you want to post and boast that’s fine, if not, no problem. Most members are helpful with advice and have parted with knowledge that has taken them many years of experience to acquire – all for free.
That reminds me of an old proverb ‘The wise man points his finger … and the fool looks at the wise man’s finger’ (it took me years to understand the meaning of that) … or there’s another one ‘don’t believe half what you’re told’. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Information on what’s being caught is almost instant – sometimes being reported, by the angler, hours after the event. This has the advantage for those who want to know what’s about, and not having to wait a week or two to read it in the local papers – or a month or two to read it in the fishing magazines. It also fires up enthusiasm for those that have the opinion ‘Why bother going, there’s nothing about’ (although the obvious answer to that would be if you don’t try then you will never know). The websites eliminates this and gets more anglers out on the beach or boat.
An opinion of some of the opponents of angling websites is that this open information is available to commercial fishermen; who will then smother the venue with nets. In my view, static nets that have been set close inshore (at Deal), normally fill up with weed and garbage. For what the commercial gets fish wise it is not worth the hassle of clearing, or time spent cleaning those nets. Normally they will only set nets close inshore for sole in the settled summer months. Other times you may see them drifting close to the beach with nets for bass or herring; these are surface nets and do not have any immediate affect the angler who is bottom fishing.
Last year an angler posted that there were miles of nets strung between Deal Pier and Sandwich Bay. As this was the start of the ray season most of the posters were up in arms about how their sport was being ruined. As I live on the seafront I kept my eyes open for these offending nets. My daily walk took me to Sandown Castle and beyond and there were NO nets visible. I sometimes wonder if the angler who cast these aspersions managed to have the beach to himself on his next fishing trip (and possibly all the fish as well).
So there you have it! Is the angling websites an asset or not. I think the overwhelming benefits outweigh the negative side; it’s up to the individual – if you want to post and boast that’s fine, if not, no problem. Most members are helpful with advice and have parted with knowledge that has taken them many years of experience to acquire – all for free.
That reminds me of an old proverb ‘The wise man points his finger … and the fool looks at the wise man’s finger’ (it took me years to understand the meaning of that) … or there’s another one ‘don’t believe half what you’re told’. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Blame it onto the sprats
It has been reported that this year’s weather has been the coldest for thirty years. The sea temperature certainly has taken a dive and reached its lowest at 3.5c in the middle of February. Compared with this time last year it is at least four degrees colder.This could be the reason why the angling has been a bit slow of late (check out my post COLD FISH).
We as anglers tend to blame the lack of sport on everything apart from the most obvious. The most common excuse for the lack of fish at this time of year is because the sprats are in – or they have followed the sprats out to sea. The sprat season off Deal is normally from late December until the end of February. They shoal inshore, and on the spring tides sometimes get washed up on the beach. When the tide is at its strongest they normally swim close to the seabed and very near to the shoreline where the run of the tide is at its weakest. As the tide eases they start to rise in the water and this is when the sprat netters catch them.
Normally their territory would extend no further than half a mile from the beach.It could be reasonable to assume that, in the murky water off Deal, the fish feed on the sprats when they are close to the seabed. Cod, for instance hunt in ‘dirty’ water by smell, feel (using their barbel under their chin) and possibly at the last moment by sight. When the water is clear (very seldom inshore at Deal) then the cods feeding habits would be reversed. Throughout the season many cod are caught on small live whiting, which were either intentionally presented on the hook or accidentally left due to a missed bite. However, this fish/bait is being presented hard and fast on the seabed and available to the fish when and where it comes across it in its almost blind hunt for food. With plenty of pin whiting about at the moment we cannot blame the lack of cod on them.
Sprats are an oily fish and deteriorate quickly after being caught; therefore the ones that we buy from the fishmonger are not very good for bait – unless you use them for tipping with worm. The redder the sprat (also herrings) is around the head and gills, the older it is. Also fresh sprats, straight out of a net, are silver/black around the head and are stiff enough to be snapped in half, as opposed to the floppy ones from the shops.
Hopefully the sea temp will warm up soon, and the cod fishing, or lack of it, becomes a memory until the next season. Mind you, saying that, with last summer’s sea as warm as 18c, the fishing also seemed to take a dive – must have been the sprats.
My views on Global Warming can be summed up by ... Brrrr followed by Grrrr.
We as anglers tend to blame the lack of sport on everything apart from the most obvious. The most common excuse for the lack of fish at this time of year is because the sprats are in – or they have followed the sprats out to sea. The sprat season off Deal is normally from late December until the end of February. They shoal inshore, and on the spring tides sometimes get washed up on the beach. When the tide is at its strongest they normally swim close to the seabed and very near to the shoreline where the run of the tide is at its weakest. As the tide eases they start to rise in the water and this is when the sprat netters catch them.
Normally their territory would extend no further than half a mile from the beach.It could be reasonable to assume that, in the murky water off Deal, the fish feed on the sprats when they are close to the seabed. Cod, for instance hunt in ‘dirty’ water by smell, feel (using their barbel under their chin) and possibly at the last moment by sight. When the water is clear (very seldom inshore at Deal) then the cods feeding habits would be reversed. Throughout the season many cod are caught on small live whiting, which were either intentionally presented on the hook or accidentally left due to a missed bite. However, this fish/bait is being presented hard and fast on the seabed and available to the fish when and where it comes across it in its almost blind hunt for food. With plenty of pin whiting about at the moment we cannot blame the lack of cod on them.
Sprats are an oily fish and deteriorate quickly after being caught; therefore the ones that we buy from the fishmonger are not very good for bait – unless you use them for tipping with worm. The redder the sprat (also herrings) is around the head and gills, the older it is. Also fresh sprats, straight out of a net, are silver/black around the head and are stiff enough to be snapped in half, as opposed to the floppy ones from the shops.
Hopefully the sea temp will warm up soon, and the cod fishing, or lack of it, becomes a memory until the next season. Mind you, saying that, with last summer’s sea as warm as 18c, the fishing also seemed to take a dive – must have been the sprats.
My views on Global Warming can be summed up by ... Brrrr followed by Grrrr.
Friday, 1 January 2010
A rant
Whilst glancing at my angling club website the other day, a Google ad appeared at the top of the page. These ads are unavoidable and latch onto the theme of the website i.e. fishing. However, it caught my eye and I clicked onto it.
‘Save the Sea Kitten’ (what!), further reading states that ‘Nobody would hurt a Sea Kitten’ (of course not!): ‘Why not create your own Sea Kitten’ (this kept my daughter amused for five minutes, dressing up a computerised Sea Kitten in clothes and hats and lipstick and so on – and she’s 33 years of age). The next click suggests a bedside story to send your child off to a trouble free night’s sleep (at least two bottles of wine seems a better remedy for the aforesaid daughter).
The illustrated story goes something like this:
‘Sally is a Sea Kitten with an attitude (funky teenagers!); while all the other Sea Kittens are washing themselves or chasing balls of yarn, Sally is busy swimming upstream to see where life will take her next (a responsible teenager looking for a job!). Unfortunately, years of watching her friends and family being hooked through the mouth (WHAT!) and dragged into the hard alien world above, have driven her mad with grief (any wine left daughter, I think I’m going to have nightmares?). Bitter and insane (well she is a teenager!), she spends her days plotting revenge against Land Kittens (I think a visit to a psychiatrist might be in order) who live such happy lives in comfortable homes, free from the terror of being eaten.’
I am now thinking I need a drink (any excuse). What the hell is this all about?! Further investigation into what a Sea Kitten is, reveals:
‘People don't seem to like fish (I do!). They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads—which is weird, to say the least (not to other fish it’s not). Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you're swimming, and the big ones—well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by (open another bottle of wine so I don’t have nightmares again). Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy (OK I can live with that: Mr. Yates you are out of a job). Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account (not a good idea) and leave our scaly little friends alone. You've done enough damage, buddy. We've got it from here. And we're going to start by retiring the old name for good (I think they are going to tell me what a Sea Kitten is now, and I’m not going to like it). When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head (Sorry?), it's time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?’
Got it … this is an advert put out by PETA, which I believe is an American based organization which wants angling banned. They suggest that: ’Sea kittens are just as intelligent, not to mention adorable, (sounds like past girl friends) and like dogs (defo) and cats, they feel pain as all animals do’ (OK I have had to deal with rejection as well).
As a reasonable adult, I have feelings not to hurt any animals unnecessary, however, it has been proven that if an animal feels pain then they can be governed by that fact; if a bull has a ring fastened to its nose then it can be led, because if it resisted then that would bring pain. A fish, when it is hooked, fights against the resistance of being fettled (a bit like being engaged to be married), not through pain but possibly because of a natural reaction of survival. Another factor in the chain of life is that most fish eat others of their own younger relations, therefore, surely they kill/eat as much as as humans would? Under these circumstances I can live with my sport.
I am a realistic type of person who likes to listen to all sides of the story, and then make my own mind up. What I find slightly uncomfortable with, is that if this website (PETA) was ‘Sea Kittens against…’ religion, for example, it could possibly be classed as an extremist site. In my opinion, it is grooming very young people into an adverse and negative attitude into our sport through deception. A fish is a fish, and not a Sea Kitten. The frightening thought is that if you sign their petition against the sport then something might be done against it. Another frightening fact is that 14190 people already have!
‘Save the Sea Kitten’ (what!), further reading states that ‘Nobody would hurt a Sea Kitten’ (of course not!): ‘Why not create your own Sea Kitten’ (this kept my daughter amused for five minutes, dressing up a computerised Sea Kitten in clothes and hats and lipstick and so on – and she’s 33 years of age). The next click suggests a bedside story to send your child off to a trouble free night’s sleep (at least two bottles of wine seems a better remedy for the aforesaid daughter).
The illustrated story goes something like this:
‘Sally is a Sea Kitten with an attitude (funky teenagers!); while all the other Sea Kittens are washing themselves or chasing balls of yarn, Sally is busy swimming upstream to see where life will take her next (a responsible teenager looking for a job!). Unfortunately, years of watching her friends and family being hooked through the mouth (WHAT!) and dragged into the hard alien world above, have driven her mad with grief (any wine left daughter, I think I’m going to have nightmares?). Bitter and insane (well she is a teenager!), she spends her days plotting revenge against Land Kittens (I think a visit to a psychiatrist might be in order) who live such happy lives in comfortable homes, free from the terror of being eaten.’
I am now thinking I need a drink (any excuse). What the hell is this all about?! Further investigation into what a Sea Kitten is, reveals:
‘People don't seem to like fish (I do!). They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads—which is weird, to say the least (not to other fish it’s not). Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you're swimming, and the big ones—well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by (open another bottle of wine so I don’t have nightmares again). Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy (OK I can live with that: Mr. Yates you are out of a job). Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account (not a good idea) and leave our scaly little friends alone. You've done enough damage, buddy. We've got it from here. And we're going to start by retiring the old name for good (I think they are going to tell me what a Sea Kitten is now, and I’m not going to like it). When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head (Sorry?), it's time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?’
Got it … this is an advert put out by PETA, which I believe is an American based organization which wants angling banned. They suggest that: ’Sea kittens are just as intelligent, not to mention adorable, (sounds like past girl friends) and like dogs (defo) and cats, they feel pain as all animals do’ (OK I have had to deal with rejection as well).
As a reasonable adult, I have feelings not to hurt any animals unnecessary, however, it has been proven that if an animal feels pain then they can be governed by that fact; if a bull has a ring fastened to its nose then it can be led, because if it resisted then that would bring pain. A fish, when it is hooked, fights against the resistance of being fettled (a bit like being engaged to be married), not through pain but possibly because of a natural reaction of survival. Another factor in the chain of life is that most fish eat others of their own younger relations, therefore, surely they kill/eat as much as as humans would? Under these circumstances I can live with my sport.
I am a realistic type of person who likes to listen to all sides of the story, and then make my own mind up. What I find slightly uncomfortable with, is that if this website (PETA) was ‘Sea Kittens against…’ religion, for example, it could possibly be classed as an extremist site. In my opinion, it is grooming very young people into an adverse and negative attitude into our sport through deception. A fish is a fish, and not a Sea Kitten. The frightening thought is that if you sign their petition against the sport then something might be done against it. Another frightening fact is that 14190 people already have!
Saturday, 22 August 2009
A WALK ON THE SANDS
The Romans called it Lomea and Infera Insula (Low Island). Legend has it that the Earl of Godwin inherited land on it until the great sea floods of 1014 or 1099 swept everything away. Of the legend, only the floods can be verified; which were possibly caused by a tsunami after an earthquake – or a strong tidal surge that was the consequence of a storm in the North Sea. Either way, the Goodwin Sands has not only been a magnet to ships as a ‘shippe swalower’, but also to people who have a strange desire to visit.
The Goodwin Sands are located off the coast of Ramsgate, Deal and St Margaret’s Bay. The shallowest part of the ten mile sandbank begins its northern most point five nautical miles out from Ramsgate and ends a mere three miles from shore. Over the realm of time the Goodwin Sands has probably accounted for at least 2000 shipwrecks and countless lives. Ghost stories surround the sands with tales of sightings of spectral vessels being seen crashing into the surf and mysteriously disappearing when their rescuers arrive.
Regardless of all the myths, the Goodwins are a prominent feature off the Kent coast. In the past, men have tried to make use of the treacherous sandbank; as a safe haven for shipwrecked mariners and also as a warning to vessels that stray too close. Admiral Bullock erected a safety beacon upon them in 1840, in the form of a forty-foot mast with a platform or gallery construction that would hold 30 to 40 mariners. This ‘Refuge Beacon’ lasted for four years until a careless Dutch vessel ran it down. Eventually the lightships that surrounded the Goodwins marked the dangers, and their crews kept an eye out for mishaps. Incredulously, in 2003, there was a commissioned report to turn the Goodwin Sands into a 24-hour passenger and freight airport, along with two runways!
On the northern area of the Goodwins, at low water, the sand lies exposed. All around the sandbank are ‘swillies’ or deep holes that remain filled with seawater. Elsewhere gullies and mini sand dunes are formed which will start to crumble beneath your feet; and when you try to paddle in the ‘fox-holes’ or the deep puddles… it is then that you feel the suction of quick sand. Nevertheless, this situation gives little fear to the supposed colony of 350 seals, however, in the past it has given cause for much concern and grievance to humans.
Even the famed Deal boatmen or ‘hovelers’ have also been known to misjudge the conditions on the Goodwins. The large galley-punt Wanderer visited the wreck of the sailing ship Frederick Carl, which had run aground on the sandbank on the last day of October 1885. The Wanderer’s two man crew’s intention was to salvage some of the cargo. With an increasing north-east wind, the Sands started to cover as the ‘Young Flood Tide’ swept over the banks. As the sand shivered beneath their feet the two boatmen tried in vain to make it back to their own craft. When the sea encroached up to their waists, the men realised their luck was against them – and waded back to the abandoned hulk of the Frederick Carl. After the lifeboat Mary Somerville arrived, they only managed to save one of the Deal men. The other was found the following day, dead, tangled in the wrecks rigging.
The desire to do the unusual has always held a fascination for some, and to visit the Goodwin Sands as a fun-day out is no exception. They have been visited by thousands over the years for various reasons, and still attract the curious. It is known that the Sands hold vast amounts of treasure, both archaeological as well as financial. In recent years a Dutch East Indiaman called the Rooswijk was found by a diver, and a supposed million pound cargo of silver coins and bullion have been recovered.
A strange tale was told in the late 1800s that the Deal lugger Tiger was chartered for a week by London visitors – and financed by a Mr Morgan. Their quest was to dig for buried treasure on the Goodwins. It was said that the Tiger was put ashore on the Sands at low water and with the aid of a large cylinder the party dug a shaft within it. The men soon encountered a skeleton, and then a wreck. Further burrowing in the hulk’s timbers found the holds as ‘dry as an empty bottle’. However, at the end of the week a dozen chests of treasure were loaded onto the lugger and the expedition was hailed as a success. This is how it was told in Herbert Russell’s novel ‘The Longshoremen’.
What was true, is that the Tiger was the largest lugger on Deal beach and four of her crew lost their lives in a mysterious escapade on the Goodwins. Whilst the Tiger’s crew, in a smaller beach boat, attempted to salvage a cargo of coal from a wreck high and dry on the sandbank, they found their own craft ‘swaddled’ on the Sands as the tide made. The weight of the coal had sunk the Deal boat into the sand and she would not lift with the tide. They abandoned her and made for higher ground as the water rose. They were last seen by a passing sailing barge whose skipper thought that the men who were running about and waving their arms were ‘Deal boatmen, just mucking about’.
Annual cricket matches on the Goodwin Sands is a myth. The first recorded game was in the summer of 1813, which caused criticism from the public as a blasphemy against all those unfortunate victims of the rapacious Sands. Although it has been played spasmodically ever since and The London Illustrated News of 1854 recorded an event of that year with a fine lithograph. During 1985, this author assisted in ferrying players and spectators from the Kent team for a fundraising match on top of the Goodwins. Thirteen Deal boats took out around a hundred people on a calm and sunny afternoon. Since that event, cricket, amongst other games, have only been played by a few whilst on organised trips.
Although the large hovercrafts no longer are available to take the hundreds of sightseers out to the sandbank, the Goodwin Sands Potholers Club has found another way. This club is a charity, which raises money for young people, and prearranged a trip to the Sands on 19 August 2009. The use of a small helicopter was organised and the fare paying passengers were ferried out, and back, on the hottest day of the year, and enjoyed the evening’s low tide ramble on the Sands.
In July 2006, the BBC film crew who were making the well known television programme ‘Coast’ thought it would be a good idea to feature a cricket match being played upon the Sands. As the tide started to make the skipper of the craft who took them out, urged that they should evacuate with haste. The TV crew pleaded for another ten minutes to finish the take. That was all it took – the tide changed against a north-east wind and the surf built up and swamped the vessel and its outboard engines. Several thousand pounds of film cameras were washing about in the bilge of the disabled boat and the occupants were at risk of being stranded. It took two lifeboats from Ramsgate and Walmer, plus the rescue helicopter, to avert a tragedy.
Coastguard sector manager Andy Roberts summed up the situation by stating:
‘The Sands can appear safe but, if landing, very careful consideration must be given to tides, the weather forecast and the prevailing conditions. The Goodwin Sands should be treated with the utmost respect by visitors’
This advice, unfortunately, has not always been observed by many – much to their misfortune – and sometimes this endeavour has led to grief.
The Goodwin Sands are located off the coast of Ramsgate, Deal and St Margaret’s Bay. The shallowest part of the ten mile sandbank begins its northern most point five nautical miles out from Ramsgate and ends a mere three miles from shore. Over the realm of time the Goodwin Sands has probably accounted for at least 2000 shipwrecks and countless lives. Ghost stories surround the sands with tales of sightings of spectral vessels being seen crashing into the surf and mysteriously disappearing when their rescuers arrive.
Regardless of all the myths, the Goodwins are a prominent feature off the Kent coast. In the past, men have tried to make use of the treacherous sandbank; as a safe haven for shipwrecked mariners and also as a warning to vessels that stray too close. Admiral Bullock erected a safety beacon upon them in 1840, in the form of a forty-foot mast with a platform or gallery construction that would hold 30 to 40 mariners. This ‘Refuge Beacon’ lasted for four years until a careless Dutch vessel ran it down. Eventually the lightships that surrounded the Goodwins marked the dangers, and their crews kept an eye out for mishaps. Incredulously, in 2003, there was a commissioned report to turn the Goodwin Sands into a 24-hour passenger and freight airport, along with two runways!
On the northern area of the Goodwins, at low water, the sand lies exposed. All around the sandbank are ‘swillies’ or deep holes that remain filled with seawater. Elsewhere gullies and mini sand dunes are formed which will start to crumble beneath your feet; and when you try to paddle in the ‘fox-holes’ or the deep puddles… it is then that you feel the suction of quick sand. Nevertheless, this situation gives little fear to the supposed colony of 350 seals, however, in the past it has given cause for much concern and grievance to humans.
Even the famed Deal boatmen or ‘hovelers’ have also been known to misjudge the conditions on the Goodwins. The large galley-punt Wanderer visited the wreck of the sailing ship Frederick Carl, which had run aground on the sandbank on the last day of October 1885. The Wanderer’s two man crew’s intention was to salvage some of the cargo. With an increasing north-east wind, the Sands started to cover as the ‘Young Flood Tide’ swept over the banks. As the sand shivered beneath their feet the two boatmen tried in vain to make it back to their own craft. When the sea encroached up to their waists, the men realised their luck was against them – and waded back to the abandoned hulk of the Frederick Carl. After the lifeboat Mary Somerville arrived, they only managed to save one of the Deal men. The other was found the following day, dead, tangled in the wrecks rigging.
The desire to do the unusual has always held a fascination for some, and to visit the Goodwin Sands as a fun-day out is no exception. They have been visited by thousands over the years for various reasons, and still attract the curious. It is known that the Sands hold vast amounts of treasure, both archaeological as well as financial. In recent years a Dutch East Indiaman called the Rooswijk was found by a diver, and a supposed million pound cargo of silver coins and bullion have been recovered.
A strange tale was told in the late 1800s that the Deal lugger Tiger was chartered for a week by London visitors – and financed by a Mr Morgan. Their quest was to dig for buried treasure on the Goodwins. It was said that the Tiger was put ashore on the Sands at low water and with the aid of a large cylinder the party dug a shaft within it. The men soon encountered a skeleton, and then a wreck. Further burrowing in the hulk’s timbers found the holds as ‘dry as an empty bottle’. However, at the end of the week a dozen chests of treasure were loaded onto the lugger and the expedition was hailed as a success. This is how it was told in Herbert Russell’s novel ‘The Longshoremen’.
What was true, is that the Tiger was the largest lugger on Deal beach and four of her crew lost their lives in a mysterious escapade on the Goodwins. Whilst the Tiger’s crew, in a smaller beach boat, attempted to salvage a cargo of coal from a wreck high and dry on the sandbank, they found their own craft ‘swaddled’ on the Sands as the tide made. The weight of the coal had sunk the Deal boat into the sand and she would not lift with the tide. They abandoned her and made for higher ground as the water rose. They were last seen by a passing sailing barge whose skipper thought that the men who were running about and waving their arms were ‘Deal boatmen, just mucking about’.
Annual cricket matches on the Goodwin Sands is a myth. The first recorded game was in the summer of 1813, which caused criticism from the public as a blasphemy against all those unfortunate victims of the rapacious Sands. Although it has been played spasmodically ever since and The London Illustrated News of 1854 recorded an event of that year with a fine lithograph. During 1985, this author assisted in ferrying players and spectators from the Kent team for a fundraising match on top of the Goodwins. Thirteen Deal boats took out around a hundred people on a calm and sunny afternoon. Since that event, cricket, amongst other games, have only been played by a few whilst on organised trips.
Although the large hovercrafts no longer are available to take the hundreds of sightseers out to the sandbank, the Goodwin Sands Potholers Club has found another way. This club is a charity, which raises money for young people, and prearranged a trip to the Sands on 19 August 2009. The use of a small helicopter was organised and the fare paying passengers were ferried out, and back, on the hottest day of the year, and enjoyed the evening’s low tide ramble on the Sands.
In July 2006, the BBC film crew who were making the well known television programme ‘Coast’ thought it would be a good idea to feature a cricket match being played upon the Sands. As the tide started to make the skipper of the craft who took them out, urged that they should evacuate with haste. The TV crew pleaded for another ten minutes to finish the take. That was all it took – the tide changed against a north-east wind and the surf built up and swamped the vessel and its outboard engines. Several thousand pounds of film cameras were washing about in the bilge of the disabled boat and the occupants were at risk of being stranded. It took two lifeboats from Ramsgate and Walmer, plus the rescue helicopter, to avert a tragedy.
Coastguard sector manager Andy Roberts summed up the situation by stating:
‘The Sands can appear safe but, if landing, very careful consideration must be given to tides, the weather forecast and the prevailing conditions. The Goodwin Sands should be treated with the utmost respect by visitors’
This advice, unfortunately, has not always been observed by many – much to their misfortune – and sometimes this endeavour has led to grief.
Monday, 9 March 2009
A match angler's psychology
Just what makes a match angler tick? Simple, it’s all in the mind. This is a light-hearted synopsis into our sport and all of the emotions that make it enjoyable.
It is obvious that we all have a passion for angling; however, anticipation plays a great part in the angler’s psyche. It has been known for some anglers not to be able to sleep the night before a session as their excitement grows. In some cases the anticipation is almost fifty percent of the pleasure.
Along with the anticipation is the preparation. Days prior to the competition will be spent on contemplation where to gather bait, checking tackle and finding out information on what has been caught (an excuse to visit the tackle shop or the web sites). New methods and easy ways of catching are always in the forefront of our mind. Will that new rod and reel get you those extra yards to where the main shoals of fish are? Will the new rig give you the edge on your fellow competitors – you become exited and impatient to try it out? Nevertheless, under normal conditions it will be the bait and how it is presented that will be more successful – and not the number or colour of the beads that festoon your rigs. However, if that makes you confident then so be it, more on that subject later.
At the signing in before the comp there is normally an atmosphere of camaraderie (or bonding) and sussing out the opposition. As you make the first cast you have that feeling of confidence that this will be your comp – the fish are lining-up to jump on your hook. Having a negative attitude normally only produces negative results; therefore confidence is the most important aspect of winning.
Now it is only halfway through the match and you know that the angler at the next peg is beating you – it is then when anxiety and paranoia starts to creep in. And in the last half hour if the situation has not changed – then panic rears its ugly head.
As the weigh-in commences you are curious to know what the other anglers have caught. This knowledge will either bring you disappointment or elation. If you have won, then the feeling of smugness fills your head and you know that your competitive spirit has paid off and you have beaten the others (sort of being top dog for five minutes – or as the younger members would say ‘a major buzz’). As you collect the pool monies you get that sense of pre-eminence (lets face it, unless you win the big one, your winnings normally only cover bait, entrance fees and transport, therefore you’ve got to get something out of it – even if it is only in the mind).
However, if you lose then outwardly you become the good loser and congratulate the winners. Inwardly it is the bad losers who have that emotion of disenchantment and will think and consider where they went wrong. They will try to improve on the next comp and eventually become winners.
When you pack-up and go home, it is then that the whole session becomes an anti-climax in your mind. Mentally you have joined up the full circle of all the angling emotions – and then start to begin another one as you anticipate and plan the next competition.
So now Dr CELOCANT Freud will just recount some of the emotions that a match angler will come across:
Passion
Pleasure
Knowledge
Anticipation
Excitement
Contemplation
Curiosity
Confidence
Dedication
Commonsense
Camaraderie
Negative attitude
Jealousy
Anxiety
Panic
Pride
Disappointment
Discipline
Paranoia
Disenchantment
Satisfaction
Anti-climax
There you have it! it’s all in the mind. Ah, I hear you say, what about the physical side of angling like casting. Well, if you don’t think what you’re doing when you go through those actions – then look out! Thankfully we all have slightly more brain matter than the fish – but not always. Consider, if a salmon can migrate from a river in Scotland, go on a sabbatical for a few years, thousands of miles away, and then find their way back to the same river – underwater – then they’ve got more knowledge than Dr CELOCANT Freud.
It is obvious that we all have a passion for angling; however, anticipation plays a great part in the angler’s psyche. It has been known for some anglers not to be able to sleep the night before a session as their excitement grows. In some cases the anticipation is almost fifty percent of the pleasure.
Along with the anticipation is the preparation. Days prior to the competition will be spent on contemplation where to gather bait, checking tackle and finding out information on what has been caught (an excuse to visit the tackle shop or the web sites). New methods and easy ways of catching are always in the forefront of our mind. Will that new rod and reel get you those extra yards to where the main shoals of fish are? Will the new rig give you the edge on your fellow competitors – you become exited and impatient to try it out? Nevertheless, under normal conditions it will be the bait and how it is presented that will be more successful – and not the number or colour of the beads that festoon your rigs. However, if that makes you confident then so be it, more on that subject later.
At the signing in before the comp there is normally an atmosphere of camaraderie (or bonding) and sussing out the opposition. As you make the first cast you have that feeling of confidence that this will be your comp – the fish are lining-up to jump on your hook. Having a negative attitude normally only produces negative results; therefore confidence is the most important aspect of winning.
Now it is only halfway through the match and you know that the angler at the next peg is beating you – it is then when anxiety and paranoia starts to creep in. And in the last half hour if the situation has not changed – then panic rears its ugly head.
As the weigh-in commences you are curious to know what the other anglers have caught. This knowledge will either bring you disappointment or elation. If you have won, then the feeling of smugness fills your head and you know that your competitive spirit has paid off and you have beaten the others (sort of being top dog for five minutes – or as the younger members would say ‘a major buzz’). As you collect the pool monies you get that sense of pre-eminence (lets face it, unless you win the big one, your winnings normally only cover bait, entrance fees and transport, therefore you’ve got to get something out of it – even if it is only in the mind).
However, if you lose then outwardly you become the good loser and congratulate the winners. Inwardly it is the bad losers who have that emotion of disenchantment and will think and consider where they went wrong. They will try to improve on the next comp and eventually become winners.
When you pack-up and go home, it is then that the whole session becomes an anti-climax in your mind. Mentally you have joined up the full circle of all the angling emotions – and then start to begin another one as you anticipate and plan the next competition.
So now Dr CELOCANT Freud will just recount some of the emotions that a match angler will come across:
Passion
Pleasure
Knowledge
Anticipation
Excitement
Contemplation
Curiosity
Confidence
Dedication
Commonsense
Camaraderie
Negative attitude
Jealousy
Anxiety
Panic
Pride
Disappointment
Discipline
Paranoia
Disenchantment
Satisfaction
Anti-climax
There you have it! it’s all in the mind. Ah, I hear you say, what about the physical side of angling like casting. Well, if you don’t think what you’re doing when you go through those actions – then look out! Thankfully we all have slightly more brain matter than the fish – but not always. Consider, if a salmon can migrate from a river in Scotland, go on a sabbatical for a few years, thousands of miles away, and then find their way back to the same river – underwater – then they’ve got more knowledge than Dr CELOCANT Freud.
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