Has anybody bought some second hand carbon spinnaker poles in the last three weeks off a dodgy character as I have had mine stolen out of the boat! They do have Speedsails stickers on them and are about three years old.

Sorry to hear that mate, will keep an eye out on e-bay.

Very sorry to hear about the theft.

Does anyone have any good ideas about how the spin poles and boom can be secured or made harder to take from a boat? 
Leave the sail attached and mainsheet? spin downhauls are probably rigged through the poles and the poles linked to the boom by return elastics etc - I suppose a thief would come prepared and just cut through the lot.

Leaving the sail attached just provides  beutiful nest for the local mice population

Yes; dormice chose to winter in 1620's main, decorating it heavily with acorn coloured pee. The next year I carefully blocked up all the entrance holes(so I thought), but the buggers got in somehow did it again, and this time ate through the bolt rope to boot. I now suspend sails in the middle of a void, and am waiting for an attack from tightrope artists.

They don't like bounce! Don't know why. Put a few sheets in with the sails.

best way to stop rats and mice nesting in your boat, naptha!! or in the real world MOTHBALLS!!!! our workshop is on a cattle farm,food etc for the little buggers,tried it and it works,plays havoc with their smell receptors.

One trick being tried at our club this year for the boats that overwinter outside is ... (don't laugh) solar powered mole repellers ... you just fasten one to the mast, the sunlight keeps it charged up and every 10 minutes or so .. it vibrates. 

So far, the mice have kept away apparently.

Down by the river, we don't have a mouse problem because the rats eat them...

and why do they find tiller extension rubber and progrip so tasty?

I find the best place for sails in the winter is rolled up under the bed in the spare room. Out of the way and pretty safe. I also leave a couple of traps set all the time around the house (I live in an old cottage which they love as soon as the winter arrives).  They still prefer a  chocolate baited trap - the "false teeth" style to sails or tiller extensions!!  Surprised I have only had two mice accounted for this year given the weather.  The cotton sails for Secret Water are folded neatly into one of these low, wheeled under-bed storage boxes and they would need to chew a lot to get in there.  For information, they also love beehives which provide a great source of warmth and, of course, food.  They are incredibly destructive in a beehive and the colony is generally lost over winter.  As far as I am concerned the only good mouse is a dead one or a cartoon character.

here here...

And did you know that mice pee all the time. As they run around your boat/sails/house etc they are leaving a little trail of pee...

nice!