Curse of the tube worm

[TeamSpirit]

Any ideas what to do with tube worm issue in terms of antifouling?
Tube worm is a Solent / South coast issue but being based in Chichester have an issue this year with a huge explosion of tube worm population in the last month. Far worse than previous years and on lifting last week had 1/2 inch of growth on prop and sail drive. not good for fuel consumption or getting anywhere fast ( or at all !!)
Any thoughts?

 

[BrianH]

Any ideas what to do with tube worm issue in terms of antifouling?
Tube worm is a Solent / South coast issue but being based in Chichester have an issue this year with a huge explosion of tube worm population in the last month. Far worse than previous years and on lifting last week had 1/2 inch of growth on prop and sail drive. not good for fuel consumption or getting anywhere fast ( or at all !!)
Any thoughts?

There is not a lot that can be done. Whatever anti-fouling is used - and the effective ones are being legislated out of existence in the name of environmental protection - the colonies clump where the inevitable breaks occur and build up on the shells of each other.

My Adriatic marina had a terrible spate of tube-worm infestation in 2010 - the pictures below show when I lifted out for a yearly anti-fouling then I had to dive every month to scrape the propeller to be able to motor out of my berth (no tides to speak of to dry out). Then this year, nothing, only the ever-present barnacles.