I am sure that you will be aware of the problem of bird droppings making a real mess of the safety boats. The Committee have been looking at a variety of solutions but so far without great success. However, Sherborne Boys’ School has designed, made and kindly donated to the Club a cover for the safety boat on the mooring closest to the main pontoons. We all hope this will avoid the problem of stepping into a boat extensively contaminated with vile and slippery guano.
The front of the cover is tied to a buoy and is simply draped over the boat, with a hem weighted with gravel to keep it in place. Perforated panels in the centre of it allow rain water to drain into the boat. It is very simple to use, the important thing to remember being – DON’T UNTIE THE COVER FROM THE BUOY!
1. To remove the cover, simply lift it off the cleats – stern cleats first – and throw it into the water; the weighted hem will make it sink, with the big buoy supporting its weight. The water helps to clean the accumulated muck off the cover.
2. To replace it, tie the bow line of the safety boat to the mooring ring, grab the small buoy and use the line attached to it to heave the cover into the boat. Spread it out and drop the cut-outs in the cover over the bow cleat and one stern cleat then step into the tender to complete the spreading operation and attach the remaining stern cleat.
Early feedback has been positive and we hope it will prove to be a long term solution, and one which can be used on the other safety boats. We are, however, always open to further suggestions to address the problem of seagull mess on boats and pontoons.
Kind regards,
Phil Godfrey
Secretary