Is the Spare Boat Places forum being used to its full potential?

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by Mr T.

([Edit: you've posted this in the Non-Diving section mate. I'll leave it here for the time being so it attracts the user traffic this new 'Rant' section seems to be attracting, but I'll then move it to the Spare Boat Places forum and make it a sticky so that folks can keep eyes-on and post on it accordingly. ])

l'll blame that on the bottle of Johnnie Walker that l found hidden in my drinks cupboard, behind all the cheap crappy french wine that 'da bitch' buys on her day trips.

On a happier note, it was like christmas when l found it

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Andy the Commie

I put out that i had spaces for Mon - Tue - Wed ... and knowing 2 certain divers who wanted to dive on a Mon or Tue as it's there normal day off ...this is how fucking annoyed i get, when it costs me money sending text messages.
Just for info both divers live in the same village only 25 minutes away from Dover.

Text from Taurus Diving to diver A ... " Leave time 07:00, going to Dungie, NUNIMA ,,, 35 mt max ".

Text reply. " Sorry mate, retirement party night before and a bit of a early start for me ".

Text from Taurus Diving to diver B ... " Leave time 07:00, going to Dungie, NUNIMA ,,, 35 mt max ".

Text reply. " no can do, promised diver A to go to Stoney. Can you wake me by phone call when you finish diving on the Pride of Canterbury at 02:45 & can you leave your road atlas book at the office".

Doing a Stoney trip doesn't nessercelery mean an early start + the drive gives time to recover from the night before.

Or ....... maybe he didn't want to upset you and made up a drinking excuse?

Sending text messages must be considered as advertising - must be allowable as business expense for tax purposes?

Obviously, they could well be complete and utter bastards. Squash all the filling out of their doughnuts on their next Taurus dive - that'll learn'em!

[Helen F H]

What can i say?

I dont like the fact that the general impression with St Abbs is that all of the boats are always full. Billy is usually full, simply because most people book both the accoms and the diving together. Pete and Alistair are usually full as they are probably two of the best known skippers up there. Paul (Topline) sometimes has full charters or anglers, but is willing to take smaller groups out anytime, even during the week and seems to be the best bet for getting out regularly. I must admit for a long time i thought you needed a full boat to go out, which i think puts a lot of people off.

I need to get the maximum amount of dives in to pass fundies when i re-take it, so any opportunity i get i try to get in. If this means advertising spaces i know about on boats then so be it. I would rather the boat was full than empty (oh the sacrifices i make!) simply because it means that the skipper is making money, not breaking even.

[Mark Chase]

Good post Howard

Same old half dozon people posting gigs and spaces over and over. Be nice if more people chiped in.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Mark Davies]

Just a bit of a tangent to start with - 3600+ members is a bit of an exaggeration. Take a look down the members list and see just how many have never posted or have only posted once or twice and not for ages. I do wonder if it's not time for a bit of a spring clean to clear out all these dormant profiles? I guess we've probably got less than 1000 active members at any time, and probably only about 100 who are regularly diving with other YD members - maybe less.

If we're going to get more people more involved then Howard is absolutely right. YD is an increadibly powerful resource for getting dive trips organised. I've said several times before when suggesting to new members that they should organise a trip - with so many divers to choose from it realy shouldn't be difficult to find 10 or 12 people wanting to dive on a given day. Though at times it's taken a while to gather interest I've never failed to fill a trip and just look how quickly the large gigs fill up!

I think the problem is that not enough trips are being organised. It would help if we could get more skippers to post their availability and that would encourage more people to book up a boat. After all, it's in everyone's best interest.

[Andy the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Finless

Doing a Stoney trip doesn't nessercelery mean an early start + the drive gives time to recover from the night before.

Does from Dover, they were at the SS Stoney gates for 05:45

Or ....... maybe he didn't want to upset you and made up a drinking excuse?

Nah, they were at the party alright, coz i saw them there before i went into work

Sending text messages must be considered as advertising - must be allowable as business expense for tax purposes?

Obviously, they could well be complete and utter bastards. Squash all the filling out of their doughnuts on their next Taurus dive - that'll learn'em!

[smudger]

For example, say someone who is clubless wants to go diving this weekend:
they look in SBPF and what do they find? Helen's gig on the Sunday the 7th at St Abbs and other spaces for Sat and Sunday at St Abbs also.

Diving Dude thought about joining a club??????????????
THink you will find people pay fees for this so in a club enviroment its not 1 person that makes the choice if the boat goes out less than full then thats the way it goes...

[Robert]

As of now, 10.30pm, Thursday the 4th Aug, we have 3706 members; all supposedly divers... Now is every boat that the above 1000 people are diving off full? ...
If not, why aren't the spare boat places posted in the Spare Boat Places forum?

I think the problem is that not enough trips are being organised. It would help if we could get more skippers to post their availability and that would encourage more people to book up a boat. After all, it's in everyone's best interest.

My guess is that Mark has hit the nail on the head - how many people here actually book and organise a weekend (I feel a poll coming on!)

And it's getting more and more difficult on the south coast to get a weekend on a decent boat. I like to be on a big boat with a lift with plenty of room so that kit doesn't get damaged/trodden on - for next year 'Autumn Dream' and 'Tango' out of Weymouth are booked up already, Len is taking bookings for 2007, and it would surprise me if the other boats weren't in the same position.
I'm very glad that I have cultivated a friendly skipper (who's getting a big catamaran next year) and have booked three weekends with him already.
And another thing (!) surely this internet thing is about the variety of resources available - I know it's nice to dive with people you know, but why not look through all of the various fora available - I've certainly picked up some good spaces from the BS-AC forum.
Just my ramblings,

Robert

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by smudger

Diving Dude thought about joining a club??????????????
THink you will find people pay fees for this so in a club enviroment its not 1 person that makes the choice if the boat goes out less than full then thats the way it goes...

Smudger that actually isn't Howards point, but I do wonder where all the members are. I have been trying to organise an Anglesey trip for months now, I only needed 8 people and I have struggled to get those, in fact up until today and as yet that isn't confirmed I still have one place available.

I appreciate not everyone likes Anglesey but will access to all these members, it really shouldn't be too difficult to get a boat load.

I was in a club but they didn't do enough diving either so I left now I only dive with YD, so I probably miss out on the days out, I get plently of weekends away.

[Andy the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Fiona

I was in a club but they didn't do enough diving either so I left now I only dive with YD, so I probably miss out on the days out, I get plently of weekends away.

Apart from me liking my weekends with Fiona, see has a very vaild point.

As a charter skipper, i get a lot of REAL HARD sea divers booking dates a year in advance, then ring me a few weeks before hand to fill spaces..... Now some of these are BIG clubs......

Thing with clubs nowdays is that they are full of muddy puddle & Armchair divers.... This is NOT my way of a ruck / bitching , but comments made by all divers .

Chaps like Howard who do at least 2 good dives a week, don't need clubs , they make thier own and called it the TUESDAY GANG.