I got my rod tip fixed today, they reckoned that the cracks in my rod where old and the braid had managed to find its way into the grooves.

Also I did some more practice today and I can't seem to get past 85m. My off-the-ground cast (Brighton cast) is now straight but the results are pretty much the same, 85m.

Edit: Lol, I just looked at this picture and realized that I haven't been putting enough tension on the line. My sinker, rather than being behind me (like in this picture), was in line with the rod.