Random quiet popping crackling sound throughout boat.

[CaptainBob]

We are anchored off portmellon for the first time, but have been within the area also at anchor for 4 nights now... But tonight there is this weird quiet popping crackling sound constantly throughout the boat. Still there with -everything- switched off.

Can't hear it when in dinghy away from boat.

There is a military vessel anchored in the bay perhaps 2 miles away for the first time, but we've been near military vessels many times and never heard anything like this. Is it some new sonar system under test?

We have grown a large green beard due to bad anti foul choice this season, so maybe something's chewing at it, but why tonight for the first time if that's the cause.

No obvious industrial stuff in the water. No salmon nets with sound emitters to keep seals off (which make sounds nothing like this tho anyway).

High tide on way out so pressure on seabed reducing. Could cause bubble release... But no bubbles apparent on surface or round hull.

Any ideas?

 

[sarabande]

Alpheidae shrimps,

 

[CaptainBob]

Not heard of those before. Why do you think we've not heard them when anchored less than a mile away?

Managed to record them by putting video camera on the hull. First showing the state of our hull after clean launch with fresh AF at the end of April:

http://youtu.be/O2DDailptgk

Does that sound like your suggestion?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Any ideas?

Mermaids cooking bacon.

 

[VicS]

this weird quiet popping crackling sound
Any ideas?

Osmosis blisters bursting

 

[savageseadog]

Osmosis blisters bursting

You've popped his bubble

 

[CaptainBob]

Thanks for the BBC video. Those things are amazing!

 

[Richard10002]

I heard the same sound for the first time in 30+ years of sailing, anchored off Majorca. Had no idea what it was, but asked here,and got the same answers - shrimps!

Quite amazing!

 

[cagey]

All the answers are most likely correct, given that the contributors are all smarter than me ( mean it , not a bitchy reply) but maybe your description of the sound is vague. Have often heard clicking noises that were Dolphins herding their young, or the young panicking, either way it's a treat to get that close.
On reflection I am as usual talking a pile of poo. Cracklings sound will be shrimps, you get a ping from adult dolphins and a frantic tympani from the young

 

[Robin]

According to Snowdon it is the NSA come CIA in the USA. They have apparently recruited millions of prawns worldwide as a primary defence against evil terrorists creeping ashore otherwise un detected and hoping to hop a plane to the USA. These special recruits are called 'shrimp' to distinguish them from the otherwise delicious prawns we innocenti love to eat with a nice cocktail sauce and some brown bread and butter.

Word has it too that they are also trying to recruit seahorses.

 

[NormanS]

We used to get strange noises, that could only be heard down below, when there were salmon cages close to our mooring. It was some kind of seal scaring device.

 

[clyst]

You need a Brizo hullmate Capt'n

 

[VO5]

We are anchored off portmellon for the first time, but have been within the area also at anchor for 4 nights now... But tonight there is this weird quiet popping crackling sound constantly throughout the boat. Still there with -everything- switched off.

Can't hear it when in dinghy away from boat.

There is a military vessel anchored in the bay perhaps 2 miles away for the first time, but we've been near military vessels many times and never heard anything like this. Is it some new sonar system under test?

We have grown a large green beard due to bad anti foul choice this season, so maybe something's chewing at it, but why tonight for the first time if that's the cause.

No obvious industrial stuff in the water. No salmon nets with sound emitters to keep seals off (which make sounds nothing like this tho anyway).

High tide on way out so pressure on seabed reducing. Could cause bubble release... But no bubbles apparent on surface or round hull.

Any ideas?

You say you can only hear it in inboard but not outboard.

It can be the woodwork crackling intermittently.

This happens when the woodwork (bulkheads, flooring etc.,) absorb moisture and then the moisture content in the air suddenly drops, causing the trapped moisture to escape very slowly, causing the cracking sounds.

 

[KellysEye]

As said shrimps we only realised when we dived to see what was going on, it is really weird.

 

[Cardo]

MiL thought it was a mouse chewing away at stuff!

 

[chrishelen]

We had the same thing on our charter boat in Corfu last summer, we had the boat apart looking for the noise in the middle of the night. I was convinced it was electrical, I mentioned it to a livaboard the next day and he said it was shrimps.

 

[oldbilbo]

That'd be the polyestermites, me luvver.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

Portmellon eh? ... Probably the ghost of Percy Mitchell .... known to haunt GRP boats on a quiet night.

 

[Hypocacculus]

I've also read that it could be barnacles making the noise.

Your hull certainly looks like a flourishing ecosystem now!