Our sea-going cat was named Bosun Mate. Boatswain Mate is correct spelling for the Navy rank, but our Bosun Mate wasn’t always correct.
When Bosun was a kitten, we took him aboard the Makaleka, our 36-foot Pearson sloop. Bosun shared the boat with Captain Jack, our 85-pound golden retriever, who also sailed the North Carolina waterways with us.
Bosun must have thought he was a dog. We found that out on his first summer voyage up the Intracoastal Waterway. Our first overnight we docked at River Forest Manor Inn, Belhaven NC, famed for beautiful Colonial furnishings and the world’s greatest oyster fritters.
When we took the crew to dinner, we locked dog and cat in the cabin. After dinner, we let Captain Jack and Bosun go ashore. A good idea for your animal crew before you bunk them down.
We walked alongside the animals while they explored the dockside foliage. All went well, until…
Until two Belhaven dogs arrived to introduce themselves to larger Captain Jack. And much smaller Bosun Mate. The Belhaven dogs stood shoulder to shoulder, nose forward. So did Bosun and Captain Jack.
About half a minute. That’s how long the Belhaven mutts needed to figure out Boson wasn’t a dog. When the dogs charged the cat, the cat went over the garbage area fence.
We chased the Belhaven dogs, rescued Bosun Mate from atop the garbage pile, and began our first–not the last–voyage with our crew, Captain Jack and Bosun Mate.
Photo credit: Timothy Meinberg
Gotta love the felines.
Meow