How to Avoid Seagull Droppings on Your Boat

Whether in fresh or in salt water, seagulls feel comfortable in most of the coastal waters. Sailors are used to their sounds as the clatter of the rigging on a windy day. Unfortunately their habit to settle in groups on a boat and cover it with their droppings is very annoying if not disgusting.

A tarpaulin want do in most cases: to take it off full of droppings is a very unpleasant thing to do and second, not all boats do have a tarpaulin.

So what else, more practical and efficient action can we take. 3 not so obvious tips:

1. To prevent them from sitting on the boom switch a thin wire or a nylon string just above the boom between that mast and the topping lift – this makes it impossible for the birds to hang around, chat and feel comfortable.
2. Another method is to scare them with movable, reflecting stuff. Your old CD collection can do exactly that. Tide them to a line, in a way they can rotate freely and attach this «garland» between backstay, mast and forestay.
3. Plastic crows are also used on booms or railings to scare the seagulls away. It seems however, that this method is often not successful. The same is probably true for plastic snakes, also used as potential bird scarers.

What are your experiences? What tips can you pass on to your sailor colleagues plagued by seagull droppings?