Malta Fishing Forum

For all of you out there intending on participating in the MFF Alongi competition, please post your intention here, to enable the organisers to get a general idea on members participation.  If you do know of any friends who, although are not members here, but, have already shown an interest in participating, then please advise.  It is important that when posting your interest to participate, please also indicate location of departure...i.e. North Harbour area...(eg Salina, bugibba, mellieha etc) South Harbour area (Sliema, ta'xbiex/Msida, Valletta, Cottonera, M'scala, M'xlokk, B'Bugia etc) West coast (Zurrieq, Gnejna, Gozo? etc) this will really help in orgainising logistics...points of departure, etc.  
In the next post I will demonstrate a typical post.

Maltese Translation.  
Ghal dawk kollha li behsiebhom jiehdu sehem fil-kompettizjoni tal-alongi, importanti tavzaw bl-intenzjoni taghkhom minn issa.  Jekk tafu xi hbieb, li ghalkemm mhumiex membri, jixtiequ jiehdu sehem, allura nixtiequ nkunu nafu bijhom ukoll.  Importanti li tnizlu mill-liema post ser titilqu.  Jekk minn naha ta fuq, xaqliba tal-port il-kbir (ez.  Salina, bugibba, mellieha etc) Naha t-isfel xaqliba port il-kbir (Sliema, ta'xbiex/Msida, Valletta, Cottonera, M'scala, M'xlokk, B'Bugia etc) u naha tal Punent (Zurrieq, Gnejna, Gozo? etc).  Dan sabiex l-organizaturi ikollhom stampa cara ghal-logistika tal-kompetizjoni.  Fil-post li jmiss, ser nuri ezempju.
Grazzi.

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member: The_Gaffer
Boat:      The Gaffer
Location: South Harbour area - Msida Marina

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member:  Skip
Boat:      Eagle One
Location: North Harbour area - Xemxija

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member: Shanook
Boat:     Shanook
Location: South Harbour area - Birzebbugia

Confirm:

Member: ramio
Boat: Clara1
Location: B'Buga

Member:  cla144
Location: B'Bugia

Member: Kaptan Jr
Boat: BUMBLE BEE
Location: B'Bugia

Member: offken
Boat: Georgia 1
Location: B,Bugia

Crew 1: Gazzetta

Member:    Visa
Boat:        Reelax
Location:   Gozo

i intend to participate in the MFF alongi competition.

member:   sailfish
boat:       sailfish
Location:  Gozo

Member: Steve GB
Boat: Deadliest Catch
Location: North Harbour area-Xemxija

Member: Shaftbomb
Boat: KINKY
Location: Gozo

Member: bigboy
Boat: Riviera
Location: Msida

I m in only if it's postponed for the 4th of July as I'll be away. Sry guys :(

Member :ForTuna
Boat: ForTuna
Location: Gnejna

Myself like Fortuna,will take part if it's on the 4th July otherwise bigboy will skip my boat!!

Here we go for the fun of it.... Sure no threat to bigboy, the_gaffer and the rest!!

Member:  Benri
Boat:      Shisha
Location: North Harbour area - St Paul's Bay

Count me in too.

Member:  DJS
Location: Msida

 Hello

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition. Thank you very much

Name: Jesmond
Boat:
Port: Cirkewwa

Name:  Fishfinder
Boat:   
Port:

Name: Gottie:
Boat:
Port: St Pauls Bay

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member: Malcolm X
Boat:      Nini Valletta
Location: Cottonera

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member: PlaCEBO
Boat:      RIXA
Location: BIRZEBBUGA

P.S - very much depending on the weather as i have a very small craft

The Gaffer
Skip
Shanook
Ramio
Cla144
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo

19 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)
Also, please keep in mind that the competition will follow the general rule identical to the interclubs one.  If the wind is more then Force 3, the competition gets postponed to the following week.

Also, please keep in mind that the competition will follow the general rule identical to the interclubs one.  If the wind is more then Force 3, the competition gets postponed to the following week. (Better for me.. :P ;) ;D)

Please add me in!!!
Member: Anglers
Boat : Anglers
Location : St julians

Just to clarify it needs to be gusting over a Force 3.....ie established Force 3 with gusts up to Force 4. We will not cancel(postpone) if the forecast is Force 2/3, becoming 3 and blowing up to 4 by the evening, especially given the prevailing winds during the past few years.

The Gaffer
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers

20 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

I intend on participating in the MFF Alongi Competition.

Member: Guido99

Location: South Harbour area - Msida Marina

The Gaffer
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)]
Benri        [Crew- Robby017(4thJuly)]
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)


  Logged 

Guys, if you would need any help from land please let me know. I think Baghira will also join up if there would be the need for a team on land. I can also offer taking some photos too  ;)

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)-(Maltembu)
Benri        [Crew- Robby017(4thJuly)]
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)-(Maltembu)
Benri   [Crew 4th July - Giannino - Robby017]
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip + (SimonG and Fin Crew)
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)-(Maltembu)
Benri   [Crew 4th July - Giannino - Robby017]
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)
[/quote]

The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip + (SimonG and Fin Crew)
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)-(Maltembu)
Benri   [Crew 4th July - Giannino - Robby017]
DJS + (Mario crew)
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)
[/quote]

Quote from: DJS on May 15, 2009, 16:40:43 CET
The Gaffer + (Jonathan & wife Kathleen + Fr. Charles tabone crew)
Skip + (SimonG and Fin Crew)
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken + (Gazzetta)
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev  [Crew- Robby017(28thJune)-(Maltembu)
Benri   [Crew 4th July - Giannino - Robby017]
DJS + (Mario crew)
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99

21 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules are attached on Page 1, first post)

[/quote]

gaffer....................having a father as crew is against rules!

cya mate.... enjoy the weekend

ah placebo now we know his secret weapon eh

I m getting sister Giovanna with me  ;) ;D

camkev ahjar tbirek id dajsa nahseb inti qabel il competition ax nahseb qas jekk jigi alla mana xorta ma naqbdux huta. Sehta kbira ghandek fuqek hahaj msiken jin u l maltembu ax qed inbatuwa mijek

u jien.... insejtni bigboy  :'(

ifhem, gaffer kien alilna li ser ikollu id divine intervention.... lol

I may consider coming but have to check and test il- Bezz first. Nearly finished about another 10 to fifteen days of da...and vaselina. ;D

Ehh Father Charles dejjem risq gabilna lilna.  ;D ;D

U meta tidghi xi wahda iqerlek mil ewwel.

id dghajsa tal camkev ezorcizmu shih jrid isir bix tiehu r-ruh mid dagh lool :)

guys if my boat will be ready i will participate together with my uncle and brother as crew.

i moore my boat at gziera creek but will probably take the boat down to birzebbuga by road. will update you soon...

Competition Registration Form Added on First Post - Page 1

Safety Briefing Set for Wednesday 24th June 8pm at Punch and Judy Bar - Rabat

Bar will be open for those who want drinks etc. This is a compulsory meeting for skippers, crew can attend if they wish at their discretion.

Those who want to stay on, swap stories and have a general chat are free to do so.... :)

in other words its a briefing session for the competition but the way we Maltese are might as well make a night out of it eh....so apart from those taking part in the competition all others are more than welcome............

good for me guys :)

see you there.... :D (just in case big boy has one to many lagers)  ;D

Can we pay there for the competition pls???

Yes no problem, it's probably the easiest for most

so we can also regester and pay there, eat and drink and have a night out all in the same night ;D ;D :D

u got it right first time round John

Are judges invited?? ;D

QuoteAre judges invited??

i guess so... but not to receive bribes or free drinks eh  ;D

wisq brigant baghira int kieku tispicca ihallsuk bl alungi u drinks lol

Kemm tahsbu hazin fija>>>> ::)

ifhem.... int hrigt bijha gustuz!!!! fit 21stMay marsaskala

Hi guys

alongi season started caught 4 in the region of 6 to 9 kilos oustide filfla on saturday afternoon.  Hope it will be a good season.

Aw barbun mortu tajjeb mela , jien s sibt sparajt fuq accola naseb kien fiha bejn 20kg u 30 kg , qabdet tistabat mal hajt u nqaletli qabel nizel stephen biex icapcpila t 2 tir ,  m hemmx xtamel , imma amilt l awma kollha qisni iccassattttt.

prosit barbun

Guys... Alungi ... Catch and release please.... halli mhux naqbdu kollox sa qabel il competition eh u dakinhar tal competition ma naqbdux xewka wahda!!!!!

jien min issa il quddiem inzomm min wahda sa tnejn at tghoma il bqija nitlaq ghax mhux xi huta li nigennen alija al ikel.  Aw fabviper andek ragun tibqa iccassat ax accola ta 20kg bil harpoon mhux along bil qasba naf x jigifieri.  Imsomma jien ukoll il gimgha l ohra tlift kubrita nahseb kien fiha aktar min 10kg seww bil vertical jigging, tatni hasda wara xi 7 minuti nisara u qatet. M hemmx tamel dejjem titghallem mill zbalji. :-\

barbun mhux biex nindahal imma malli taqbada l'Alunga kif tiehu hsieba

I would prefer if this thread is kept to the intention it was created for. This is a notice of intent to participate in the alungi competition thread.  I would wugegst you post all other discussions in their respective thread.

Barbun:  I don't see your name down for the competition.  Will you be taking part?

Jien dghajsa zghira ghandi bahri ta 13ft il bicca il kbira nohrog ma hadd iehor ghal alungi igiefiri ma tantx nista niehu parti f din il competition.  Irid altru jibdew jinqabdu naqra il gewwa biex nohrog b tieghi ghalihom.  Ovjament meta tmisni alunga ingiba bil modd mad dghajsa u ma ntelahiex mil ilma, naqbada min denba u nehlisa f lilma.  Nibqa inzomma min denba sa kemm terga tirkupra u x hin nara giet f taghha nehlisa. OK skuzawni issa nuza thread ohra.

Redbus9 will hopefully attend skippering Dignity with 3 other crew members. We have the gear now lets get the fish   ;D

The Gaffer
Skip + Fin and SimonG
Shanook + 1 crew
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
gottie
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99
Redbus9

22 + 1 so far come on Guys lets get going (rules and registration form are attached on Page 1)

Also, encourage your friends from outside the forum to participate.  They are most welcome

The Gaffer
Skip + Fin and SimonG
Shanook + Busumark + MartinB
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fortuna (4th July)
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99
Redbus9

21 + 1 (Rules and registration form are attached on Page 1 - You must be logged in to view attachement)

Also, encourage your friends from outside the forum to participate.  They are most welcome

I shall participate skip!

The Gaffer
Skip + Fin and SimonG
Shanook + Busumark + MartinB
Ramio
Cla144 + (neville crew)
Kaptan Jr
Offken
Visa
Sailfish
Steve GB + (BIKRI + KALANG CREW)
shaftbomb
BigBoy/Camkev
Benri
DJS
Jesmond
Fishfinder + (SKARS + NANDOS CREW)
Malcolm X
Placebo
Anglers
Guido99
Redbus9
bebbuxu

22 (Rules and registration form are attached on Page 1 - You must be logged in to view attachement)

4th July Backup Date
Fortuna (4th July)

Also, encourage your friends from outside the forum to participate.  They are most welcome

that is extremely generous!

wow that's nice ;D

Many thanks to SKIP and all sponsers.

Well done Skip & co! That is impressive and is surely the result of a lot of hard work which is being done done in the background - Thanks guys  :)

well done. Thanks for the sponsors

Rules ammended - to reflect second finish point and competition deadline of midday and the prizes

The two finish points will be open from 10.30am - 12.00 noon given how this competition will start very early and the bite hasn't been at all hot after 10.30am. having to stay out longer would be quite a waste of fuel and I don't feel it's fair on our judges manning the finish points for them to be waiting for 1 boat that comes in at 2.30pm if all the others came in between 11-12.

This will be discussed in more detail on Wednesday at the briefing.

The registration form has been ammended slightly as well.

but if some boats want to stay till 2.00pm skip???? last friday at 1200 i caught my last alunga

Will be discussed on Wed in more detail. But basically forget 2pm, at the very latest I will consider 1pm.

ok np skip. Are there going to be registration forms atr the meeting or else we have to bring it with us???

Don't worry about bringing forms, will have them on Wednesday as they were revised slightly so it's easier like that.

We need to keep in mind that our judges are helping us out as a favour so having them out waiting for hours isn't ideal. We'll see what the general feeling is at the briefing and take it from there :)

Dignity may be one crew short on sunday so may be place available.Going out from Sliema will know for certain by the meeting tomorrow.If place is available would prefer med size person who has never fished for Alungi to give him the experience   ;D   ;D   ;D

i have place with benri  ;D     take maltembu redbus !!!!  ;)

Latest weather update provided by Fin after speaking with the Met Office is a clear F4/5 on Sunday and Monday is looking very similar.

Windfinder is still lagging behind a bit showing a F3 borderline F4 but remember that they are providing a wind forecast over Luqa ONLY and not over the sea or West coast.

With the winds WNW as some of you may have noticed the East coast didn't look that bad but the West was rough.

We will do our best to sms everyone but ideally keep an eye on the forum if you're planning to take part. I think a final decision to GO or not will be taken on Saturday morning as I feel Saturday eve is too late, a preparations would already have been done potentially for nothing.

For those that have confirmed can we get an idea whether everyone can make it on the 4th July?

4 th I have a course so I can't make it. If its on sunday its ok, but if I am the only one no problem just go ahead with plans.

Unfortunately the wind gods are not members of the MFF

we should send them a free invite then!!!

I now beleive in GOD  ;)

do they know about the discounts they get at ta bormla & mr fish??

+ discounted entry to competitions etc.....

4th of july or any other date is good enough for me.......

4th even better for me however are we still on for this evening???

Quote from: camkev on June 24, 2009, 12:11:55 CET
I now beleive in GOD  ;)

You and Fortuna!!!...great spell of luck there mate...was starting to miss you already. 

VISA: Briefing is still on for tonight.  We need to get this done, just in case the wind has a change in plans and we get fine weather, though I really doubt it.  Also, at the briefing we will be officially registering the competitors and crew.  Remember, this briefing will be filmed by Mr. Fisherman, and there will be drinks and free nibbles also.  Ohh, BTW, don't forget the raffle, Mr. Fish has donated some rods/reels to be raffled tonight!!!!

4th is good for me but not for my crew :(! Is next Sunday 5th July also a possibility and can it also be considered tonight whilst discussing backup dates ??? Thanks

Quote from: SteveGB on June 24, 2009, 13:36:05 CET
4th is good for me but not for my crew :(! Is next Sunday 5th July also a possibility and can it also be considered tonight whilst discussing backup dates ??? Thanks

At the moment 5th July is not being considered as some of the organisers have other important commitments.  However, this can be further discussed tonight at the briefing. 

Guys... don't give up on next Sunday! Windfinder is a very reliable when it comes to forcasting weather in my opinion, especially the wind. So far it is showing a Force 3 for the morning gusting to force 4 in the afternoon. Unless i'm mistaken, with the wind at Force 3 competition is still on!!! Should windfinder keep the forcast of force 3 up till tomorrow, then i'd say we'll be out on sunday... fingers crossed...

We'll see.  The report we have in hand is issued by the MET office.  I do agree that it is still early days.  However, the consistency of the forecast seems to favour the assumption that on Sunday and Monday 28 and 29 June respectively, the wind conditions will be in the region of F4 to F5, so we have to build in a contingency plan.  Next available date after that is Saturday 4 July, then Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July. 

Dignity has one place available.Be at the meeting tonight

See all tonight  :)

If anyone still wants to register their boat but was unable to attend yesterdays safety briefing please contact me by PM or email admin@maltafishingforum.com so that I can advise you what needs to be done




Salient Points Clarified Yesterday:

1. Competition finish time 13:00 at B'Bugia and Beachaven

2. Departure Point Marfa - Clarified as Jetty next to Riveria Hotel (opposite Ramla Bay Hotel)

3. Boats can leave from the north (Marfa) but finish from the south (B'Bugia)

4. You must be on time to have your boat inspected or you will not be eligible to compete.

5. We will do our best to notify skippers by SMS but please check the forum for updates

6. Competition rankings based on total number of fish caught. Each fish will be weighed in case more than one team have the same number of fish and also to determine the prize for biggest fish.

To All Competitors:

Given the prevailing weather conditions for Sunday 28th as currently confirmed by the 3 different weather websites, we are taking the decision to postpone the 28th......there is 1% chance at best that it will drop back down to 10-12 knots versus the 15+ that is currently forecast.

On the other hand Monday 29th is looking slightly more promising putting us in the Force 3 gusting to a light 4 territory. In the interest of the smaller boats I would rather all competitors keep on standby for Monday 29th......BUT on a positive note the long range forecasts for Saturday 4th July are looking promising with an area of high pressure due to move in to the Central Mediterranean for at least a week.

We want to have fun and we ve to stand a good chance of catching fish given today's fuel prices so I really feel (and I hope you all agree) that as much as possible we should aim for the best day.

Please would each skipper or skipper's representative if he's not only reply in this thread indicating if you are available to take part on the 29th or not. Everyone should have kept the 4th free as it was our pre-arranged backup date.

If it will be on the 4th i will take part,with new crew.Me the skipper,maltembu,mundinu and granitu ;)

I can make it both on the 29th and 4th. I however think it's safer to go for the 4th as we must also consider the swell that's building up.

Sailfish confirmed as well for either 29th or 4th.

Skip as well!

+Maria Dolores I either days

For me both 29th and 4th are ok always go for the safer day

Available both dates.

np for me ;) My work is not fixed like yours. Jekk jkun bnazzi ghax xoghol memx xtamel l ewwel ix xoghol imbad l alungi

For me the 29th would be better. Keep us updated please. Thanks

Trueblue (bebbuxu) confirms 29th or 4th

sunday force 4-5 and monday force 4. there will be a bit of swell on west coast

Yep busu I just looked at the forecasts which as you rightly point out with Sunday's predicted high winds there will be a swell on the West coast on Monday (although MIA are implying more on the East Coast). The wind on Monday is forecast to start of at a F4 and then drop to a WNW3 as Tue, Wed the wind will be dropping.....

Windfinder is showing a steady F4 on Monday with it blowing up not down!! Bit of a contradiction there...the morning hours on the superforecast are showing an established F4 on both Sunday/Monday

This really means that we're realistically looking at Saturday 4th for the competition.

ok guys for me.

for me and my crew both days are avail but I suggest that we go on the 4th cause on Monday there will still be a lot of swell out there.

thanks

Sorry just woke up :-[  For me both days are ok! Thanks

According to windfinder.com next monday from 5 am till 2 pm it's going to be force 3.

Fingers crossed for Monday guys

reelax and maria dolores 2 ok for monday

redbus9 and crew ok for monday

For us it's ok aswell !!!  ;)

Chris  8)

i want to enjoy the competition but i dont think i will take part on Monday as the wind up to now is still strong and the swell will be strong. If Sunday whole day will be calm then Monday should be ok. If Sunday the wind is still strong, then Monday will not be good to fish. My Opinion of course.
Have fun guys and now u all have a chance to win ?!?!?!?!?! :)P

Of course Sunday will still be strong....have you not seen the forecast???? We could end waiting till mid July for that 'perfect' day. It should be the least of your worries an F3 with a low swell in an 18 foot Kaptan Sway, but of course it's your call.

I was not thinking about myself, You know my boat can take it and more than that, but open smaller boat will find difficulty.

id just like to see Mr fish filming on an open small boat .............that might be fun i might come, just to see that...........

Rather than jump the gun, I think we should wait for the latest forecast at 10.30am tomorrow morning and then take a decision as agreed.

agreed

I tend to agree with Shanook here.... Filming will not be so easy :-) Having looked at all forecasts I would go for the 4th as it's a fact that it's been windy all week and tomorrow I'm sure the swell will pick up. On the other hand 2nd and 3rd July forecasts are much milder therefore even if it had to be force 4 on the 4th July, the swell won't be as bad and we can still make it. My 2c worth!

The Gaffer is ok for Monday, Saturday and any other day. With a F4-5 wind the swell will be low. Swell depends mostly on the moon. Last year during the interclubs, we had a swell in the early morning which went to negligible by 8.00am. Still a long call to Saturday 4 July. Next available dates are 11 and 12 July, which is still peak time for alongi.

Monday is ok for the DJS team too.

I have attached the latest version of the rules with the Clarifications raised during the Safety Briefing.

Due to the postponement, should a vessel wish to take part in the Competition and you were unable to attend the Safety Briefing, please contact me as you will need to register using a different form and we will need to send you an overview of the safety briefing.

Thanks Skip

Ok I'm in too. Will be me and a friend on my boat. Will call you tomorrow Skip to register.

It's better you have a look at the weather guys.Mia is saying Force3-4 Malta weather Force4,Windfinder force 4 and SD Weather force 4 with Moderate Sea!!What do you think???

I think the weather shouldn't be bad... MIA's forecasts are not looking that bad and usually they're quite close in predicting. Of course everything can change till tommorow and saturday!

The superforecast on windfinder is also showing a force 3 max!

No swell is forecast and winds should be a steady 3, touching up to a 4 here and there but not a steady 4.

last time the swell was against us but we should be good to Go

Wind is OK. What's worrying is the alongi. Where are they. Lots of people out today, but no catches. Janis caught 2 early in the morning, and that's it. No other catch reports.

They are waiting for us ;D

Was going today for Alungi but decided not to. I know who went out yesterday and they just caught 2 from 6am till 3pm! Many of the other boats out there had no catches also! Not looking good!

I just spoke to my friend who is out there,he said that there were no catches but a lot of boats!!!I think when it's time for a competion they all go away!!X tahseb Gaffer??

Looooooooooooooooooool......... i see someone likes to rub salt in the wound...........

just like last year a spell of rough weather and the Alungi just disappear...they will be back but not in the numbers that were caught in beginning of season.

Yeah, right on Camkev.  Lets see what happens, still 2 more days till Saturday.  Was out yesterday, doing a recon on some good spots for deep sea fishing...I had alot of fishfinder activity in the 160mtr area...I was in 400-500mtrs depth...wasn't sure whether it was alongi or just baitfish.  However, no temperature breaks...and alot, I mean big families of Dolphin. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

For those boats scheduled to be inspected by the Jetty near Burger King Sliema, I had a look around yesterday, and its very difficulty to approach the jetty with all those bouys around, especially in the dark.  
So, my suggestion is that the inspection is held in the middle of the harbour.  Jonathan or myself will just board your vessel from the Gaffer, and carry out the inspection there and then.  I'm aware that  Camkev, Redbus and 2 other boats are in line for this.  Camkev, I can inspect your boat on the pontoon before we leave.
Thanks.

ok

For easy identification The Gaffer will be displaying all 9 rods............did I say identification....I meant intimidation! lol

Quote from: skip on July 02, 2009, 15:09:16 CET
For easy identification The Gaffer will be displaying all 9 rods............did I say identification....I meant intimidation! lol

Actually Nick I'll have the rods inside the cabin, makes it easier to board vessels.  Then once we make our way down to the starting position between the two bouys opposite the Freeport, the rods come out.  For id purposes I'll have all my cabin lights on.

Ok Gaffer,What time will you be leaving the pontoon?

Sometime around 3.00am Kev.  Then we inspect the other boats, and make our way together down to the Freeport area.  Best to stick together since we'll be heading down in the dark.

BTW, windfinder superforecast for Saturday is looking great.  Also checked meteo.it, and looks good too, with a max wind of F3 NW. 

So no sleep tomorrow,was thinking of sleepin on it,issa naraw.Tks

Transit time from Sliema shouldn't be more than 30 mins....? Even at 15 knots to play safe

Quote from: camkev on July 02, 2009, 15:38:27 CET
So no sleep tomorrow,was thinking of sleepin on it,issa naraw.Tks

I'm sleeping on the boat as well Kev.  We can meet on the pontoon, have a couple of beers, and then hit the sack

I heared that someone from Gnejna caught some today so maybe they are coming back.
I was in the northeast yesterday trying bottom fishing but the sea seams dead there - just mud.
Saw some surface activity twice but could not say if they were alungi. Also saw a swordfish jumping high but then saw a longline flag near it so seems it got caught. Let out a rod for about an hour but no bites. Finally found a rocky patch and caught few fish.

I was out today first time for Alungi. We were 17 miles S/SW.
No Alungi, No Catch.  We never saw one this morning till 11am.

Too many boats fishing, but no one was catching.

Was disappointed for the first trip this morning, No Results

Frustrating.  Better luck next time.

tajjeb :(   better off if we turn this into an al tal qiegh competition....

Come take part with us on Saturday, perhaps your luck will turn :)

If you're interested send me a pm or email admin@maltafishingforum.com

ok gaffer meey you in harbour have your phne no just in case

Went out this morning, there were alot of boats in the area first thing and the conditions were excellent... but surprisingly no one seemed to be catching much. By the end of the morning we had only caught two, but both were fairly decent sized (around 9kgs). 

well done djs

Hi
for those leaving B Bugia in the morning i suggest that you do not pass between the fishfarm and the bouys cause sometimes there is a float with a loose rope hanging around. I noticed it a couple of times , maybe its not there anymore. Maybe shanook Ramio or those moored at B Bugia can confirm.

we always pass port to the buoys closer to the free port side. yes that rope is sometimes left hanging in mid water. Thanks for reminding, we do it naturally so we take it forgranted.

What VHF channel are we going to tune to for the competition?

COMPETITION CONFIRMED FOR TOMORROW.

VHF A - NORTH, B - SOUTH AND C - COMMON, CHANNELS WILL BE ADVISED VERY SHORTLY

Unfortunatley Georgia 1 is out for work commitments !!!  :-\ :'(
Gud luck 2 all and enjoy

Chris  8)

Ok skip hope that tomorrow the weather will BE MUCH BETTER than today. I just came in and at 8 this morning the sea was force 5. If tomorrow the sea will be like this I will let you have fun and go back inside;-( because it is not worth it to fish int these weather conditions

Nick,

please have a look to the sea cause it is still very rough. we work at Hal Far and from here we can see that the sea is still coming strong and there are white waves everywhere.

if the sea will still keep coming as it is I will turn back cause it's not worth it waisting so much fuel with having fun.

Fish finder is right.The sea is still strong and i think that it will be impossible for the small boats.

I was at B'Bugia this morning and it was not good to go fishing so i went back home, will do the same tomorrow if sea is not fairly nice. i Will be at jetty to inspect boat together with ramio, for those who want to venture out.

This morning I was out at 3 and the sea was moderate. I waited near the stationed oil rig for sunrise but it was all in vain. The sea kept coming and sometimes it was force 5. Its up to you guys if you still meet I come but if the sea persists I will turn back

I just came in and the sea was moderate guys.it's not going to be fun fishing i tell you.And bigboy is out there and told me that its 4 to 5.

Guys the bottom line is this. If we postpone again the most likely option is to cancel the competition completely. Its not fair on the judges to keep moving the date and expect them to still help and i found it disappointing that given the number of people in the forum and even some who pulled out from the competition only 5 guys offered their help......3 of which are spearos, 1 new member MikeD and Mullet75

If we do go ahead on another weekend where the wind doesn't blow up which now seems to be the prevailing conditions, there will be 1 finish point which will be Beachaven NOT B'bugia which was less popular with the judges given the lack of facilities and also the fact that it now seems we have more boats from the North than the South.

Today was a steady Force 4, no evidence of a 5 but it's up to each Skipper to make their call.

Tomorrow is forecast 3 touching a 4 here and there but not steady....no it might not be comfortable but we can't control the wind guys

good luck guys for tomorow

Why not make it for Sunday then? The wind is forcasted to increase slightly tonight and then decrease again by evening which means it should be better on Sunday.

not a bad idea

I can assure  everybody that today the maximum speed up to now was 14.7 km /hr and an average of 12.3 km/hr on my data logger. So i dont think it reached F5 at no point in time.

Sorry guys Sunday isn't and was never an option on the table as an available date....initially marked as a blackout day due to it usually being used by the Interclubs competition and other plans have been made on that day.

Next weekend is not looking good, long range forecasts show it worse than today but we'll have to see.

However, after discussion a final decision will be taken at 20.30 today after the 8pm forecast comes out.

If we do postpone we need to see about judges if the existing ones rightly so cannot make it, and EVERYONE will need to be prepared and accept that it could be around the 18th of July when we can go out in such calm weather.

guys.
My only problem is that I will be abroad from the 9th till the 15th.

OK Baghira then here's the list

Shirts XL
shoes size 44
trousers waist 36/38
and anything for fishing thanks  ;D

Apart from Joking windfinder just updated at it's showing a steady force 4 and even sunday isn't looking better.

>:( me and my crew had everything prepared and we're getting more excited every day to go for this competition but this bloody wind won't stop blowing.

still waiting for the final decision.

Have the 8.30 forecast been announced?

illistra ezatt bhali is sizes mela, zarbun biss 45 jien.
Is size l-iehor niddubita kemm hu bhal tieghi :-)

tajjeb mela flokk ser imissni zgur ;D

Final decision on whether it a Go or No Go will be taken in a few minutes.  Please bear with us.

I am suggesting that we follow the biggest boat when getting to the start points.

From Marfa its the Maria Dolores 30 feet, from Sliema The Gaffer 26 feet and B'Bugia again one can follow The Gaffer out. Fish as a pack not everyone buggers off in different directions and there's no need to go 20 miles out, stay on ridge 1 and 2 to keep a careful eye on the weather.

It's very difficult to see confirm whether or not everyone can make it Sunday

What is the final decision skip????

The decision is not yet taken, however, the committee is also considering Sunday 5 July.  Our responsibility is towards our members and our crew.  Above all, this is a friendly competition, one which I hope will be chatted and joked and shared for weeks to come on our Forum.  Can I have your thoughts as to Sunday please?...Now!!!

UNLESS EVERYONE TELLS ME IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE ON SUNDAY ITs NOT EASY TO MAKE A DECISION. Some ppl want to go tomorrow and some don't and are pulling out

Georgia 1 should be ok !!

Chris  8)

Should be fine for me 2!

either day is ok by me.

Bumble Bee can't participate on sunday. Sorry guys;-(

Im in  ;D

Guys, should be is not good enough.  You're eaither in or out.  There are a good number of boats that want to do it tomorrow, however, we are one team here.  So at least, a definite answer would be appreciated

Deadliest Catch can on Sunday!

DJS can on Sunday

We can't make it on sunday sorry :'(

Ok for me on Sunday but wind has calmed down now so maybe it will be good tomorrow. Windfinder forcast is not very accurate lately.

Sorry guys, just contacted the skipper and Georgia 1 is out !!   :'(

Chris  8)

All those who are willing to go tomorrow, please post here as well, this will give us a good idea of the numbers

tomorrow i can if the weather is good

I m up for Sunday, I dont it s safe for me and my crew tomorrow.

i will go either day   ;D

Same here! I do believe that the sea will not calm down as fast as you might be thinking. To return back to Xemxija from Filfa in force 4 weather is not much fun. Crusing at 22/24 knots it takes me approx 1 hour to get back to Xemxija in force 2 weather from outside Filfla. I would have to leave Filfla at approx 10/10.30 to arrive at Xemxija in time and safe.  So me and my crew have decided that we will not take part tom! Sunday is fine for us! Thanks

Concerning safety I want to stress a point without placing undue pressure. Your actions dictate your safety more than the sea conditions. If you go at speed you're not being safe, if you go too far out you're not being safety, if you go wondering off 20 miles on your own you're not be safe.

One has to adjust a bit and use some safety common sense. Sunday there is a good chance that the forecast will come like tomorrow, so with the same number of boats on Sat or Sunday I'm inclined to stick with Sat.

Boat from Xemija don't need to fishing down near Filfla.......again like I said common sense guys. We're doing this for fun, winning is nice but its not the be all or end all....and hedging your bets on Sunday could turn into the same as Sat, so are you guys then gonna pull out as well!

I dont see any difference from Sat to Sun. the sea will remain as it is.Its been too rough for too long and the smallest breeze will raise the waves. So whether Sat or Sun its going to be in the same situation.

those who are going from xemxija have to go at least in fron of gnejna to fish and so to go back they will have to go in the nw wind and if picks force 4 it wont be nice for the small boats. according to windfinder and malta weather for 4 for to-morrow and even maybe on sunday. we can do it maybe next week end or the week end after. ok you will tell that alungi will not be here BUT even now there are no alungi this week only a few were caught and a lot of people didnt even catch one

I suggest people start using this of windfinder http://www.windfinder.com/forecasts/wind_italy_s_akt.htm

This shows you the wind out on the West coast and not the wind over luqa which is pointless.

Sunday is so far looking better so I think we should switch in the interests of trying to make it as safe as possible.

i agree with you. If same conditions are said to be on sunday, it is better to make it next week or the week after when the weather is better. For me it is not a problem to fish in a force 4 but for the smaller boats it will be a problem. We are here like a team and everyone should participate and have fun.

Quote from: sailfish on July 03, 2009, 21:32:46 CET
i agree with you. If same conditions are said to be on sunday, it is better to make it next week or the week after when the weather is better. For me it is not a problem to fish in a force 4 but for the smaller boats it will be a problem. We are here like a team and everyone should participate and have fun.

Agree 100%

There seems to be no difference between Saturday's and Sunday's weather forecast. So apparently those who will not make it tomorrow will most probably not make it on sunday either. I therefore reluctantly must say that it is best to switch to the following week!

one problem is that on the 11th the Birzebbuga club will be organizing the alungi competition and they will use the 18th as back up as well and the jetty will be busy.

Well said Sail Fish

I agree with Busumark. With NW conditions all the alungi fishing grounds will be exposed. If wind picks up, we usually head towards the clifs and make way towards B'Buga hugging the coastline. Going towards Cirkewwa is going directly into it.

Fishfinder that is no problem we finish ours at 1pm no theirs end at 3pm so there wont be any clashes

If u make it next sat I am in guys!!!!!!

WE'VE POSTPONED TO SUNDAY BUT UNLESS IT ALL GOES HORRIBLY WRONG WE WILL NOT BE SHIFTING THE DAY AGAIN.

IF SUNDAY TURNS OUT LIKE SAT WE WILL STILL BE GOING

Nick, me and my crew will do our utmost to participate but still trying to move appointments etc. :P

sorry guys can't make it. Have fun and good luck

I'm sorry guys it seems impossible to please everyone

Good night guys.(doesn't mean i go to sleep but to watch a movie)

on sunday i cant make it to-morrow working night. but i can help at beach haven or b bugia.

me too good night.

I hope that i can sleep cause it's been 2 weeks that I'm dreaming of albacore on all our rods and blood in my cooler ;D

Oh...yessss fishfinder.

Sunday Bloody Sunday.


Note: for Saturday 11th current wind forecast is 41km/h with some chance of rain!!!

http://www.timeanddate.com/weather/malta/valletta

Gn to everyone. Hope it does not turn out a calm day tomorrow.

Quote from: Moonwalker on July 03, 2009, 22:09:17 CET
Gn to everyone. Hope it does not turn out a calm day tomorrow.

Think it will at around 11am till maybe 14.00 or thereabouts

I would like to publically thank our judges who have confirmed for Sunday, just waiting for Mike.D

Hope Sunday will be good after all this hassle......

many thanks to the judges

Mike

I think we've been shafted by the weather forecasts. Are the present sea conditions as forecasted? Where I live, there is NO WIND

At the looks of it you're right The_Gaffer. Lately the MIA marine forecast seems to be more reliable!

I woke up at 8am this morning saying the same thing, but the superforecast showed just touching a Force 4 till 7am where is dropped to only 7 knots where it will stay all morning. So morning would have been a tad bumpy but then perfect.

Sunday should be a steady F3. Remember the conditions 6-12nm on the West coast are very different to the land over Luqa, just like 30-40nm further out would be very different again.

I'm not going to stay dwelling over the forecast and will be out on the water tomorrow morning for registration. Am off to enjoy my day away from this PC!!

yesterday I was passing from dingli cliffs and the sea condition was good. But this was at around 7pm where normally there the sea tends to calm down at sunset

i am ok for sunday skip, no problems, looking forward to wearing my cap. good luck to all.

Just an update from our side . . .

GEORGIA 1 is IN !!!
BBugia side

Cya tomorrow guys !!

Chris  8)

tajjeb G........ see u out there.........

member:diver8
Boat : Arimar
Location :xemxija

what time will the competition start? 4:30am?

Go to page 1 of this topic u can finf the regulations attached to the first post

Chris  8)

Contact skip or gaffer! Boat needs to be checked at marfa between 3.30-4.00

Diver8,
Place for checking is Marfa Jetty where comino boats are. Time for checking is between 3.45 and 4.15

check full rules in this link:http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1679.0;attach=1299

Adrian be at Marfa near Riviera Hotel jetty between 3.45am - 4.15am to be checked.....we'll start once checked at 4.30am

Are boats setting off from Msida still going to be checked mid.harbour or at the jetty near Burger King?

Mid Harbour, contact Gaffer on Channel 28 or 79441203 I would guess near the Hotel

Thanks Nick, well done for the organisation!

Good luck to all tomorrow, im bringing my lucky one tomorrow  ;D

Gl to eeryone :)

Any result?

Yes .... Adrian won with the biggest alonga. 13.25KG

Prosit Mela Placebo! Small boat ..Big catch ee hija ;)

not adrian placebo another adrian won. he won in the smallest dingy 14 ft.

Ooops my mistake then.
Anyway Prosit whoever won and everyone else.
Next week i was going maybe 3 or 4 times but from the results i heard im not to enthusiastic

Quote from: busumark on July 05, 2009, 14:48:33 CET
not adrian placebo another adrian won. he won in the smallest dingy 14 ft.

A very nice alonga. I had the honors of weighing the fish  ;D

wow wow everyone.
Nice competition.
Pitty that the catches were not so abundant.
Our jetty was full of beer and (hobz biz-zejt, donated to us by the crew of fishfinder) to compensate for the lack of fish. ;D

Photos have been sent to skip, and will shortly be uploaded.
Cya all at the meeting

Congrats to those who caught and congrats to the winner. for us it was like fishing in a well but we enjoyed it all the way - nice experience. i wonder where the alungi are!

Team Georgia 1 is back from a wonderful experience !!!   :D
First of all I would like to say a big thanks to all those involved especially the Organisers Skip and The Gaffer, all those who were involved in the briefings and safety check ups, all who were waiting for us at the Jetties for the weigh in and also all the competitors and respective crew for their sportsmanship.  ;)

Was really amazing the way we met and the precision the time was, enjoyed the way we started all together with no boats rushing out gas down for the first mile or two. :)
We managed to get an early strike of a 10.80Kg Alunga which in the end was the only one onboard.   ;) 8)
Towards 7.15, entering a shole of small fish hunted down by the usual seabird the 2 side rods went mad !!!!  Almost 300m and 400m of line went out in approx 4 - 5 secs which made us assume BFT were hooked !!!   :o :o
Tried to reel in bit by bit but one of them managed to get free so we had to take care of the other one !!   :-\
After about an hour if not more, we manged to exhaust the fish which came up to surface and as we taught it was a BFT !! 
Took it out by its tail, photo session and back to its land !!!!!
Pity the season was closed cause we really cried out seeing it going back after all the sweat to bring it to the surface.   :-\ :'(
Finally we just had to say that for us it was really a wonderful day, pith there weren't too much catches but that's Fishing.   ;)
Can't wait for the next one !!!   ;D

Chris  8)

Well done to all of you guys who managed to finish the competition and had fun !!! I had to leave the fishing grounds as 1 of my crew felt sick.... I WAS HOME BY 9AM :(

Well done to all, in the end we were 17 boats which is a fantastic number. I can't comment about the other checkin points but up north at Marfa things went very smoothly and every skipper was very professional. The quay was big enough for us all to come in and after checking and a friendly chat we all left at 4.30am.

Next time around I think a 5am departure would make more sense from a safety perspective, there are so many unlit long line marker buoys I nearly ran straight over one at 4.50am executing a last minute Williamson maneuver to get my prop out the way....thanks to the boat handling course for that one!!

By 5.05 there was enough light to get 50m visibility which makes more sense to get out to the fishing grounds.....yes one could do 8 knots and hope you see a float in time....well food for thought as they say.

It was gutting to hear everyone reporting no catches.....but then fantastic to hear that people starting to land one here and there and the BFT experience from Georgia 1 was quite amazing.

My six rod spread may as well have been a 1 rod - 1 lure as there was nothing around, whilst Diver8 (Adrian Galea) had one handline and still won the competition in his 14ft Rigid Inflatable on a hand line!!! 13.25kgs is one serious Alunga!

Coming in second was Team Georgia 1 who I think had the best day out of all of us.....

3rd Clayton and his team who landed one in the region of 8kgs (just waiting for the numbers)

And in the 11th hour DJS proved that his Alungi hunting skills were still strong when he landed a fish late in the day......

Moonwalker also managed to land a 6.53kgs Alunga placing him in 5th and I'm sure a nice big smile on his face.

Next year Diver8 won't need his hand line, because of the rod he wins for biggest fish, in addition to the Raymarine VHF, fuel voucher, lifejackets and jerry cans plus his trophies he's going to be seriously geared up!!

Get your boats ready early next year guys..and your calendars booked..competition will be 1st weekend of JUNE 2010......we'll be monitoring catches and weather and adjust as needed.

A Big Big Thank you to the guys checking the boats early in the morning (Gaffer & Co in Sliema), Ramio (who woke up early to come down even though he wasn't going out) and Shanook, and my crew up at Marfa.

Without our judges we couldn't have made this happen.....Silvio and Emic along with Ramio who went down AGAIN for us to help out manned the B'bugia station till 1pm as I believe DJS was the last boat in just before 1pm........Reuben and Mike.D took care of the ONLY boat up north to land a fish and stayed around till after 1pm to make sure everyone had come in okay.... And finally our competition director co-ordinated the stations but was not needed to make any over ruling decision because you guys were all well behaved  :P

I want to say that Team Georgia 1 were true sportsmen respecting the current legal position on BFT even after the fight of their lives and releasing the fish.....truly outstanding stuff guys, you should be proud. Your equipment held up, your technique to land the fish was spot on, and next year perhaps that 'bad boy' you released will pay you a visit at 100kgs+ !!!

For everyone else I think we took solice in the fact that it wasn't just individuals who weren't catching it was almost the whole fleet, whether you were south of Filfla, abeam or up north, 1st, 2nd or 3rd ridge the fish simply weren't around in any kind of numbers. We call it a 'fun day' but we all know that returning back to base empty handed or without even 1 strike is a bit of a downer....but as both my crew and some on the radio said.....'That's fishing!!'

Big thanks to all those who participated. It was fun although not a lot of fish was cought. The entusiasm wasn't lacking at least in B'Buga. I'm sure it was the same in both the other places.
We had an early reunion of boats at about 3am near the jetty. After an inspection and verification of the contact details, boats set out to meeting point around 4am. I was following the start from my boat on the moorings. Managed to get a couple of hours sleep on the boat, but gave up about 6.30. Had to go for a cup of tea as I stupidly kiked my flask. The morning was filled with constant updates on the situation via sms's and phone calls.
Silvio and Emic turned up at about 10.15 and we set up the "gabbana". It resembled that more than actually a weighing station. We had lots of fun there with silvio looking like a king on a trone sitting in a confy arm chair in front of a table with hobz and beers going around. Busu showed up as well, with whoever was passing by thinking that Busu was director general.
One by one all the boats started comming in and by 1pm we were done.

I would like to thank the organisers especially Skip, The Gaffer, and Fin. for the profesionality that the competition was organised in not leaving out all those who gave a hand in one way or the other. Although I can understand that at times things looked hoplessly against us (especially the weather) they managed to persist and the result was another safe and succesfull organised competition.
Another big thanks goes to the spossors of the magnificent prises.

The sea was nice, there was a cool breeze which made it a perfect day for fishing, pity that the fish didnt realise that they would have been immortalised and their pictures shown internationally.
Well done to all the boats leaving from B'Bugia a very jovial disciplined lot. We all waited for the sliema guys and on the GO we all left at trolling speed and opened up so as not to disturb others by the wake.
We heard the North guys as soon as we got to the fishing grounds.
well done (although its heart breaking) to Goergia 1 for releasing the BFT. U were lucky as sometimes the fish exhaust itself and dies by the boat (what do u do release a dead tuna??????whatever for isnt that a complete waste).
Coming back to jetty we were greeted by the Forum's most amusing, witty, hilarious people in the likes of Baghira, Emic, Busumark and Ramio apart from others who waited with them on the jetty.
Thanks to all who made the day a wonderful one although fish were not caught in abundance at least the prizes were distributed so WELL DONE to those who won (My fingers want to type but my mind is trying to hold them back, oh well here goes)
The gaffer (and all the rest for that matter) has been intimidated by the smallest boat in the competition....................
Emic i can still taste the beer thanks mate i needed that.........
The competition reflected the professionalism of the organisation
Alungi look out next year we will come in bigger numbers ( I heard the gaffer is rigging an extra few rods.....:)P)

Had a really good day out & even though we didn't get a fish i don't get out on a boat too often so it was still good fun..many,many thanks to Shanook  ;D Sorry for my crappy driving mate  :-[
We started out with a few "technical" diffculties (radio!) but it seems alot of people had the same problem at 1st!..However later on it was good to hear a few boats were catching a few fish as it gave us a bit of a morale boost! Shame we didn't hook up..but thats fishing!
Also many thanks for the beer and hobz biz-zejt to the weighing in guys! MUCH appreciated!

Proset lil kullhadd nies specjalment il judges u l organizers. Well done guys.

well done guys . The best thing is that you had fun ;D

Soory I could not be present to hive a helping hand. Prosit to all those who participated and more to the organizers

Well done to all members and organizers.It was a better choice to make it today ;)...I think the alungi arent here any more.I still didnt go for them...was hoping to go next week but with these catches i dont really know.

Well done guys it was a success although not much fish. We had the strike at around 9am. Not much to smile about after a day trolling but finishing 5th is still a good place for me :)
The sea got a little rough on our way in around 12:30pm and we had some taste of the salt water but thats part of fishing too :)

Gut well done for the competition!! Was very well organised and eveyone was a good sport! We started our journey back to Xemxija from Filfla at 9 and trolled all the way in to Gnejna! At least we had a nice view of the cliffs on our way back! ;) Pity no catches which was a bit of a downer.....but that whats fishing is all about! If you always catch it wont be fun catching anymore!  :D Prosit to the winners!

Just like to say a big thanks to Skip, all the organisers and competition judges who took much time and effort to ensure today's event was both enjoyable and successful. It was an enormous undertaking for them to make all the arrangements for the competition and everything seems to have worked according to plan ... except for the lack of fish of course - which today was in the hands of the fishing gods. But that's fishing for you... when fishing conditions seem perfect sometimes the fish go on strike! Special thanks goes to The Gaffer and Jonathan who expertly fronted the small group of boats coming from Msida managing to steer us well clear of the myriad of unmarked fishfarm buoys and floating ropes in complete darkness en route. I hope there will be another similar event next year.

Well done and thanks to whoever was involved in the organisation of this event. This was surely the best organised competition that I've ever participated in. Re the alungi not being there, as Skip said... That's fishing. It would be interesting to discuss what happened to the fish and why? Where did they go? Did they move on and if so why (wind? / currents? / too much or too little baitfish?) & towards which waters (Southwards? Northwards?) And Will they be back this season? I never recall a season where albacore disappeared in July. Usually the first 2 weeks of July are the hottest 2 weeks and they disappear end of July. Unless they're moving back, their stay this stay would have been one of the shortest ever (I think they were only present in numbers for 2-3weeks). Any thoughts someone?

Can someone, please remind the presentation place and date? Tks

Well done guys and also big thanks to all the judges!!!

Well done to all winners and especially to all those who managed to organize this event including the Judges. we had a stike at 9.10-9.15 but not lucky enough to catch it. Still me and my crew had a lot of fun and we're looking forward to another event. ;D

I would like to thank also Skars for the very good Hobz biz-zejt. He managed to feed us all including the judges and more too. (ipprova jaghmel il-mirakli tal- hut u l-hobz imma bla hut bqajna ;D)
another thanks to NandoS for his engineering work in order to have a 5 rod spread and another thanks to his brother for forgetting the Beer but a good entertainer.

I would like to thank all the organisers and judges of this event. Also another big thanks to all the competitors that acted very diligently in terms of puctuality and safety. People, I would like to point out that skip seemed very reluctant of organising this sort of event again, however at 4 am he had already changed his mind as he saw all the north competitors at the jetty. Reading Skip's post I realised that not only he made up his mind, but he is already thinking of new rules for 2010 alungi competition. Skip, think seriously for this year to have a jigging competition organised, this might be great fun. Thanks again.

What a day! :o

Told you we would be chatting about this for days to come here.  Instead of talking about the catches, we'll be talking and theorising about the scarsity of strikes.  
The day started well though, with all the boats that had rallied outside the bouy in B'Bugia/Freeport area exercising extreem care and caution while proceeding to the fishing grounds.  Well done to all skippers ;)....we truely demonstrated that there is no need to go speeding off into the dark in search of our bounty.

As the hours ticked away, and the crackle on the VHF static, it was becoming apparent that the alongi in abundance as we all have become accoustomed to this time of the year was simply not on the books.  Indeed, at one point, Nick and myself were discussing the possibility of no catches, and what would we do with the prizes ???

However, as the day wore on, a few reports of single catches started to trickle in.  

Well done indeed to the winners, and to all who managed to hook up.  Better luck next time to all of us who didn't hook up :-[...still it was good fun.

A special mention has to go to team Georgia 1, who managed a BFT double hookup.  You have demonstrated the true meaning of altruism in terms of catch and release.  This is the spirit of the MFF.  Your gesture will not go unnoticed in the days to come.  (as you probably all know, the MFF will very soon be officially discussing with the Fisheries a catch and release programme for BFT, even during the closed season)

Last but not least, a special thankyou to all our judges and helpers, who in the end, made this competition possible.  

I would like to join the rest and say a big thank you to Skip and all the other organisers. The event was professionally organised throughout! Thanks also to all the judges.

QuoteI would like to join the rest and say a big thank you to Skip and all the other organisers. The event was professionally organised throughout! Thanks also to all the judges.

Amen!

By the way..................

You know Adrian (The winner) is my Dive Buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lucky we are ehhhhhhhh ;D

QuoteYou know Adrian (The winner) is my Dive Buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jien edt kien hemm it tbabis fijha il bicca!!!!! (just kidding B)   lol,


Btw, prosit adrian. nice size eh!!!   ;D

Isma meta il-Presentation l-ahwa?????

Quote from: baghira on July 06, 2009, 09:33:48 CET
Isma meta il-Presentation l-ahwa?????

next bbq mate  ;)

Date set for 18th July for the presentation. Hoping the venue we'll be Beachaven, I am awaiting prices for food/drinks probably a BBQ and they will be letting us use their facilities for the presentation.

Unless people would be happier with finger food, chinese/indian starters and drinks as they can do that as well from their two restauarants they have.

Also hoping to have Ripard (RLR) come along with their new Northstar 220 boat powered by a 200hp ETEC for people to see alongside the jetty and perhaps even go for a test ride in Xemija.

We'll do the prize giving/presentation first after we've had a few drinks and then the food after in case some people have to leave.

Nick,

will it be for us only or we can get our wardens too? I mean wives  ;D

same question nic? what about the better future halves........

leave the wardens at home, let them enjoy the T.V. and housekeeping, have you ever taught what they would end up discussing about???

surely not alungi :-X :-X :-X :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

i'm kidding of course

Wives and Partners are also invited.

gaffer bilhaqqqqqqqq.
Isma konna anzjuzi narawk mal-jetty Ta' Birzebbugia!!!!!!!!!!!

We were anxious to meet you at our beloved jetty Yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where did you go huh????? ;D

WQell, it was pointless coming along the jetty in B'Bugia when you have nothing to show :P

Fuel conservation  8)

QuoteIsma konna anzjuzi narawk mal-jetty Ta' Birzebbugia!!!!!!!!!!!

din 'below the belt' kienet baghira!!!

LOL  ;D

Baghira I think that you never had no reason to take a RENNIE tablet for your stomach eh?  :D

Quote from: robby017 on July 06, 2009, 14:24:50 CET

QuoteIsma konna anzjuzi narawk mal-jetty Ta' Birzebbugia!!!!!!!!!!!

din 'below the belt' kienet baghira!!!

No worries Robby, been there, done it before myself...so I expected it coming... :-).  As everyone said on the forum, thats fishing.  Its not what you catch, but being out there.  Its no consolation, but you need to learn from the experience.  My lessons learnt?...there are good fishing days and bad fishing days...and I'm having a very bad fishing period right now!!!....LOL..........at least I didn't lose 2 jigging lures!!!!....botta ghal Skip din.

kemm gejjin botti ed nghid.... post competition syndrome nahseb.... BTW skip, was thinking of changing my nickname here to Magic Lures Robby017 after it became such a famous VHF call last sunday...

pity my lures come with a 'no fish around, no magic' Terms and Conditions clause

Quote from: robby017 on July 06, 2009, 14:54:00 CET
kemm gejjin botti ed nghid.... post competition syndrome nahseb.... BTW skip, was thinking of changing my nickname here to Magic Lures Robby017 after it became such a famous VHF call last sunday...

Seriously Guys, my biggest consolation is that everything went according to plan..(hemm, the competition plan that is).  The organisation has been commended, the winners have been congratulated, the participants had a good time.  We stuck to our plan of proceeding with extreem caution and diligence at the start of the event.  The MFF can proudly state that it really practices what it preaches (BFT catch and release by Team Giorgia 1), and above all, the team spirit demonstrated by all MFF members is highly commendable.  

QuoteSeriously Guys, my biggest consolation is that everything went according to plan..(hemm, the competition plan that is).  The organisation has been commended, the winners have been congratulated, the participants had a good time.  We stuck to our plan of proceeding with extreem caution and diligence at the start of the event.  The MFF can proudly state that it really practices what it preaches (BFT catch and release by Team Giorgia 1), and above all, the team spirit demonstrated by all MFF members is highly commendable.

i agree 100% and already looking forward to the next one!!!

PS, re: my previous post i was obviously joking.

Yeah as you can see I was a tad bored and frustrated, the VHF was my friend and hearing other ppl confirming they had nothing was comforting!!

Aside from Magic Lure Robby17, I was also calling Lucky Charm Jonathan but I think that one wasn't heard!!

Taking my VHF to RLR to see whether it's the VHF or aerial I have a problem with. I couldn't hear or transmit on Channel 21, 28 or 66!!! Or initial working channels.

Could Rx and Tx on 10, 12, 16 and 69 so rather odd!

Yeah.... Aboard I had lucky charms, magic lures that were changed throughout, etc... but not one bloody fish! All we caught is a tangle between 3 rods! :-)
but I enjoyed it especially with the comments we were hearing on the VHF in our area..... lol

btw, gianninu caught a piece of plastic (thus helping clean the sea) !!!! does that count ??? if so, team shisha came in 6th!!!!

(just trying for some consolation benri).

One of the things that really made me laugh on VHF yesterday is that there were 2 people continuously asking questions and getting replies from each other. When they finished their conversation, would you believe that one of them asked for a bloody radio check!!!!! lol

i loved the one singing maltese ghana on the radio (in desperation of no fish)

it was a lovely day anyway and the crew on our boat really enjoyed every minute of it!

well done skip and co....the event was great

If its any consolation we caught a plastic bag but we didnt even manage to bring that on board as it came to pieces and we only managed to land a strip of it....thats luck for u.

ramio couldnt transmit or receive on those channels as well.......

My two pennys worth, got tangled three times so put in one rod and fished with three rods, travelled all the way from first ridge to second and all the way from gozo to filfla keeping as much as possible on the ridge, enjoyed myself, the sun which was not that bad due to the clouds in the early morning, changed lures from soft to hard and a mixture, motor worked perfectly expect that as coming in i noticed the oil gauge twinkling, so that when i gave up and started retuning back, nothing serious just that i servised the motor before the alarms went off so now need a filter changed. Prosit to everyone, organsation was near perfect. Prosit to the guys who caught and relased the tuna, and prosit (Lucky) to the ones whho caught the winner. Total petrol used Eur 100 How much did you use??? Just to compare.

I used something in the region of 60lt

Evem me i used approx 60/65 ltrs something like 70 euros!

Kontu tixtru muntanja alungi :P

I didnt do so bad I spent 60 euros but kept speed at a steady 6knots from start to finish. Oh by the way MartinB was the Captain as he steered the boat most of the time..

well done to all, great spirit, my wife and i had a lovely time in such exellent company, pity i had little to do, both looking forward to 18th.

It was pretty expensive coming from Msida. Over the day we covered around 65 nautical miles and used about 90 litres (?115 from the Msida fuel barge) of fuel. I guess if we fished for a living we would now be trying to sell our Alonga for ?15.50 per kilo just to break even - any takers?

Very well organized competition.thanks to those who organized it and also to the judges and sponsors.

If u want some maltese bizzilla just contact me!!!! Because yesterday I finished the competition like a gozitan woman knitting a doiler!!!!! All my lures were tangled at around 11 a.m and I didn't have any courage to get back to fishing. Btw I used about 50 litres of fuel yesterday

A very well done to the organizers and a BIG THANKS to the judges and all the pepole that helped in this event it was well organized and it was fun out there.

Quote from: visa on July 06, 2009, 16:57:42 CET
Prosit to the guys who caught and relased the tuna,

Thanks :p hehe

we consumed around 70litres of petrol ::)

I used around 65 litres from Beachaven, to Marfa out to where 2nd/3rd ridge intersects, all the way down abeam with Filfla, across to first ridge and up cutting across to Fomm ir rih to lose some jigs......then back to Beachaven in pretty rough weather causing me to use more fuel.

I'm still super impressed with the consumption on that Suzuki 140 Bryan.

Its all about weight distribution, apparently I make a good counter balance at the back! :D what do you think Bryan? Lol

We used around 70lts too. Looks like trolling at 6.5knt is not the ideal revving for a suzuki DF90. The VHF was good company especially the music coming from the sound machine - yellow boat :)

Quote from: BIKRI on July 06, 2009, 08:40:34 CET
People, I would like to point out that skip seemed very reluctant of organising this sort of event again, however at 4 am he had already changed his mind as he saw all the north competitors at the jetty. Reading Skip's post I realised that not only he made up his mind, but he is already thinking of new rules for 2010 alungi competition. Skip, think seriously for this year to have a jigging competition organised, this might be great fun. Thanks again.

What annoyed me was all the moaning about the weather.....I'm sorry guys but given the prevailing wind conditions in Malta, getting a Force 2 just touching a 3 day on the West coast 6-12nm out is becoming very rare. Safety has nothing to do with it unless it's a Force 4 touching a 5, and last time I checked comfort wasn't associated with fishing....makes us sound more like a bunch of panzies than die hard fishing guys. The rules will be changed next year in that we will only postone on a forecast showing 14 knots+

When the wind picks up you have to adjust what you do, slow down, stay on the 1st ridge and not go out to the 2nd or 3rd if you're worried that the weather may get worse, wear your life jackets etc etc. It's the skipper who makes the journey safe by taking the necessary precautions....I can be very unsafe in zero wind and flat calm seas if I want to be.

No it's not nice fishing in a swell which is what the wind tends to do to the west coast, I will be the first to admit that, but the hassle of having to postpone a competition and all the associated things (Judges, people checking the boats etc) is one hell of an overhead. I must have made 40 phone calls and sent god knows how many SMS's not to account for the amount of time it took.

We are never going to please everyone and perhaps that was my mistake for trying to do so. We lost our camera man by shifting to Sunday because he had other commitments, which in hindsight maybe wasn't a bad thing with our catches.

I didn't want to do it on Sunday because it was my father's 77th birthday, he isn't in particularily good health and things were organised in terms of lunch, but I had to shift everything. The 5th was also a day usually used by the Interclubs weather permitting, although this year they didn't do it.

We'll bring the competition date forward to last weekend of May or first weekend of June and monitor fish activity and weather accordingly....issa if your boat isn't ready in time you will have a good reason to get it done early!

A jigging competition is interesting and ideal for the winter months.....Nov - Jan when there are some nice fish around. Yes it means launching by trailer for most of us but it's do-able....not sure if this year but we'll see.

That's it then.....problem solved. The alungi didn't like "yellow's" choice of music and dived deep!!

I would be in for a jigging competition - I need some practice though :)

i'll be in for the jigging too!!! hopefully with my own boat this time!

Gazzeta, any pics of the tuna ?? :)

Dear All,

i would like first to thank all, being the organisers, the participants, the judges, the catchers and the releaser for this very well run tournament.

As i was given the responsibilty to ensure all safety at sea was followed accordingly, prior (as a safety brief to skippers), during (leaving dock and making way to the area of interest) and now post (overview of safety points).

I must say that all vessels conducted their trips in a very diligent manner and best to say is that all returned safe and sound with no issues created or faced with. For that i say we now have a 100% safety record.

As i am always making sure that we can avoid any aviodable future incidents in future tournaments i had to point out to skip one very important item missing on a number of boats.

I will not quote here the page and paragraph and rule and regulation on the book (however if you pm i will gladly do).

In very breif there may be a misconception about the number or positioning of navigation lights.

First of all i noticed alot of boats not having a stern light on their navigational lights. If a boat has sidelights on, then there MUST be a stern light too. Also if one has a white all round light signifying a "motor vessel making way through the water" there MUST be also a white stern light visible by 130 degrees from the rear too. Now if some boat manufacturers say its not required because of outboards for example, please not that this is very incorrect. All vessels if showing side lights must have a stern light. The other option is not to have any navigational lights at all but ONE MUST have an all round white light as a minimum.

Apart from that, well done to all and hope to see another tournament sooner rather than later

FIN

According to MMA safety at sea guide, if less than 12m, you do not need a stern light, just an all round white with port and startboard.

Rule 23: Power-driven vessels underway

Vessels less than 50 metres in length should display:
1. A white light at the mast-head.
2. A red port light and green starboard light.
3. A white stern light.

Vessels less than 12 metres in length need only display:
1. An all-round white light.
2. Red port and green starboard side-lights.

it would be incorrect to display an all round white light and also a stern light cos you would effectively end up with 'two stern lights'

if the boat is over twelve meters you should have a separate 'stern' and 'forward looking masthead' light.

if boat is under 12 meters then these two can be combied into an all round white light

besides these you would need the green and red side lights.

it is not an option to have no lights at all unless the boat is less than 7meters in lenght and speed does not exceed 7 knots. then you can display just an all round white light.

above is valid for power driven vessels........

ed

Thanks for the clarification Ed, and does makes sense in that you're supposed to have the white running light.

Hi all.

I was out there near filfla too on Sunday and didn't catch anything like most of the other boats. I did get my lines horribly tangled at one point. That's what you get for trying to fish 3 lines solo I guess. I didn't take part in the competition but certainly hope to next time round. It sounds like a lot of fun.....particularly on the VHF listening to all the comments. Its also a consolation knowing that its not only you who isnt catching anything!

which is the sound machine????????????????????:-P

I am glad i triggered someone quoting rule 23.

As you can see we are all now the wiser.

Hence next..  those vessels in the next raduno or competition out to be at night, let us see the all round white light with sides or 3 position nav lights ;)

FIN