Oman Fishing 2022

[Giles]

Thank you.  Bruised and battered, but in one piece thanks.  Fished from the rocks late this morning and I can still cast, so all good.

Just praying that the engine can be fixed today…..

[Daniel San]

Wow, that could have ended much worse  ???
Good to hear that you’re ok!
Hope the rest of your fishing adventure will be fun

[ARNC]

At least everyone’s ok and you have a story to tell. Hope you make it the islands eventually.

[goosehd]

Glad you’re ok G.

[Giles]

We've got the tilt mech off the engine and taken it apart as far as we need to.

This is the solid stainless steel axle around which tilt/trim unit pivots.  It's a solid rod of 316 stainless steel and is supposed to be straight 

The forces that went through that poor engine are really stupifying…Good news is that we can see no other significant damage, well the engine cover took a beating when it hit the seat backrest....

The engineer has taken the unit back to his workshop for a Frankenstein rebuild.  Fingers are well and truly crossed…

The other guys have gone to a local Wadi for a swim/fish, but I decided to get some R&R.  I've missed out on a days fishing, need to be in as good as nick as possible when we get out again....

[goosehd]

Should change your forum name to “Ahab”.

[goosehd]

…and does this count as your biggest fish.

[Giles]

It was a hit and release, so not counted…..

[Clint_D]

Shit! Sorry to hear about that @Giles but glad you didn't get too banged up! Is that your Stella reel? Hope the reel foot is replaceable or repairable.

[Giles]

It is a Stella, not mine, I'm a Saltiga guy.  I can't see how it can be fixed.  But at least Matthieu now has a spare spool

[Kasi]

Good to see you ok G..

Have fun

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[Giles]

And the good news, it is all fixed, and the cracks in the deck are being caulked as I type - of course, the batteries are in the compartment under the damage 

The unit has been Frankensteined and the donor unit now awaits spares - it came from one of the other boats, which for reasons I have not got to the bottom of, we cant use 

So, we have missed a whole days fishing, but I've lost more than that in a week to bad weather, so all is good….

[goosehd]

Great news!  I can never decide if you’re the luckiest or most unlikely person I know…

[Giles]

Probably, the most unlikely….

But seriously, I consider myself to be supremely lucky.  I get to do some very weird and wonderful shit, and I have a wife in @Madame Buttonfly  who whilst not exactly ecstatic about me doing fucking stupid stuff with people half my age (not in itself a bad thing, but I do shit that I probably should have stopped doing decades ago), puts up with it, in good grace.

[goosehd]

Covid brain fog and f’n spell check 

[Nik]

Wow full on. Did you see the whale?
Glad to hear you fared better than the poor guys in this painting by Charles Sidney Raleigh. 

[sabergirl]

I’m so glad you’re all okay, Giles! What a crazy thing. I wonder if the whale was targeting your boat on purpose?

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[motojobobo]

Very glad you are ok and about to get out there again!

Any idea what kind of injuries/severity the humpback takes after a hit like this?

Look forward to your upcoming GT pics!

[Giles]

I doubt whether we were targetted, we were cruising at 30knots, I think it just surfaced as we crossed its path.  I suspect it did not suffer, the Humpbacks here average about 15meters long and will be heavily protected by a layer of blubber.

We hit it with the skeg and not the propeller, so I guess it was like us being annoyed by a mosquito….

[Matt]

Giles Padmore. Annoying both man and beast all over the world.

Glad you and your trip are both ok.