Protecting the Windex from Bird Damage

[Joe Myerson]

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

[Markst95]

Mine got bent as well this year. They make a model with a spike sticking out the top, might help.

[John Vigor]

Joe,

Here's the answer:

http://johnvigor.blogspot.com/2010/09/f ... ltale.html

John V.

[Dean Abramson]

Windexes

You are a man of letters, Joe. Shouldn't that be "Windices?"

[Sea Hunt]

No, I don't want to do any violence to the osprey (illegal in any case)

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.

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.

[DaveCD28]

I wonder if running a statue of an owl up the halyard would help? Maybe install a hook in it's head or something and haul it all the way up with a downhaul fixed to the bottom so as to secure it from swinging and to aid in lowering it.

[John Vigor]

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.

[mike ritenour]

I've got the windex with the spike.
nothing has landed on it for the past 2034 nautical miles.
Rit

[Gary M]

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

[DaveCD28]

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.

Bummer.

Thanks for the info. It'll save me some money if I ever have a problem.

[Cathy Monaghan]

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

[Joe Myerson]

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

[Dean Abramson]

Just joshin' ya.
Dean

[ronkberg]

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

[Troy Scott]

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......