August 23, 0800 hours
Motored out to sailboat Morningstar in Tashmoo. Port-side amidships covered with cormorant crap. Spent fifteen minutes scrubbing deck and dodger. Never had trouble with cormorants here before. Hope this isn’t going to be a recurring problem.
August 26, 1700 hours
Upon approaching Morningstar, noticed a cormorant perched on port spreader. Not a good sign. He flew off reluctantly when I screamed at him and slammed the mast with an oar. Very cheeky. Port-side amidships and dodger thoroughly spackled. Scrubbed deck and dodger for half an hour. Sloop next to me seems to have been hit even worse. We have a problem.
August 29, 1230 hours
Bastards! Not only did they strike again, but the sun has baked it on. What I normally wash off with a brush now requires a hammer and chisel. Several sailboats in the harbor are flying large flags on their masts and on their sterns. Wonder if that works. Raised burgee up to the port spreader to give it a try.
September 2, 0900 hours
Motored out to Morningstar with wife Joyce and her high school friends Linda and John, who are visiting for the weekend. Beautiful day for a sail. As we approach, we see cormorant on spreader next to the burgee. Burgee seems to be tickling his back. He likes it. We pull up next to the boat, and Linda looks at deck and announces that she’s not feeling well. Return to the dock.
September 2, 1500 hours
Purchased fake owl at S.B.S. in Vineyard Haven. It’s supposed to scare away cormorants. Birds seem to be making bigger and bigger messes. Perhaps it’s because they’re now getting more fiber in their diet. They apparently like blueberries. Kid motored by and yelled, “Hey mister, you must really like cleaning that boat.” Very funny.
September 5, 1245 hours
Anxious to see if owl worked. Approached boat and noticed that more and more sailboats are flying big flags, streamers, and ribbons. Beginning to look like President’s Day on Route 1 Auto Mile. Board Morningstar – fake owl has had no effect. Appears to be wearing white toupee.
September 8, 1800 hours
After spending an hour cleaning the deck, I hoist my friend Elliott up the mast in the bosun’s chair to string monofilament from the spreaders to the mast, creating a web. I’m told that this will keep the dirty buzzards from being able to perch up there. Fingers crossed, I think this will work.
September 11, 1345 hours
At first glance, it looked like the monofilament did the trick. It was still strung up on the spreaders and there weren’t the usual carpet-bombs on the deck and dodger. However, the windows on the side of the cabin seem to be hit badly. The only way the birds could reach them is by working in tandem. One bird would have to hold the other bird’s wings, so he could hang his butt out over the side to get the windows. This is troubling.
September 13, 1650 hours
From the dock, can see two cormorants perched on the spreaders. Another on the boom. Another on the stern. Read last night that Milton referred to cormorants in Paradise Lost: Satan was compared to a cormorant sitting on the Tree of Life. Get back in car and return home.
September 17, 0100 hours
Watched Caddy Shack last night. Have new tactic. Pray for me.
