i have been sailing in tropics now for a couple of years and in mexico for 3 years now. i have had pleasant uninvited guests on my boat– gekkos rock–wonderful guests-one doesnt even mind the poop…skeeter eatr swallows on my bow …
coatimundis are interesting–quiet, stinky , want garbage without bug spray in it……make a thump when landing on your deck…..
even a young iguana one evening ….
last night we had a freshening breeze which kinda caught one of my tarps to flapping and one line slapping–not normal-
-so i went out to investigate…. readjusted tarps for higher winds, tied lower on the stanchions, closer to deck so as to catch no air, went all around my boat to chek everything.
this morning i went on same rounds and decided to readjust one of my port midship lines–was hanging in water, and that isnt necessarily a good thing in tropical waters. so i start to ready lines for readjustment when i hear a loud hiss and see a ok, imagonnagetyooo face coming at my paws fangs first….ok……you can have this rope..i have more…..so i went around the loong way and got my camera and took some pix–he wasnt gonna go anywhere–he was happy in my lines,prolly tired from swimming in a storm last night……
then i used my radio and called marina management for extrication of critter from my deck please…
6 grown men arrived. we couldnt find snakee..omg…searched well–didnt find the bastid…. men leave, we all happy …. i bring bubba outdoors fro a bit, tie his leash and go to finish what i started before that mayhem began…..ok handling the 7/8 3 strand on the horns of my midships horned hawse—HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS holyshiteok, i am not ready for this yet……went to get my gaffs with as long handles as possible—-push the bastid some…hoh .he mad now….put the rope in his face to get him to bite so i can lift his snakeass up over the bulwarks and overboard. uncooperative bastid wouldnt hold on…..lol..he seems to be a hit and run kinda killer..ok..and nyaah ye misssed me ‘nakey–here is this—–more rope–nope not a chance… total 7 strikes at me not the rope, and i decided this snake was ready for the seguridades again–so i went to find them –didnt find em but i found some he men from the fishing cooperativa…we went to check the deal out…..lol..when i got back the visitor had gotten hidden under my solar panel out of the sun.
(yes i have pix…rodlmao…but only of the snake…snakee was kinda cute.)
so we searched yet again for nakee–found him so they could see him, and discuss it an d laugh and snerk—-
they called the seguridad yet again as they were askeereded of the damnable thing–i was just pissed off at it and didnt want it to die–so….they–now is 2 cooperativa dudes and 2 seguridades, called in the maintenance man–he had a stick with forked end and got the lil guy and let the snakee wind itself around the forked end and held it way far away from his bod as he walked to the oficina de seguridades……
h0w many big strong mans does it take to rid a formosa 41 of a tiny poison?? snake..
btw–dont forget to look at your lines before you find stuff hiding in there—surprises are not always good
great adventure and write-up…..I wouldn’t have gone near that snake with a ten foot pole!….glad all is well and moteur is cooperating….Cheers
we go to pick up th epumps this coming week—the repair wer ea lot less than anticipated….so far–so good—we see what next–have a lot of work to do …..
have a great labor day weekend
Hey girl what kind of snake was it?Did you barbeque the little bugger? I hear they get bigger the further south you go.Could you imagine a 20 ft anaconda or python staring you in the face in your stateroom?Good thing you caught him before he went looking for his next meal.Chow
It’s just a harmless boa – Boa Constrictor Imperator. They make very nice pets.
is in a mexican tree so he can hide and eat as well….
Great story, not to mention helpful “words to the [not so] wise”. I know if it was me, my [probably] last words would be something like “Dang, I just got bitten by my mid-ship line, and since when did it have fangs?” (although there probably would have been some more colorful adjectives that I’ve edited out).
BTW, let me not overlook adding the comment that I can’t remember when I’ve seen more graceful lines that are evidenced on your photo of “Solitary Bird”, what a joy it must be when her sails are full !
Happy Sailing