Boatyard Talk.

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Das_Boot

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I have been spending a lot of time in the boatyard and have been given a lot of good advice. Two of the Items under consideration when cruising are these.

One guy says that he used to eat seagulls during the war, by soaking them in onions and water overnight one gets rid of the fishy taste and they are quite delicious.

Another guy says that he carried a cage on the stern of his boat in which he kept two chickens from which he and his wife managed to get two fresh eggs everyday.

Does anyone have any experience whith either of the above points and if so do you have any tips on chicken husbandry while afloat or cooking seafowl.
 
Been reading Richard Hough's book, Captain James Cook, who comes from not far down the road from you. Carrying livestock was normal on long voyages.

They also carried goats for milking.
 
I know these things. As you say Capt Cook comes from arround here I have been on the Endevour and the other replica parked on the Tees.

However I am trying to get advice on keeping chickens and killing seafowl.
Another point I forgot to mention I am taking two dogs with me one is a staffie and one is a jack russel. Will the dogs interfere with the egg laying capacity of the chickens.
 
Apparently a seagull can beither burp nor fart, therefore if fed an Alka-Seltzer wrapped inside a piece of fish, it will fly around increasingly frantically until it explodes internally and comes crashing to earth.

I hope this information is of some use to you on your travels.

I know a good joke concerning "chicken husbandry" but I'll have to PM it to you as Kim would freak.

Anyway, must dash, I need to renew my RSPB membership before I forget.
 
The dogs are not a good idea as they may worry the chickens and put them off laying. I think you should try the goat instead.

Re stowage, you could house them in a collapsible lobster pot, and hang it off a davit thus avoiding chickenshite all over the place. And if you grow tired of eggs, you just pluck the feathers for mackeral lures. Simple really.
 
I was once told raw bacon rind goes through a duck like *."!&, so if you tie a piece to some thin fishing line, feed it to the first duck, then second etc ......
couldnt stop laughing long enough to try
 
This method does not gaurantee that I can retrieve the bird for consumtion for two reasons. 1 it might fall miles away and the other it might be in bits.
I was thinking if I used a hook and line baited with a bit of fish. Has anyone tried this?
 
I like the idea of a lobster pot. When moored I can let the chickens out for a run while fishing for lobsters and crabs. Now if anyone knew how seagull eggs tasted I could get a two for one.
 
If you suspended this baited line from the masthead and made sure it was of the correct length, after it had suffered it's agonising death the lifeless seagull would hang alongside your radar scanner. You could then turn on your radar for a couple of minutes to mike it then lower it to deck level and enjoy ready cooked and piping hot with ketchup and mayonaise.

It might be necessary to fit some sort of timer that goes ping to your radar to mitigate any potential fire risk and the associated unpleasant spell of burning seagull.
 
Oh for god's sake man can't you think for yourself. It's obvious, you need to enclose your radar in some sort of goldfish bowl containing this water and onion mixture into which the corpse of this seabird will fall. Adding some "Ainsley Harriet 20 minute marinade", the oriental BBQ one is best, to the mixture will shorten the overnight soaking period to a more acceptable half hour or so.
 
I know you are well meaning but I think I will catch them with line and hook if not too badly injured I will keep two of them (seafowl) in a lobster cage hung from davits. This is of course on the proviso that the eggs make good eating. Otherwise it is chickens in the lobster cage and seafowl caught now and again to supplement mine and the dogs well being.
I will also use the lobster cage to catch crab etc. while letting the dogs (while muzzled) chase the chickens arround the deck for much needed exercise.
 
I have actually caught a seagull using this method. I was reeling in with a sandeel on as bait when a gull took a fancy to what it obviously thought was a fish swimming on the surface. After several attempts, it got the fish in its mouth and nicely set the hook. I got it back to the boat and one friend held its head, another opened its beak with the blunt side of a pair of scissors and I removed the hook. It flew off out to sea at an impressive pace apparantly unharmed but rather annoyed.

I'm sure this happens often and would be a reasonably efficient way of obtaining lunch/dinner.
 
Better bait for Seagulls is an Ice Cream in the hand on Llandudno pier. I have personally lost 2... Ice Creams that is.. And they always swoop from behind.. Never thought of putting a hook in onw.
 
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