I've got crabs

[Exodus]

well, one anyway....  We just completed a three week cruise of the TX ICW and a couple of days ago I found a small crab in my bilge.

I am perplexed as to how it got there.  The only possible explanation I can think of is that it must have crawled up the hose for the manual bilge.

Has anyone else had this experience or an explanation as to how the heck it got there?

Jason

[lazybone]

Tell your wife you got it from the toilet seat.

[Lance Jones]

Lazybone - LMAOROTFLOL 

[Ken Juul]

Highly unlikely it would get through the screens on the pumps.  Spend any time on the beach?  Swimming?  Probably came in on a towel or swim trunk pocket.  Seeking the only open source of water on the boat.

[Ralph Masters]

In my 30 years in the navy we would find all kinds and sizes of crabs and muscles in the fire main system when doing work on that piping.  The last ship we ran a 8 inch main system.  The carrier was a 12 inch main.  Do you have a salt water fire main system onboard??

[Ron Hill]

Jason : I'll guess that you may be right as the only screen on that emergency bilge pump hose is the one on the end - probably put on or not put on by the dealer!! 

[WTunnessen]

Depending on how dry you keep your bilge, its possible it got in with with some sea water as a "megalopa" larvae and matured into a "juvenile" crab.

I used to find small crabs and shrimps in the bilge of my Tartan 27.  Occasionally water would get pushed up the tube for the wire for centerboard and would spill into the bilge.  I'd find the critters when I would hand pump it out.

[pablosgirl]

Hi Jason,

I would be interested in hearing the itinerary for your trip.  Did you go all the way to the Mexico boarder?

Thanks,
Paul

[Ron Hill]

Jason : Forgot to ask which bilge compartment was the crab in?
And if it was in the 2nd compartment aft of the mast and you had a following sea, my guess on the bilge pump stands.

However, lazybones still has the best reply !!!

[Exodus]

Ron,

We did have following seas on the way through Matagorda Bay so it highly likely. Also the crab was in second compartment aft of mast.  I have had more water than normal in the bilge lately because the packing needed to be adjusted.  I normally keep it dry, but had an inch or two of water for most of the trip.

Paul,

We went to Matagorda Island/ "Army Hole" and back to Seabrook.  We made stops at Moody Gardens, Freeport, Caney Creek, Matagorda Harbor, Army Hole, Palacios, back to Matagorda Harbor and Freeport then Harbor Walk and back to Seabrook. We would have gone further but had to make it back to Freeport last weekend for the Spring Fling/ Latts and Atts cruisers party. A lot of the areas we went were really shallow so the wing keel came in very handy.  And to think I was actually reluctant at first to buy a wing keel.  

Jason

[Ken Heyman]

What about the head sink and galley sink drain thru hulls. They aren't screened are they and it is a straight shot to the "briny" isn't it ? Can't the critters crawl up into the head and galley sinks ? Ken

[Exodus]

Ken, that is possible I guess, but I don't think the crab could get through the strainer on the sink drain.

I think Ron's or WTunnesens explanations probably solve the mystery and I am leaning towards Ron's explanation.

When motoring at full throttle the thru hull for the bilge pump is below the waterline.  We had following seas for much of the day 5-6 hours in the ICW and bay.  The crab probably got washed in there and decided to come along for the journey.

We did also go to the beach though so it is also possible that we inadvertently picked up a hitchhiker.

BTW Lazybone did have the best response

Thanks guys

[lazybone]

"Shore leave in Mexico"... "Crabs"...

That's more than enough info. We can fill in the blanks.