Sea dogs Are the Best Dogs

In the olden days of coasting schooners, pinkey’s and smacks, the crew on board was often just, “a man, a boy and a dog.” The boy did all the work, the man made all the decisions and the dog, well, the dog enjoyed the life at sea and stood guard when necessary.  A lot of cruising folks today have dogs on board and some dogs have sailed many an offshore mile.  When we sailed around the world, we chose not to have a dog on board in the South Pacific since Polynesian eat dogs. Nor did we have a dog in New Zealand and Australia where the quarantine laws are extremely strict.  Asia and the Middle East are problematic for pets, but when we got to the Med, we were ready to bring a dog aboard. We found a mutt in a kennel in Cyprus, named her Bonnie, as in “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean”, and she sailed with us for two years and put some 10,000 miles under her tail. She had her own passport with a photo, paw print and the stamps of 13 countries. She was a great companion and a fine little guard dog. There was nothing she loved more than standing in the front of the RIB and chasing sea gulls at high speeds across the harbor with ears blowing in the wind. Yes, a good dog can make a great crew aboard a cruising boat.  If you are thinking about taking your dog sailing with you, the people at Discover Boating have published good article on the dos and don’t of sailing with dogs that you can check out here.