Dolphins

[senator]

One for the more salty type,

Will be taking a trip along the east coast and up the Thames as far as St. Kats at the start of August and as a newbie on the salt both me and the crew would love to see one of these.

Realise that we are not really far enough south to pick up the usual haunts but seem to remember reports of Dolphins in the Thames estuary. What are the chances of a couple turning up and is there anything that can be done to improve the chances?

[Guest]

What are the chances of a couple turning up

Pretty slim -- more chance of seeing seals or the odd porpoise.

and is there anything that can be done to improve the chances?

...Dream ?

[Antares_9]

It’s all chance Ian, I have seen Porpoise off the coast as far up as the Humber and apparently they have returned to the Thames too. If you are stopping off at Shotley on the way down and we are around I’ll give you a lift to get some petrol if you need to, I've got room for a couple of 45 gallon drums in the hearse GT

[senator]

Hi David, will be stopping off at Shotley so your offer of a petrol run is very gratefully accepted, will have about 700 litres on board when we leave the Broads, If I fill up at Shotley I may have enough to get to London and backto the Broads without having to take on any more.

Ian

[Guest]

Ian are they the 205's (V6) or the 211's (V8) that you've got?

[pks1702]

That Hearse GT might double well as Petrol Bowser

I am sure a refueling crew will be on standby Ian - let us know nearer the time when you are planning to be down.

[Antares_9]

Hi David, will be stopping off at Shotley so your offer of a petrol run is very gratefully accepted, will have about 700 litres on board when we leave the Broads, If I fill up at Shotley I may have enough to get to London and backto the Broads without having to take on any more.

Ian

OK Ian, just get in touch a bit nearer the time and we will set it up if we are not away, we are off to London ourselves but not sure of the date. Same goes for London if needs be, weekdays we don't live far from Kat's.

[senator]

Ian are they the 205's (V6) or the 211's (V8) that you've got?

Hi Simon, they are 431b's, same as the 205s but with balancer shafts, obviously work as the port engine is absolutly silky smooth, unfortunately the starboard one is not quite as good, nothing wrong with compresions or anything and revs and pulls fine but there is a a little bit of vibration from it when you compare it to the port one, probably comparable to a 205 lump. Think I will possibly strip the heads off at the end of the season, change the stem seals and re grind the valves.

David and Perry, thankyou for your kind offers, will no doubt be taking you up on them if you are around.

Ian

[goodall_m1]

One for the more salty type,

seem to remember reports of Dolphins in the Thames estuary. What are the chances of a couple turning up and is there anything that can be done to improve the chances?

Keep a good lookout at all times, and possibly keeping the speed and noise down a bit might help.

I have had dolphins playing on the bow wave of my yacht three times, and on two of those occaisions we were under engine, so a bit of engine / prop noise didn't deter them.

Unfortunately I don't sail on the East Coast a lot, my last encounter was with a pod of 20 striped dolphins in the Bristol Channel and the other two times I was out in Greece.)

I saw a report the other day that the Gunfleet Sands windfarm is employing a local fisherman and his boat to use an acoustic scanner to detect the presence of Dolphins etc in the area and they then stop pile-driving until they are out of range, so either they get them there or somebody made it a condition on their planning consent.

I hope you see some.

Remember to keep your camera ready and snapping them isn't easy even when they are really close as they always seem to dive as I click the shutter.

Here is an example of what you are looking for (taken off the bow in Greece):

I don't worry about whether I see porpoises or dolphins either will do for me, especially when they come to play with the boat.

[Guest]

I've seen dolphins playing around a boat many times. Unfortunately for Ian they were near Green Island off the Queensland Coast in Oz, in the Bay Of Islands near Paihia in New Zealand and off Lantau Island in Hong Kong so that doesn't help you much.

However, I was always told during the many years I lived in Dundee that dolphins were not an unusual sight in the Tay Estuary (not that I ever saw any, but then I didn't have a boat) so if they get them that far north on the east coast I don't see why they wouldn't get them off East Angula.

[pks1702]

I have to admit to not seeing many dolphins in the Thames over the years.

A couple when I was boat fishing on the Southern side is about all; but that was some years ago. As Simon has eluded they are not unusual further north, I wonder if water clarity or suspended mud particles has something to do with the reason they are not too common off the lower East Coast or Thames. I realise they don't need to see to hunt but it does seem odd that so few are seen.

This might be of interest Ian http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/ ... ressed.pdf

There are some around though and you could be lucky, you may remember this story http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1430483.stm

Edited for typo which said usual instead of unusual

[pks1702]

There are some I took here - http://picasaweb.google.com/perrysaunde ... #slideshow

About halfway through.

Not the East Coast though

[Guest]

I think that says it all - if you were dolphin, didn't need a job or a bricks and motor home, where would you rather be - the North Sea or the Aegian? Just looking at those pics made me want to reach for the swimming trunks (apologies to anyone who is put off their food by that vision).

[senator]

Thanks all for the responses and Rod I will PM you before leaving to work out a contact stratergy.

Heres hoping to be one of the lucky ones.

Ian