If you have read the RAT SAGA you may not want to read this ...
Sorry that I have gotten such a writer block. It is hard to live with a rat on your boat for several days. We literally slept in the cockpit for six days. The first night of course we did not fully realize that the animal was on board.
FIRST NOTICED
It started as I was sitting at my computer and "thinking" the funny nibbling noise from the snack cabinet above our freezer in the salon (which houses nuts, potato chips, crackers). I was not impressed but simply hoped it would go away. Could this be a mouse? or a reptile? or a rat? Did I really want to know? ( We actually slept in the same space that night. ugh.).
MORNING- Day one. Sunday Nov 27
In the morning about seven am we wanted to leave early.. Charles gets up earlier than I usually. He was on the dock fixing dock lines for our leaving, unconnected the power cord, and settling up our bill. When I awoke, I heard a gnawing in the aft stateroom cabinet that houses only the air conditioning system that I could not ignore. I called for Charles.
Charles was very supportive. We took our setee cushions into the cockpit with the new lights making our new sleeping area a little more comfortable. We had many house and street lights from the nearby Cay with another anchored boat a few miles away. Planes decorated the sky. There was great comfort knowing that Marsh Harbor would have the fix to our problem. We locked ourselves inside the cockpit with all the boards in place. Our intruder was trapped, but he also had the run of the place.
In the morning about seven am we wanted to leave early.. Charles gets up earlier than I usually. He was on the dock fixing dock lines for our leaving, unconnected the power cord, and settling up our bill. When I awoke, I heard a gnawing in the aft stateroom cabinet that houses only the air conditioning system that I could not ignore. I called for Charles.
Next thing I heard was gnawing on plastic bags where I keep winter clothes. This is a full cabinet past the air conditioner cabinet. I was sure this thing was trying to nest. So in a brave gesture I quickly opened the cabinet and pulled two of the six bags of clothing only to FREAK OUT at the sight of a RAT running around on our bed! I screamed and ran toward the cockpit.
Our dock hand asked if he could help and was quick to give him "permission" ( Bahamian's are very polite- especially when asked to go into boat or some one's sleeping area). I kept telling him to " yes" go get the thing.. While I shuddered in disbelief that a RAT was on board.
Of course he did not see the rat. To me the rat body I saw was about 8 inches long. I did not notice the tail or sex as I was too shaken up. Hysteria has set in.
We asked if we could get some rat traps from Rosie's store. But they were out of rat traps. So the suggestion was made to go straight to Marsh Harbor. So once again our sailing plans changed in less than a heart beat. We knew we could not get there in a day. How can you live with a rat on your boat? Ick..
SLEEPING IN COCKPIT.- night one
We sailed to Powell's Cay a small island anchorage. (26.54.27N, 77.29.09W) I had to make breakfast and lunch underway as we sailed off. I literally had a paint stick that I noisily stroked the louvers on every door before I opened any to scare it out of appearing when I opened a cabinet to prepare the meal.
Dinner was more of the same under anchor. I was not able to go into the aft cabin with visions of the rat coming out between the plastic bags. The hysteria returned. It was traumatic for me. I COULD NOT sleep in our bed knowing it was on board.
Charles was very supportive. We took our setee cushions into the cockpit with the new lights making our new sleeping area a little more comfortable. We had many house and street lights from the nearby Cay with another anchored boat a few miles away. Planes decorated the sky. There was great comfort knowing that Marsh Harbor would have the fix to our problem. We locked ourselves inside the cockpit with all the boards in place. Our intruder was trapped, but he also had the run of the place.
DAY THREE- Nov 28
Upon arriving in Marsh Harbor at the Marsh Harbor Marina ( Jib Room) we got fuel and entered our slip before we asked for help getting rid of our stow away. Charles was afraid they would not want to assign us a slip! But I could not think of a more helpful staff to deal with such an issue.
Our dock master Jason was asking the other dock master Steven if there were any exterminators in Marsh Harbor. None known.
I looked outside at a pair of sneakers and was told that by Charles that he was going out to get traps. Tom, the owner of the family run marina, drove Charles to the hardware store which would have been a good hike, and allowed him to get rat provisioned.
It was recommended that the glue traps are really good. Charles set them. We slept in the cockpit as usual.
In the morning we found that our visitor had a hair cut as rat hair was left behind but it was not in sight.
Day Four- Nov 29
We set the Victor rat trap using the jalapeno cheese I had in the refrig.
Slept in the cockpit again.
Day Five- Nov 30
The rat has taken the cheese but only sprang the trap and was not to be found.
I noticed that this rat was getting around. We thought he was localized to the starboard side but now I saw leavings in our foul weather gear in the port side wet locker. I also noticed Charles clothing cabinet which he waltzed past his first day had a shirt that was chewed up and needed to be pitched.
This was WAR. We were sick and tired of sleeping in the cockpit. My galley was not mine. I had gotten peanut butter to bait the traps with as they seem to like that. But we needed to protect what he had available to him. So we emptied the boat of any contents that were not in a plastic box. All items were carried to a storage area above the Jib Room which Tom was nice enough to allow us to use. All dock boxes were full so this would work. I hung our type I vests off the boom. We looked like vagabonds. At least our sospenders would not be gnawed when we weren't looking.
Day 6- Nov 30
Everyone was supportive. The jokes flew about rats in our boat. Melvin the cook was nice enough to give us some grilled chicken to bait the Victor trap. The understanding was chicken was put on the center held in place with electrical ties. This was going to be a fight to the finish!
Charles was fed up. He was calling around to get an electric trap or anything sure fire to kill this thing. He purchased a ticket to go to Nassau to the hardware store where he could get these traps. So first thing in the morning he was off. Fabian, the trusted taxi driver picked him up and transported him to the airport. When he got back that evening he checked the traps in the boat.
That rascal had sprung the trap with the chicken and got away! How could that be? He avoided glue traps, Victor peanut butter traps. Traps with chicken. But he won't avoid the electric trap which by the way was being a small fortune. I believe the trap by the time it had duty on it cost close to a hundred bucks each. The ticket to Nassau was another hundred. We spared no expense.
Charles valiantly bludgeoned the rat to death when it appeared back in the cupboard next to the Victor trap that held peanut butter. That one inch wrench was the best tool we had. It creeped him out as he is not the hunting type but he got the job done. My hero.
When we were in Florida we acquired some ants. I had put down those black traps but the ants did not respond. When we cleaned the boat from top to bottom Charles noticed that starboard setee ( Jarett's bed) underneath where the water maker is located had an ant trap that was half chewed up. We think those chemicals added to the rat's demise.
After six nights total sleeping in the cockpit I was ready to return to the aft cabin. Three loads of laundry , and several bags of pitched food items; we were ready to put the boat back together. We gathered up the items which we had transferred into storage above the Jib Room.- we did not want the rat to be chewing on our off shore vests and clothing before we got him. Glad that ordeal is over with!
On to the good stuff.. we have tales visting other Abaco ports.
