Protecting the Windex from Bird Damage
Moderator: Jim Walsh
- Joe Myerson
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 11:22
- Location: s/v Creme Brulee, CD 25D, Hull #80, Squeteague Harbor, MA
Protecting the Windex from Bird Damage
Hi all,
Does anybody have a solution to birds perching on their Windexes?
The restoration of the osprey population in southern New England and Buzzards Bay (they're believed to be the "buzzards" spotted by early English explorers who named the body of water) is a triumph of conservation, and I love to watch these magnificent birds of prey raise their broods, circle above the shallow waters of Squeteague Harbor, plunge into the water and emerge with fish clasped in their talons.
Unfortunately, as the nestlings mature, they take to perching on my and my neighbors' masthead wind indicators ("Windex"). By mid-August, the stationary part of the Windex is usually bent beyond recognition. After that portion is gone, the birds perch on the arrow. By mid-October, my Windex is useless, either pointing at the deck or broken off.
Does anybody have an effective remedy?
No, I don't want to do any violence to the osprey (illegal in any case), and yes, I'm resigned to scrubbing my decks and sail cover every time I get onboard.
But I have become pretty dependent on looking to the masthead to find the apparent wind, especially when sailing downwind. And I found myself doing so on Friday and Saturday, as I tried to avoid accidental gybes in 20-plus knots of wind. Of course, the arrow was gone -- and I suffered one accidental gybe (luckily with a reef tucked into the mainsail).
Oh, the Windex with a spike in the middle doesn't seem to deter these birds, as they don't perch at the center of the wind indicator.
Thanks as always,
--Joe
Does anybody have a solution to birds perching on their Windexes?
The restoration of the osprey population in southern New England and Buzzards Bay (they're believed to be the "buzzards" spotted by early English explorers who named the body of water) is a triumph of conservation, and I love to watch these magnificent birds of prey raise their broods, circle above the shallow waters of Squeteague Harbor, plunge into the water and emerge with fish clasped in their talons.
Unfortunately, as the nestlings mature, they take to perching on my and my neighbors' masthead wind indicators ("Windex"). By mid-August, the stationary part of the Windex is usually bent beyond recognition. After that portion is gone, the birds perch on the arrow. By mid-October, my Windex is useless, either pointing at the deck or broken off.
Does anybody have an effective remedy?
No, I don't want to do any violence to the osprey (illegal in any case), and yes, I'm resigned to scrubbing my decks and sail cover every time I get onboard.
But I have become pretty dependent on looking to the masthead to find the apparent wind, especially when sailing downwind. And I found myself doing so on Friday and Saturday, as I tried to avoid accidental gybes in 20-plus knots of wind. Of course, the arrow was gone -- and I suffered one accidental gybe (luckily with a reef tucked into the mainsail).
Oh, the Windex with a spike in the middle doesn't seem to deter these birds, as they don't perch at the center of the wind indicator.
Thanks as always,
--Joe
Former Commodore, CDSOA
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
- John Vigor
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Aug 27th, '06, 15:58
- Contact:
-
- Posts: 1483
- Joined: Jul 5th, '05, 11:23
- Location: CD 31 "Loda May"
Excuse me, Professor...
You are a man of letters, Joe. Shouldn't that be "Windices?"Windexes
Dean Abramson
Cape Dory 31 "Loda May"
Falmouth, Maine
Cape Dory 31 "Loda May"
Falmouth, Maine
- Sea Hunt
- Posts: 1310
- Joined: Jan 29th, '06, 23:14
- Location: Former caretaker of 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender (Hull #1400) "S/V Tadpole"
Re: Protecting the Windex from Bird Damage
Well, you have discounted my solution without so much as a "howdy do". And it is only "illegal" if you get caught. If I did not know you better I would think you might be narrow minded, being a Haaarvard grad and all.Joe Myerson wrote: No, I don't want to do any violence to the osprey (illegal in any case)
That being the case, John V.'s suggestion of cassette tapes is something I will try. A friend secured these tapes on his shrouds with some rigger's tape wrapped below (and above ) the cassette tape.
Fair winds,
Robert
Sea Hunt a/k/a "The Tadpole Sailor"
CDSOA #1097
Robert
Sea Hunt a/k/a "The Tadpole Sailor"
CDSOA #1097
- John Vigor
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Aug 27th, '06, 15:58
- Contact:
Fakes don't work
Dave, fake owls never work. You've heard of laughing gulls? Guess what they're laughing at. Even little swallows scoff at fake owls and build nests on top of them:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... llows.html
Cheers,
John V.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... llows.html
Cheers,
John V.
- mike ritenour
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Jun 19th, '07, 12:47
- Location: " Lavida" - CD33 /"Dorothy" - Open Cockpit Typhoon
- Contact:
The pointed end works
I've got the windex with the spike.
nothing has landed on it for the past 2034 nautical miles.
Rit
nothing has landed on it for the past 2034 nautical miles.
Rit
"When you stop sailing, they put you in a box"
www.seascan.com
www.michaelritenour.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shorthanded_sailing/
www.seascan.com
www.michaelritenour.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shorthanded_sailing/
You can hoist a leaf rake!
I use the Windex with the spike and it has been working.
It also helps that my CD22 is slipped close to larger boats with taller masts!
Before the spike was offered I affixed my own spike on my windex and had good results.
Before that I hoisted a rake to the top of the mast and it worked great, but was another thing to do when putting the boat away. To hoist a rake, you must rig it so that you can hoist it handle up to the top of the mast using your main halyard.
When it reaches the top of the mast you use another line attached to the rake handle to flip it over so the tines stick up above the mast. You can use this flipping line as your down hall.
It worked great but many sailors didn't understand the concept and rakes were raised with the tines below the top of the mast. I guess they thought the rake would scare the birds off.
Before that I would tie magnetic tape to my shrouds.
Gary
It also helps that my CD22 is slipped close to larger boats with taller masts!
Before the spike was offered I affixed my own spike on my windex and had good results.
Before that I hoisted a rake to the top of the mast and it worked great, but was another thing to do when putting the boat away. To hoist a rake, you must rig it so that you can hoist it handle up to the top of the mast using your main halyard.
When it reaches the top of the mast you use another line attached to the rake handle to flip it over so the tines stick up above the mast. You can use this flipping line as your down hall.
It worked great but many sailors didn't understand the concept and rakes were raised with the tines below the top of the mast. I guess they thought the rake would scare the birds off.
Before that I would tie magnetic tape to my shrouds.
Gary
-
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Aug 7th, '09, 14:21
- Location: 1978 Cape Dory 28 #174, Sanuye, Melbourne, Florida
Re: Fakes don't work
Bummer.John Vigor wrote:Dave, fake owls never work. You've heard of laughing gulls? Guess what they're laughing at. Even little swallows scoff at fake owls and build nests on top of them:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... llows.html
Cheers,
John V.
Thanks for the info. It'll save me some money if I ever have a problem.
- Cathy Monaghan
- Posts: 3503
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 08:17
- Location: 1986 CD32 Realization #3, Rahway, NJ, Raritan Bay -- CDSOA Member since 2000. Greenline 39 Electra
- Contact:
Try yarn...
Somewhere I have a photograph of a seagull perched on top of a fake owl.
Anyway, tie some yarn to the shrouds and you'll have a cheap set of tell-tales on each side of the boat and something that the birds can't sit on.
If you'd rather use the Davis Windex, get the one with the spike:
or the one that fits on your VHF antenna (the antenna acts as the bird spike):
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay
Anyway, tie some yarn to the shrouds and you'll have a cheap set of tell-tales on each side of the boat and something that the birds can't sit on.
If you'd rather use the Davis Windex, get the one with the spike:
or the one that fits on your VHF antenna (the antenna acts as the bird spike):
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay
- Joe Myerson
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 11:22
- Location: s/v Creme Brulee, CD 25D, Hull #80, Squeteague Harbor, MA
Yarn or magnetic tape sounds good
John V. et al:
Back when I sailed an engineless wooden catboat (most of my childhood and adolescence), we put yarn on the shrouds, and it worked pretty well. I'm not sure how or why I forgot about that simple little trick.
Anyway, I'll try it for the coming season -- and I'll mount some spikes (point-up) on the top of the mast as well.
And Dean, for years, as a "man of letters" and a one-time student of Latin, I used to use the "-ices" plural form. But current American usage says the plural of "index" is "indexes." If so, then I assume the plural of Windex is Windexes.
Sic transit gloria mundi!
--Iosephus Minimus
Back when I sailed an engineless wooden catboat (most of my childhood and adolescence), we put yarn on the shrouds, and it worked pretty well. I'm not sure how or why I forgot about that simple little trick.
Anyway, I'll try it for the coming season -- and I'll mount some spikes (point-up) on the top of the mast as well.
And Dean, for years, as a "man of letters" and a one-time student of Latin, I used to use the "-ices" plural form. But current American usage says the plural of "index" is "indexes." If so, then I assume the plural of Windex is Windexes.
Sic transit gloria mundi!
--Iosephus Minimus
Former Commodore, CDSOA
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
-
- Posts: 1483
- Joined: Jul 5th, '05, 11:23
- Location: CD 31 "Loda May"
Sic transit gloria mundi!
Joe, does this mean something about taking Gloria to do some mud rass'lin?
Is that appropriate discussion for this forum which could be read by our young chillen?
Ron
Is that appropriate discussion for this forum which could be read by our young chillen?
Ron
Ron Kallenberg
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Sailing in Saco Bay, Maine
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Sailing in Saco Bay, Maine
-
- Posts: 1470
- Joined: Jan 21st, '06, 01:23
- Location: Cape Dory 36 IMAGINE Laurel, Mississippi
Windex (or not)
Actually I agree with John V.
I've never seen the need. My boat came with a Raymarine wind instrument. Now I feel obligated to use it......
I've never seen the need. My boat came with a Raymarine wind instrument. Now I feel obligated to use it......
Regards,
Troy Scott
Troy Scott