A busy winter of events for Southsea Marina Angling Club
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It was a busy and successful end to 2022 for the Southsea Marina Angling Club (SMAC) as they hosted their last competition of the year and welcomed a special geust speaker to their monthly meeting in December. We got the latest update for SMAC from club organiser and Southsea Marina berth holder Neville Merritt…
SMAC Open Cod Competition 2022 – Results
Well finally! After postponements due to the weather then nearly a postponement due to the World Cup (won’t say too much about that), the SMAC Annual Open Cod Competition was held on Sunday 11th December. A total of 76 anglers fished from 34 boats, braving some very cold conditions. We were delighted that the first eight places were taken by cod catches, the remaining prize table going to whiting.
A big congratulations to 1st place prize winner Dan Lumsden with a catch of a 13lb 10oz cod, winning a cash prize of 60% of the entry fees, with other prizes kindly donated by an array of local and angling based businesses. You can see the full list of prize winners and prizes on the SMAC website here.
The event also saw some nice stories. Ray Plomer won a day’s fishing onboard Angler’s Edge charters as a prize and is gifting this as a treat to a friend who is fighting cancer. On his way back in, Chris Jewell in Reel Affair noticed a boat in trouble so stopped to set up a tow - Steve Kelly then took Chris’ cod ashore to be weighed so the delay providing a good turn didn’t cost him his third place prize!
Thank you and well done to all competitors, and congratulations to all the prize winners!
Guest Speaker Steve Hunt talks about the Flag Theofano Wreck
At the regular SMAC monthly meeting in December, we had a fascinating talk on the story behind the wreck of the Flag Theofano at Dean Tail led by Steve Hunt, in a “fireside chat” with Neville Merritt.
Steve has been actively involved in researching the events leading up to the wreck and afterwards, assisting the commercial diver Martin Woodward - author of the book “The Forgotten Shipwreck” - and campaigning for more recognition of the loss of so many lives so close to Portsmouth.
Steve is an experienced and knowledgeable local mariner and explained both the known facts and the remaining questions about the story. He showed us charts, reports and images that are adding to the published story and Steve has even bought the grave of the only casualty to be buried in Portsmouth - Ibrahim Hussein (aged 19) - and persuaded Southampton Ship Owners Association to fund the memorial gravestone. Penny Mordant MP and the local Council have also put their support behind his campaign for more recognition of the wreck and those who lost their lives, and a memorial plaque on the seafront has been promised.
We are very grateful to Steve for coming along and giving us such an interesting talk and you can read a follow-up article listing the unanswered questions here.