Best way to stop rate coming aboard

tudorsailor

tudorsailor

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So we are off to Gaios (near Corfu) and have been warned that there are rats (with tails, not humans) on the quay. Nice! The advice is to cut a water bottle and splay it out around the line. Will this really deter a rat coming aboard?? Any other tricks

TudorSailor
 
Two bottles with bottoms cut off and one pushed into the other. They will spin if walked upon

At bedtime, ease the shorelines by 6ft and take up onthe anchor. Easier pickings elsewhere.

Cross the shorelines and suspend a weight so that they are underwater. Rats can swim, but only do it for survival.

Two little piles of raisins and fresh fruit. One on each neighboring boat.

I've used three of those successfully.
 
I've mentioned this before

Ferret Poop!

Leave / smear at the point of access .... Rats hate Ferrets ... cos Ferrets kill Ratty ... :)

Yer-know .... historically Ferrets were kept onboard for this very purpose .... :D

Although! ... a tame pet Ferret might-not fare too well against a large disease-ridden wild rodent. :(
 
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We have recently been on a cruise ship and I noticed they put discs around the mooring ropes, presumably for the same purpose, unless it was to stop rats of the human kind boarding.
 
nobody else has mentioned it yet but don't forget to raise passerelle/gangplank at night. I wouldn't worry to much though - have spent many nights in Gaios without precautions (other than raising passarelle)- never had a problem. Don't be put off - lovely place top stopover.
 
blueglass said:
have spent many nights in Gaios without precautions (other than raising passarelle)- never had a problem. Don't be put off - lovely place top stopover.
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Agree, worst for rats in that area used to be:-

Meganisi (where we entertained one).

Spartakhori ferry quay.

Nidri close to the 'ferries only' bit of quay, which is where the bins were.

Everywhere else, you are actually more than 'six feet from a rat'.
 
>Two bottles with bottoms cut off and one pushed into the other. They will spin if walked upon

That's what we used to do but with only one bottle. We did however find an Iguana on board in Venezuela so a bottle doesn't seem work, but it was pleasure to have it visit. When we finally chased it off it jumped overboard, swam off and jumped up onto the dock.
 
Your biggest problem in Gaios will not be rats it will be crossed anchor chains. They're not really a problem of course as long as everybody plays nicely. Sadly, and not just there, some people get very irate if you dare cross their anchor chain.....
 
There are times when crossing anchor chain can't be help , BUT there also loads of time when people just can't be bothered to laid they anchor stright and not only cross one chain but two ,

We seen a rat walk over a spinning bottle , what we found that really work is our cat , not only on our boat but on boats the other side of us .

www.bluewatersailor5.webs.com
 
tudorsailor said:
So we are off to Gaios (near Corfu) and have been warned that there are rats (with tails, not humans) on the quay. Nice! The advice is to cut a water bottle and splay it out around the line. Will this really deter a rat coming aboard?? Any other tricks

TudorSailor
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depending how long you are staying,but a great way is to wind apx 3ft of barbed wire around your mooring lines,trcky at first but you get used to doing it
 
OGITD said:
Ferret Poop!

Leave / smear at the point of access .... Rats hate Ferrets ... cos Ferrets kill Ratty ... :)

Yer-know .... historically Ferrets were kept onboard for this very purpose .... :D

Although! ... a tame pet Ferret might-not fare too well against a large disease-ridden wild rodent. :(
Click to expand...


Now let me see.....must be under "chandlery above deck"......clickety click click.....no, Force 4 don't sell it. Hmmmm...
 
A ratty tale..

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We had this guy on board for a week or so. He crept aboard whilst we were refuelling on Miljet. We heard him scrabbling around behind the panels at night when he would come out and steal bits for his den (sometimes surprising stuff like candlewax). I wasn't fast enough with a frying pan, but we managed to pick up rat poison from the vet in Korcula. Unfortunately, it was slow acting.......

A few days later, we woke up to find the rat lying apparently dead on the floor next to our bunk. Using a dust pan, I picked him up to see him off, but as we got to deck level he jumped overboard and swam off. Don't be fooled by the picture, when he stretched out to swim he was enormous and vicious looking!

Top tips:
Prevention is much better than cure
Carry rat poison
Buy a rat trap from B and Q but don't touch it with bare hands - rats are very clever and can smell you
Take earplugs to help you sleep during the scrabbling noises at night....
 
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