Strange Brown Splodges That Appeared Overnight

[Naughty Cat]

One morning after a fun night sail we noticed these brown splodges around the trampoline.

Being a catamaran we had a couple of larger slaps, but more whoa than wtf. Nothing seemed untoward.

The question on our mind is what it could be? It had no discernible flavour (although I consumed very little). The area smelt a little fishy, and whilst I initially thought oil, it dried to stain the deck. it looks as though it had fallen, some on the trampoline (which was stained) and there was nothing on the sails. If it had come from below surely the trampoline would have broken it up? The seas were moderate and from behind the beam.

It is not what I would normally associate with a seagull. Could it be a Cormorant or shag?

This was between Corsica and Genoa about 2 weeks ago.

Any views or similar experience would be welcome.

[fabgo]

I have seen those stains before. It's spilled coffee. I am 100% sure.

[Naughty Cat]

From a bird perhaps?

(I don't drink coffee, or black tea for that matter) nor did anyone go forward that night (that was known to be on board at least!).

[Ssas5342]

Fruit bat. Or as we call them in Oz, flying fox. Maybe.

[zeehag]

splat from a flying something... unless it was sitting in your spreaders...then itis stationary splatt

[JPA Cate]

I'm not sure what left the brown splaps. Shag stuff is white. Sometimes sea gulls have brownish. Got some in the face once, you were lucky it's only the boat. Got to remove it asap, bird faeces are corrosive. Maybe bleach will take out the stain. Ultimately, just the UV from the sun will help it fade.

Ann

[JC Reefer]

What part of the world are you in?

[StuM]

You tasted it?

It's bird ****.

[LittleWing77]

+1 bird ****.

Depending on their diet, the stains may never come out. As Ann said, thorough scrub-scrub ASAP.

Good luck!
LittleWing77

[redhead]

Cormorant crap. They eat fish so it's brown and oily. Stinks.

Hint: it also dries to a concrete like finish, so best get it off fast.

[MBinSTPete]

Looks like squid ink. Fish might have been chasing them up to the surface and they hopped on the boat or squirted to escape. Had this happen to our boat. Heck of a mess to get off.

[DDabs]

LOL for tasting it

[tarian]

who in there right minds tastes a brown splodge on their decks ... lets see it and wash it off , why the examination of crap the mind boggles

[Snore]

(To be read in Basil Rapthorne “Holmes character voice)

Elementary my good man. Looking at the splatter pattern and drip forward of the main solar it is definitely feces from a bird. The splatter patten is fairly tight indicating the bird was not at a great height when he relieved themselves. Perhaps even walking on deck.

While it is not unusual for pescatarian fowl to have colored feces, most tend to be whiteish.

Further since it was deposited from a bird at deck level, it was not from a raptor.

Tell me when you tasted it was it fishy or more vegetable flavored?

[Naughty Cat]

We were somewhere between Cap Corse (Corsica) and Genoa. Anchor up at 7pm and all clear then. Motors on between 11pm and 2am, otherwise good breeze between 8 and 19 knots and full sails, discovered the splodges when we approached Genoa and i went forward at around 9am. Limited time for a bird to perch whilst the genoa was furled, but that would explain why the sail was unmarked. There are a lot of cormorants on Corsica, and by 11pm we would only have been 20 miles or so northwest so that could be the answer.

As to tasting it, in my defence, I hadn't had breakfast. Interesting question though - more vegetable than fish and not chemical - my initial reaction was that we had hit a floating chemical container but then realised that the spatters seemed more consistent with falling than rising. Also whether flying fish can leave deposits like that.

Initially it was hard to get off. Had to get the big guns out - mild oxalic acid and that did the trick.