Jib Notes

Thus far living on a sailboat has been very interesting and full of surprises. Lots of these surprises have been like surprise! Your heater doesn’t work or surprise! There is a leak in the water lines. Fortunately we have had several pleasant surprises as well. We recently discovered that having steps on the mast is wonderful and I love that Dolphins like to swim next to your boat. One other pleasant surprise is how well our cat has taken to life on the boat. Having our rotten house cat along on our boat adventures has been major source of anxiety ever since we first decided to try this life.
I should explain a bit about our sand-colored furball for those who have not heard of or met him. Quixote is named quite fittingly for the insane wannabe knight of literary fame, Don Quixote. He is not a bad housecat in the typical sense. Generally he does not claw our furniture and he manages to keep his excretory functions to himself. He drives us crazy in ways I am sure never occurred to most cats. These tactics change regularly. One month it may be eating something obviously undigestable and puking it up right where you can’t help but step in it. The next it will be random ambushes in the hallway during bathroom trips in the middle of the night. Our fuzzy favorite source of irritation is both very crafty and not too bright. He can devise a way to get away with whatever we have recently told him not to do, but can not comprehend that chasing insects over the banister equals a big, swift drop. Ever since we got him I have been afraid for his rather ungrateful life.
Our sail from St. Petersburg to Sarasota was Quixote’s first trip on our new sailboat. Our fears were realized as we watched him cower in every crevice he found. He looked so miserable we ended up giving him a little bit of Dramamine. He ended up spending a good portion of the trip in my lap and eventually he relaxed. We soon forgot him in the excitement of arriving in the marina that would be our temporary home.
As the days went by Quixote quickly claimed the boat as his and selected his favorite sleeping areas. It wasn’t long before he was pushing for access to the deck. I was initially reluctant to grant this as I envisioned one of the many water birds in the area luring him over the side of the boat much like the flies over the balcony. I gave in quickly as I am a sucker for small spoiled creatures. I bought a leash for his halter and tied him to the wheel. He was very content in the cockpit and the worst I dealt with was the occasional need to untangle him from various protruding parts of the boat. I foolishly began to trust him. So convinced was I of his apparent contentedness that I felt comfortable not leashing him. After all, it meant less time untangling him for me. This went really well until our camping trip with Jessie and Drew. The trip itself was great. Quixote roamed freely and did not show any of his previous distress as we sailed around Longboat key. The only problem that arose was that he made an occasional attempt to crawl out onto the bowsprit. Quixote even had a turn at the wheel. All of this perfection was promptly ruined when we returned to the marina and Quixote displayed his ability to jump ship. He apparently has just enough intelligence to realize that a well timed jump gets him run of the docks. I am now back to untangling him on a regular basis. Perhaps he will roam free once more after we purchase the netting around the life lines.