Where have all the Barnacles gone?

[FulmarJeddo]

With most of the boats at our club now out of the water and mud for the winter, we are noticing a massive reduction in the barnacles stuck to them. We have drying moorings in the soft Medway mud. My twin keeler normally sinks into the mud so the hull sits on the mud. It normally ends up crusted in barnacles in the areas in contact with the mud, particularly between the keels. I lifted out on Wednesday and there was just a few small patches of barnacles.

I used the same Seajet Shogun as I have used the last couple of years. Something seems to have happened to the barnacles, I'm not complaining, it should make cleaning of this weekend a lot easier, but it's just a bit strange.

 

[millbeach]

All on bottom of my boat, in the Blackwater.

 

[photodog]

Did you know that adult barnacles have an eye....

 

[Hydrozoan]

Barnacle populations may vary widely from year to year as a result of environmental factors, including the availability of food (phytoplankton). See e.g. discussion (section 4, p220) of this paper: http://marinelarvae.org/documents/Jenkinsetal2000.pdf - especially the discussion on settlement "failure" years in the paragraph at the bottom of page 221, where it is linked to failure or irregularities in the spring bloom of diatoms (a group of siliceous algae which dominates the bloom in temperate coastal waters).

 

[ianfr]

All on bottom of my boat, in the Blackwater.

+1

 

[Suttle]

With most of the boats at our club now out of the water and mud for the winter, we are noticing a massive reduction in the barnacles stuck to them. We have drying moorings in the soft Medway mud. My twin keeler normally sinks into the mud so the hull sits on the mud. It normally ends up crusted in barnacles in the areas in contact with the mud, particularly between the keels. I lifted out on Wednesday and there was just a few small patches of barnacles.

I used the same Seajet Shogun as I have used the last couple of years. Something seems to have happened to the barnacles, I'm not complaining, it should make cleaning of this weekend a lot easier, but it's just a bit strange.

I moor on a deep water mooring at Upnor, came out for a scrub early September and noticed very few barnacles, used Seajet Shogun as well. Coming out towards the end of this month so hoping the fouling is still light.

 

[Burnham Bob]

they are in the crouch too......maybe the Maldon tourist office is having an effect on something at least.....................

 

[nigelm]

None on mine , got a few slugs and spiders though ..... X

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

can't see if there are any barnacles on mine through the carpet of weed....

 

[Cantata]

Mine, in a mud berth off the Swale, had less than expected when we lifted out today. Scrubbed in July, but we always expect quite a few more to have attached by the end of the season even after a mid-season scrub.
Neighbouring boat scrubbed in August, he had hardly any when he came out yesterday..

 

[FulmarJeddo]

Mine, in a mud berth off the Swale, had less than expected when we lifted out today. Scrubbed in July, but we always expect quite a few more to have attached by the end of the season even after a mid-season scrub.
Neighbouring boat scrubbed in August, he had hardly any when he came out yesterday..

I normally scrub of on the beach near Shellness in August, but the 2 weeks I had planned to do it, the weather was a bit too unsettled to chance drying out so I didn't do a mid-season scrub. I pressure washed the hull on Saturday and the small amount that were there seemed very firmly attached, possibly more so than normal. I "just" have the brown staining from the mud to try and remove. I haven't yet found an efficient way, other than sanding to get it off. I know it's not the safest way to work on antifoul but nothing else seems to shift it.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Wet and dry is the answer....