Darrell and I were recently discussing the situation some
friends of ours are in and he said: “You
aren’t like other cruising wives”. Not
sure if he meant that as a compliment but I took it as one. What he implied was that if we were faced
with needing to get somewhere and he was not able to assist in sailing this
boat – I would do it by myself. And in
that respect, he is right and I am flattered.
And Roxy is not like a lot of other dogs……
We watched the movie “Marley and Me” the other night and it
reminded me of a topic we have been wanting to post a blog about. Of COURSE I cried – like a baby! We had both read the novel and enjoyed it
very much. Many times we are asked how
Roxy does living on the sailboat and during passages, etc. She turned nine years old last month and we
know we face her eventual demise but can hardly bear to think about that
day. Instead, we dwell on the many great
things that she has brought into our life.
This blog is dedicated to her and a story of the things that have made
her and us enjoy life to the fullest!
When we bought this boat, Roxy was about four years
old. She had been out on several short
trips on Lil’un – our 22 ft. O’Day. But
choosing this boat was all about all three of us liking it. On the day we went for the survey, we took
Roxy and she stayed topsides for the sea trial.
Toward the end of the day, I asked the then owners, Dick and Nelda, if
it was okay for us to see how well Roxy could navigate the companionway
stairs. She bounded down them as she now
does several times a day and promptly took up residence in the floor about
where we keep her bed now.
After we moved aboard, she immediately was impressed with
the vast amount of space on here and has inspected every square inch of deck
space and cabin areas too. Her bed is
located in a small alcove under the v-berth where we sleep – near the spot
where she first lay down. Many nights
she chooses to sleep outside where there is a breeze and it is much
cooler. We keep her food fresh in an
o-ring sealed container that holds about a 50 pound bag or so. She always has fresh water in a bowl and when
we leave the boat. I usually carry some for her in my backpack. She prefers to do her “business” in grassy
areas on shore but has learned that it is not always possible to take her to
shore so she has a couple of towels/rugs that we alternate and wash out at the
stern. This training was not immediate
or easy for an older dog but we have done it!
YAY!
She spends her days on board finding the coolest spot on the
boat (best breeze and shady) but also keeping a keen eye and ear out for
fish. Even though she is a bird dog and
always vigilant for our feathered friends, she has come to be fascinated with
the ocean dwelling creatures. Since our
dive shop days, she was always fascinated with manatees. Once we showed her dolphins, she has been fascinated
by them each and every time she sees them!
She looks for them at every turn and quite often is still shivering long
after they have departed. When boats
come too close or wave runners go by, she frequently barks at them telling them
to keep their distance.
She loves to ride in the dinghy and her favorite spot is
balanced on the bow. We don’t let her
ride there much anymore for safety reasons.
When she rides in the main compartment, she likes to hang her feet over
the side and we frequently catch her stiffening her front legs to play in the
waves that go by. Her balance is
excellent on the air-filled tubes! She
absolutely loves to swim in shallow water (never from the big boat thank
goodness) and will be entertained for HOURS on a beach. I have seen her get out of the water and be
shivering from the cold after too long in the water. Clean, sandy beaches with clear water are my
favorites but she is not nearly as picky as I am. She can jump into and out of the dinghy up to
the big boat now but as she ages, I am forever watching for any signs of
struggles.
Some of her favorite locales have been:
Culebra: There is a
baseball field near the anchorage and we let her off her leash to run around in
there every chance we got. She thinks
that is her personal “yard”.
Grenada: We spent so
much time there that she frequently could be trusted to be off her leash. She spent many hours near the volleyball
court chasing lizards and playing with other dogs. She also liked swimming at the beach behind
the dinghy dock at Secret Harbor.
Carriacou: The white
sandy beach in Tyrrell Bay was another spot that she liked to swim and
fish.
Bahamas: The many
white sand beaches were her play ground there.
At Warderick Wells and Joe’s Sound, there were sandbars uncovered at low
tide. We could let her run free on these
without fear of her harming herself or annoying others.
Yes, someday we will be forced to continue cruising without
“Dammit Roxy No” (her full name since she was a rambunctious puppy). When that day does come, we will look at
scratches made in the varnish by her toenails or find a clump of her dog hair
and fondly remember the days that she kept us safe from wave runners or boats
coming too close and smile – knowing she is waiting for us at Rainbow Bridge.
