Thursday, 7 April Things that go aitchoo in the night

Galapagos wildlife is renowned for not being scared of people.  The Galapagos sea lion sleeps a lot (the esplanade is littered with sleeping beasts each night) and is very wiley.

It was a warm night so we had the deck hatches open.  I'd gone to bed early leaving David doing internet.   I woke from a strange dream thinking we were out sailing and there was a sea lion outside the open bedroom hatch.  David assured me we were still at anchor and checked for sea lions.   None found.  It must have all been a dream.  David came to bed and an hour later we were both woken by a sneeze and a snort from somewhere above our feet.   It wasn't a dream this time, perhaps the first time might not have been a dream either, a wiley sea lion had pulled himself up onto the rear deck and was settling himself down for the night.

 David, my knight gallant, went on deck  and chased it away with a bright torch light.  It went quickly enough though didn't seem happy about it.  To stop him getting back on board we rigged fenders across the rear steps and barred the gateway with extra lines.

Back to bed and back to sleep.  Aitchoo! snort and nasty fish breath. Another squatter had wangled his way over the fenders and through the lines and this time he was bigger and more agressive.  I courageously flapped at him with the curtain and surprisingly he took no notice.  In fact he may have been affronted by my lack of convistion.  David leant forward and barked at him to shift his flabby mass.  Mr Sea Lion just barked back louder and pushed his snout through the hatch.  Oh dear.  What would we do if he came in and we ended up with a 200lbs sea lion in the bed?   Get it out quick.  Luckily for us he backed off and flopped back into the sea.

This time the sea lion defence system would be stronger.   Grasping a torch in my teeth I constructed a Heathwellian contraption across the rear transom from a folded beach chair, a milk bottle crate and lengths of rope.  An impenetrable defence against invaders and squatters   We also closed the hatch in case the chair,  crate and ropes were penetrable.   It held..

The next morning we found sea lion fur on the steps and a lingering fishy odour on the deck.  We replaced the chair and crate with our pink kayak slung across the rear transom and so far that has worked at keeping the little darlings off the boat. 

The pictures today are with pups on the dock..