World Carp Classic - Offical Global Website
Lake Bolsena 3rd - 9th September 2012

Stewart Downing Team JRC UK

Rob Nunn and I arrived at our Carp Camp Madine 3 in the small hours of Sunday morning, only to be greeted by the rain starting just as we had to set up our camp for the night ! Rob was under the impression that we could have a couple of bivvies already set up for us to use, but no such luck! After a four hour drive from Calais, it didn’t take long for us to get sorted, and before I knew it, I was being lulled to sleep by Rob’s infamous snoring erupting from his bivvy a few metres away!!

That didn’t last long though as by 7am we were both awoken by our fellow Dutch and Belgian teams as they awoke from their previous night’s celebrations!

We both felt very tired still, but after meeting our Team Runner, Randy Mutts, Rob and Randy got the boat sorted, checked, and registered, while I re-sorted the van, the contents of which were now in complete disarray!

After a simple breakfast, we decided to register for the event with Marianne, and draw for our number in the official peg draw to take place on Monday evening. It wasn’t a great result, as we draw 120^th out of the total of 130 for the draw! Not necessarily as bad as it sounds however, as we could still draw well, dependant on how many good to modest pegs are put back in by anglers hoping for a better option on their second chance to draw. After the second draw, no choice, you have to keep your peg number!

The day ended with a very spirited performance from a live band and a short meal before the bedchair was calling again! Tomorrow will be exciting though, as the tensions mount, as we move towards the official peg draw that starts after the official opening ceremony at 8pm. All the anglers are just gagging to get fishing now!!

We have decided to start our video blog from the off tomorrow once we have drawn our peg for the event, so please follow our progress on the WCC site  http://www.worldcarpclassic.com/ plus the JRC  http://www.jrc-fishing.co.uk/ and Gulp! Berkley Carp http://www.gulpcarp.com/ web sites.

Cheers for now

Stew and Rob

Stewart Downing Team JRC UK

I spent most of last night getting all the gear together and starting to pack the van for our epic journey to ‘Big French Carpdom,’ and another few hours early this morning putting the final touches to it all. I think that by the time I get down to Rob’s tomorrow afternoon, and we load his gear too, we will be struggling to get a mouse in the back! Just look how much gear I have managed alone, and Rob isn’t exactly known for traveling light either!

Still, a nice steady drive over, arriving early Sunday morning, and we should be fine after some breakfast and a bit of sleep. Bring on the Lucozade Shots barman !

The event looks like its shaping up really well, with preparations well under way now by Ross and his team; and I had a sneak peek at the weather over at Madine, and it looks like its going to be a warm week out there! Temperatures got up to 26C today with light southerly winds at present, which I am quite pleased about as I’m not sure what effect a big wind has on the Madine fish, but I would like the benefit of relatively calmer conditions to really soak up the atmosphere.

With our re-charging equipment that Rob has kindly sorted out, we should have full connectivity to the internet and be able to upload our video blog and photos each day Don’t forget to follow our progress during the event on the WCC site  http://www.worldcarpclassic.com/ plus the JRC  http://www.jrc-fishing.co.uk/ and Gulp! Berkley Carp http://www.gulpcarp.com/ web sites.

See you soon !

Cheers for now

Stew

Ultima continue to support the event once again by providing this years marshall event clothing. They have provided the marshals with the best for the job so the WCC marshal team are in prime uniform throughout the event.

The WCC team is color co-ordinated with the marshals each receiving bright green t-shirts along with bright red jumpers. All the uniform is smart but with daily demand and also allows the team to be easily recognized when weighing and patrolling. I think jumpers are great in the evenings when the chill sets in whilst the t-shirts mean we carry out our responsibilities in style during the hot days at Madine. All clothing also bears the WCC 2011 logo to add a final touch. So the best line manufacturer with over 40 years experience in coarse, sea and game disciplines proves reliable as usual. Thanks Ultima!

“ This is the 3rd year we have supported the marshals in their clothing in addition to our section sponsor. We really appreciate the job that the marshals undertake during the course of the event and supporting them has become another part of our overall involvement with the event as we feel it gives us good exposure as to what we offer angling. we are proud to be sponsoring the marshals in close association with them”

(Henry Aiken, owner of ultima)

The event is nearly upon us, another year and another chance to be titled champions. The stage is set and things are coming together including the arrival of the other marshals from both Sparsholt and Shuttleworth College. The hall is increasing in character as the sponsors show their support and their banners continue to be raised. The backdrop has been set in true carpy camo green along with contributions from event sponsor JRC in preparation for the opening ceremony.

Dan Holden and Andy chambers have been braving the the sun whilst knocking the pegs into place in each of the 8 sections. Over 100 pegs have already been accurately spaced and placed using GPS tracking devises. So not many more pegs to go but i’m sure there will be many more tan lines! Keep it up lads.

All the media team have now arrived and have been setting up their work station in HQ. The media team consists of students from the Southampton Solent University who have returned after their successful participation in last years event, to cover the capture of Madine’s giants. They will be working in partnership with the marshals and HQ to ensure catches are photographed both day and night along with video interviews with competitors and sponsors. The entrance to the event is recognizable, consisting of the national flags of all the competitors involved. All sign posts are in place allowing simple access to all areas and most important of all ....

the countdown continues with just 2 days to go before the WCC 2011 is underway!

The news letter will continue throughout the week providing info about the days events and captures with huge support from sponsors Pescalis for the 3rd consecutive year. They are a company that specialize in unique fishing holidays for the whole family which embraces natures beauty and allows people to fully appreciate the angling experience so take a look for yourself!