#sailing The creatures we meet while living on a sailboat can be alien.
These creatures come out at night. They scratch their way across the sand and sound like something out of a horror movie. Come to think of it, they look like something out of a horror movie. If you don’t know what they are, they can be a bit scary. They are slow moving, and as far as I know, harmless.
We spotted this beauty on an early morning run.
#dogs #sailing
Does your dog have a favourite place to sit when you’re sailing?
Farley likes to sit on our trampoline if and only if:
– we are on a beam reach
– the seas are calm
– the engines are off
– the sails are up.
If all of these criteria are not met, he’ll hide down below or in the cockpit. If the seas are rough, he has a spot in the cockpit where he can brace himself on all four sides. If it’s rough enough for us (the humans) to be tethered to the boat, then Farley wears a tether too. He has his own harness, tether and life jacket.
#sailing
An amazing time to be in the Bahamas is for the National Family Island Regatta. The regatta is held in April every year.
George Town celebrates on land. The racers get wild on the water. Cruiser take their dinghies out and watch the action. Some lucky cruisers get to join in and get on one of the boats.
#sailing
If you bring your dog sailing with you in the Bahamas, I hope you don’t mind sand and salt water on your boat.
Farley plays in the waves off Stocking Island beach in the Bahamas. He loves it, but I always keep an eye our for sharks or sting rays. I don’t want Farley to meet up with either of them.
We discovered the hard way that if a dog is stung by a sting ray, the only treatment is to wash the wound with very hot water, as hot as the dog can stand it, and that should take the pain away. Farley hasn’t had this misadventure yet, but our friends’ springer spaniel has been stung twice.
While we were out kayaking we spotted this pair of West Indian Whistling Ducks. The ducks are nocturnal and secretive, so felt lucky to see them
I had my dog, a wheaten terrier, in the kayak. The ducks didn’t seem bothered by him. They waddled around, curious of us, but not frightened.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but cruising on our lagoon 380 sure gives us ample opportunity to see wildlife in their natural setting. One more glorious day in the Bahamas.
In case you’re wondering, the ducks actually whistle.
#sea life
This Hermit Crab can live 30 to 70 years. It can become a large as a coconut. It lives in a shell, and honestly, I find it a bit creepy.
The joys of cruising provide many opportunities to find creepy, crawly creature. This one was crossing our hiking path and I couldn’t resist taking a photo, that is after I convinced my niece to pick up the creature.
#sailing
One of the joys of cruising is that the view from our home changes every day.
This lovely sea turtle swam by our stern. We were lucky and the waters were calm, giving us a perfect view. This guy stayed with us for a while, driving the dog crazy, but we loved it.
Who knows what will swim by us tomorrow.
#dogs #sailing
My 3-year-old Wheaten Terrier, Farley, gets to run on the beach each morning. He likes the 5K he covers without being on a leash.
Stocking Island in the Bahamas is the best beach I’ve found for running. At low tide, the sand is hard and sort of flat. Flat enough to run, anyway.
It’s a great place to exercise your dog if he/she has been on the boat for too many hours.
Cruisers bring all kinds of dogs to the Bahamas. I’ve seen a tiny, little fluffy girl about the size of a slipper (no idea what it was) to a Malamute. Most dogs we meet are used to being off leash and play well with other dogs.
If I could read his mind, I think my dog would tell me he prefers the freedom of the Bahamas to the amount of time he has to spend on a leash a home.
#sailing Cold weather doesn’t deter a good gathering on the beach.
When cruising, the dingy becomes our car. The shoreline becomes the parking lot. The beach becomes the bar.
Happy Hour is a popular activity, but sometimes there are too many of us to meet on a boat, hence the beach!
Dogs are welcome and can roam free.
But be careful – you might get wet feet getting to your car!
#dogs #sailing How many ways can you entertain your dog while cruising? Jasper came spear fishing with us and used his skills to search for lobster.
The lookie bucket has a bottom made of plexiglass and gives us a great view of the sea bottom. Some of us don’t like to get in the water unless there is something interesting to look at.
The bucket is an essential tool on all cruising boats and is easy to make. Well, I think it was easy because my husband made it. We use it to check our anchor if neither of us wants to swim on it. A good night’s sleep depends on the set of the anchor!
Jasper thinks he’s being a big help, although we’re not sure what he’s actually contributing here except to make us laugh.
Check out DogLeaderMysteries if you like to see photos of dogs. There are some fun one’s every Friday on DogLeaderMysteries.
