Farley

Farley’s Friday: Dog on Guard

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Hello, Farley here.

Sometimes I wonder why my humans don’t listen to me. I know things they don’t know but have a little trouble getting my message across. They just don’t get what all my barks mean.

A case in point. You see me below. Clearly I look concerned.

Farley On Guard

We’ve been deep sea fishing all day. I’m the first one to let everyone know when a fish is on the line.

Zing goes the rod.

I’m up like a shot. “Fish on,” I bark. That get’s everyone’s attention. Human’s get so excited about catching a fish. They’re weird that way. This bark is me telling them the fish is there.

After a long day of fishing, the humans drop the hook and all go for a swim.

“What are you doing?” I bark at them. This bark means don’t go swimming.

“There could be sharks here,” I bark again. This bark means I really don’t want you to go swimming. There are sharks around.

No one listens. They all go swimming. Then one of them notices there is blood on the stern of the boat and decides to wash it off.

“Stop,” I bark. This bark means you are going to attract the big guy. But, hey do they listen to me? Nope. At least all humans are back on board at this point.

Now guess what happens. The man in the grey suit visits us. I swear is wasn’t more than a few drops of blood, but within minutes the shark was at the stern of the boat.

“Step back,” I bark, and this time they listen. Now it wasn’t the same shark that bumped my kayak. I know this because it was too small. No big deal really for a shark experienced do like me.

Somehow, I have to get my humans to stop swimming and to learn my barks.

Woof Woof.

Farley.

Cruising and Keeping Fit: Beach Running

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Last week I wrote about beach yoga. This week it’s beach running. Without a regular routine, or access to a gym, keeping fit on a sailboat can be a challenge.

Today, I was motivated by an amazing beach run.  I ran with three other people and covered 5 kilometers. We followed the run with sit-up, push-up and squats. There’s always a cheerleader around to push us to do more.

The photo below is of the sound side beach on Stocking Island. It’s the best beach in the Exumas to run on. I time my runs for low tide, or as near to low tide as I can get.

You can see how the crowds make it hard to find some clean sand 🙂

Kristina, a friend and Farley running for happiness.
Kristina, a friend and Farley running for happiness.

If you’re traveling down the Exuma island chain, here is the running scoop.

Highbourne Cay:

Has a long beach but it can be steep. Running at high tide is a slog, so I try to avoid it.

Norman’s Cay:

Road running here. No traffic or wildlife to worry about. You can fit in a 15 kilometer run if you want. The road is shaded if you go early enough.

Compass Cay:

Beach running here, but you need to run several times in order to get enough distance in.

Hawksbill Cay (North Anchorage):

Beach running here. You need to cross the island on a trail that required shoes. The rocks are sharp. After fifteen minutes, you’ll reach one beach. The next beach north is a long flat beach. You have to walk in water from south beach to north beach, so you might not want to go at high tide. The beach is worth the effort to get there.

Staniel Cay:

Road running here. You need to be careful of local dogs. I don’t bring my dog with me when I run here. The local pups seem to have an issue with unknown dogs but not with people.

Stocking Island:

Nuff said about the beach here. You see the photo above. There is also trail running on this island if the tide is too high, but then you have to wear shoes.

I’ve found lots of other cruisers to run with, so if you want a running partner you just have to look around the anchorage.

I’d love to hear what you do to keep fit while traveling.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Sharks Go Bump On The Sea

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

Man, I’m a brave dog. The shark came at us, and I got aggressive.  Got to protect Kristina. That’s my job! I could’ve taken it if Kristina had let me. But let me back up a bit.

I like kayaking with Kristina. She likes to paddle me around, and let’s face it, I like to sit and watch the scene slide by.

We paddle (and by we, I mean Kristina) from deep water to shallow water. I know this to be true because the water changes from dark blue to light blue and I see the sandy bottom.

I see a ray and get distracted for second, but not for long. Another shape is to our left.

Shark

The shark aims for the ray but then sees us at the same time I see it. It hunches its back and turns on us. Here is where we get lucky. Going from deep to shallow water causes the water to bunch up and create big waves. A wave hit the back of our kayak right when the shark hit the front. The kayak turned sideways and the shark glanced off the bow.

I jump out of the cockpit and onto the bow. It’s a bit slippery up here, but I don’t care. I’m on a mission.

“Get away, get away,” I bark repeatedly and am surprised when the shark doesn’t listen.

Kristina grabs my harness and she yelps – not me. I’m too brave to yelp. I guess I hurt her leg when I jumped forward, and she was yelping at the pain (not in fear – she says).

The shark turns at us and hunches its back again. This time it doesn’t bump us. It swims in a circle and does its dance one more time. I growl to let it know I’m serious. Mr. Grey Suit swims about twenty feet away and stands off. I scared him! Ha!

Kristina is holding my harness and having trouble paddling. She keeps telling me to sit. Eventually, I get the message and settle down. She paddles us to safety and away from the beast.

What type of shark? I don’t have a clue. Big and grey.

Happy New Year.

Woof Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .

 

Farley’s Friday: Iguanas Bite Dogs?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

My title was a little dramatic, but I got scared by a big old iguana. I think he was a grandpa protecting his gang.

Let me set the scene.

I’m in the dinghy leaning my head out into the wind, my paws are getting wet, and I’m excited about getting to shore.

I can see it, smell it, almost feel the sand on my feet when . . .

“Oh, there’s a sign posted,” Kristina says. “Maybe the island is private.”

My heart sinks.

“Let’s land and go read it,” Matt says.

Yay. As soon as the bottom of the dinghy hits the shoreline, I jump over Kristina’s legs and get to shore (just in case they decide we’re not going).

Now, I’ve never seen an iguana before and this one was pretty big.

Iguana

As Kristina read the sign, I heard her say, “No pets allowed. We better go.”

Too bad. I’m already out of reach. I’m going to have some fun.

The iguana charges me and tries to bite my nose. What’s up with that? Lucky for me, I am stellar quick and got out of the way. But does that stop me from chasing the iguana into the bushes. Nope. I’m off.

I can hear Kristina and Matt yelling for me, but my brain has turned off. I swear I’m not ignoring them, but I’m too excited to listen.

I stop abruptly in my tracks. “Wait.” I hear the dinghy engine start then fade away. “They’re leaving me?”

I bolt to the beach, my heart is pounding. “Don’t leave me,” I bark.

Too late, I realize it’s a trick. Kristina is in the dinghy, but where is Matt? I turn, and there he is standing behind me, leash in hand. I run to the left, then the right, but darn, he gets me. On goes my leash and Kristina comes back for us.

I should have known they wouldn’t leave me. I watch longingly as we drive away. I can see Grandpa iguana laughing at me.

Woof Woof.

Thanks for reading.

Farley’s Friday: Dog in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 17 Comments

Farley here.

I made it. I’m on the beach! My humans said we had an easy crossing, but it was still a little bumpy for me. And wearing a tether all day gets a little old.

Ah, that feels good.
Ah, that feels good.

Life doesn’t get better than this. I heard somewhere that ‘it’s better in the Bahamas’ and it must be true. I cleared customs with no problem. I even have my own paperwork, so if my humans leave the Bahamas I can stay. Ha Ha. Wouldn’t that be funny.

Oh, on second thought, maybe not. Who would feed me, walk me, groom me, and generally spoil me?

Right after clearing customs in South Bimini, it was off to the beach for a swim and a roll in the sand.

I forgot that when I get this sandy, I have to shower before getting back on the boat. I don’t like that part. What’s wrong with a little sand everywhere?

Woof Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .