Cruising with Cats
Former clients and now dear friends shared this wonderful tip for those who are cruising with cats…or kittens. They call it WRECKED – Water Rescue Emergency Cat & Kitten Extraction Device – and fortunately they have only had to use it once to actually extract a fur baby.
Cruising for many years aboard their boat, they needed a plan for what to do if one of their cats went for an unexpected swim. Their deck is rather high off the water and this could get out of reach quickly. Consider that many cruisers have the philosophy that all items brought aboard need more than one use and voila! A great idea was born. You might think that you are looking at a simple fishing net but then you’d be misinformed.
WRECKED! And Rescued!
Many of us have a boat pole or two secured somewhere on the exterior of our boat. So how hard could it be to find an easy access location for a fishing net, I mean a water rescue tool.
And if you’d like to learn about their one time use for their kitty cat water rescue click here to read about that one fateful day (of a bazillion aboard). But before you click be forewarned– their blog is super informative, detailed with DIY maintenance and repair, takes them around the great loop, up and down the east coast, over to the shores of Texas and the lower Mississippi and cruises to the Bahamas and back… and is a pure joy to read.
We’ve seen many sailboat owners with a rather thick diameter knotted lined hanging from their transom. Ever wonder what that’s for? They’ve likely got a cat or two aboard and they’ve been trained to climb back up the line. The knots make it a bit easier for the feline claws to dig in and hold on. I think they have a special howl that all cat owners understand means I need your attention NOW!
Dogs anyone?
We have always traveled with dogs aboard…big dogs. First 2 Labs then 2 Doodles. Our website articles and many YouTube videos are all focused on traveling with dogs but I will admit that cats are probably much easier crew. So if you have pets of any shape and size you might find these tips helpful from our Bring Your Pets Aboard article. Enjoy!
Like to learn more about cruising with pets? Ask Captain Chris 772-205-1859
