Thanks marine biology!

[bostonmish]

Well, that explains why the boat was near impossible to tack, especially towards the end of the season...

In Cape Cod waters for only three months (Aug-Oct). Nice to sail, except when heading (not that) close to the wind.

[CSY Man]

This one wasn’t easy to tack either

[CaptTom]

So that's where the barnacles all went this season. We had relatively fewer of them than usual. Funny how they're cyclical like that. No doubt we'll get slammed next season.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by bostonmish

...
In Cape Cod waters for only three months (Aug-Oct). ...

3 months, amazing. Was there no antifoul?

[psk125]

We have the bottom (painted with VC17 IIRC) washed every two weeks to remove marine growth. If it''s not done new life forms grow on top of what the antifouling has killed.

[bostonmish]

There was no antifoul paint on the bottom of that WP15. This was the first year on a mooring. Lesson learned.

[Benz]

This seems to have been a heavier year than normal for marine growth in southern New England--the bottom cleaning divers mentioned it; I noticed it on my boat (been using the same type of paint for years; same mooring; same everything, and never got it this bad).
Many mentioned the astonishing rate of barnacle attachment as well.

[Leadfree]

FYI,

you should thank the consumptive citizens of the area, bc it's not the marine biologists who are the source of the nutrient enrichment which is the reason for the blooms.

Just sayin'...

[bostonmish]

Originally Posted by Benz

... I noticed it on my boat (been using the same type of paint for years; same mooring; same everything, and never got it this bad).
Many mentioned the astonishing rate of barnacle attachment as well.

@BenZ, What is your go to bottom paint for our area?

...also, you and four girls on a sailboat. Zartmancruising.com - What a great blog and website!

[Benz]

Originally Posted by bostonmish

@BenZ, What is your go to bottom paint for our area?

...also, you and four girls on a sailboat. Zartmancruising.com - What a great blog and website!

Thanks for reading!

I use Petit Trinidad. Hard paint, with Slime Resist. For all the good it did this season......

[bostonmish]

@BenZ Thanks for the paint info! Curious: how bad did it get on your boat bottom this year? Did you get the density and the 3/4" tall barnacles, like I did?

***

For general "marine biology" interest purposes, here are some casual shoreline observations (South coast of Cape Cod - in the Gulfstream belt). Based on more than a decade of daily swimming and shoreline walking:

The stinging jellyfish season typically starts in earnest on Aug 1. (Also that's the date the extended family arrives.)

By the end of August and into September, the warm waters bring the upper rangers of the Northern Puffer fish. I caught a few and cooked them one year. Said my Chinese friend upon hearing about it: "You eat puffer fish!!? ...You eat puffer fish - you go dead" Turns out the Northern variant is the only fugu (of many) without neurotoxins.

Speaking of which, of the three most recent years, in the first two, but not the summer just passed, I found several Portuguese Man of War on the beach. Obscene floating bladder and all.

This year - there were no jellyfish until late September, and even then, only the garden variety and in very limited numbers. Cooler waters.

And finally, as also observed by others - this year was a prolific one for barnacle formation.

So there you have it folks - my observations. Yours?

[Benz]

^^While I had plenty of barnacles, I managed to scrub them off before they became huge. What was astonishing was the mat of sponge, slime, and weed that built up--took me several days of diving (I can only stand scrubbing for a little while each day).
Came off easily enough, but it was a lot.

[Zil]

Cape May, Puffer Fish, We cut the back, bread, and fry, and it looks like a chicken drumstick. Very tasty.

[Nickodemus]

Originally Posted by Zil

Cape May, Puffer Fish, We cut the back, bread, and fry, and it looks like a chicken drumstick. Very tasty.

Sugar Toads - horrible name for Northern Pufferfish but they are delicious!