Dogs on a boat are tricky. I’m not talking a big Laborador or Golden Retriever that could lunge gracefully up and down the companion way stairs. I’m talking tiny little (chunky) wiener dogs. 4″ legs – long backs prone to injury. And remember that post about how far we are away from grass? Yeah – this is going to be a challenge.
We took the boat out Friday. Leaving the dock was ugly – and there weren’t even any bad winds/currents/ storms to blame this time… We didn’t hurt any boats, it was way just too close for comfort. We headed over to a marina and finally got some fuel. We filled up in Ponce, FL – you know, a month ago, right before we motor-sailed for 27 hrs in the ocean to get her home. Then we took her out one day for 4 hrs and another day for 2, and last weekend for a little bit… The fuel gauge kept saying 3/4 tank, so I assumed it was stuck or something. Turns out, if you look at it head on, instead of from the wheel, it says 1/2 full. And when we, oh-so-gracefully this time, pulled her up to the fuel dock Friday afternoon, she took 18 gallons (in a 39 gal tank) of marine diesel. I’d say that’s some pretty good mileage. We went hundreds of miles on 1/2 a tank of fuel. THAT, my friends, is why we bought a sail boat! And the fuel gauge is correct – a bonus find.
This was a weekend full of all kinds of firsts – for us and the dogs. These guys (Molly and Libby)
used to have a back yard with doggy doors into the screened in porch and my art studio (with both A/C and radio in the studio). They had a pool to swim in, frogs and squirrels to chase, neighbors to bark at incessantly – they were living the dog life. Then we decided to up and move to the condo. Here they are on a walking schedule. They have to stay on a leash. There’s (thankfully) nothing living in the condo for them to chase. They were getting fat and lazy. So now we’re throwing the currently-dinghy-less boat into the mix. We wanted to head out for a 3 day weekend – and the dang dogs insist on peeing at least a few times a day. Enter the paddleboards!
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| Pee break! (and maybe some bird chasing) |
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| We thought about it – this may actually be the First time the dogs have been to the beach. Stupid no-dog beach laws. |
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| They also tromped in the marsh, but I don’t have pics of that mess. |
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| We finally got to use that whisker pole! Our first wing-and-wing set up. |
And most important? Solo (us, together, but without a “real” captain onboard) navigation down the ICW, thru Ossabaw Sound into the ocean and back in thru Wassaw Sound. I have to say that the chart plotter was a huge relief in these activities. I was also tracking everything in our chart book, but in the treacherous waters here – full of moving sand bars and mud flats – it was nice to see the depth and channel on-screen as well as in the paper charts.
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