Cat on Board

As was mentioned in our first posting, one of our concerns with moving onto a boat was how our cat Zipper would adjust.  We didn't give her a vote in the matter, but still . . . .

Zipper (l) and Zorra (r)

Zipper is 15 years old.  Knowing that cats like consistency, and given that she is an old cat and even more set in her ways, we were really concerned about how a drastic lifestyle change from condo to boat would affect her.  2013 had already had its share of significant changes, as we lost Zipper's adoptive sister Zorra to old age back in May.

Zipper has always had lots of "cat-itude", i.e., sudden hostility toward everything with no apparent cause. Would moving onto a boat cause her to cower and hide for the rest of her life? Would she turn into an aggressive "cat from hell", even with us?  Were we going to make her last months/years absolutely miserable?

We are happy to say that Zipper has been gradually--but very definitely--obtaining her "sea legs."  Hiding under bed covers and in closets has given way to begging at the door to be let out for exploration of the boat and the docks (all under supervision, of course.)  The outside explorations started out as after-dark jaunts only ("if I can't see them, they can't see me"), but she now braves daytime hours as well.  It's really fun to see and we've enjoyed photographing her during this time.

Zipper at the door

Contemplating her escape

Scoping out the neighborhood

Watching the world from the forward stateroom

Full exposure at the dinette

Model boat as chin rest

Relaxing in the salon

Evening on the water

Helping in the engine room

Obviously the engine room is OK when everything is off, but Zipper still doesn't like it much when the engine or generator starts.  She reverts to her "under the quilt or in the closet" mode, but she recovers quickly.

Blood tests and recent weight loss indicate that Zipper may have some underlying health issues going on, so we don't really know how much time we have left with her.  But as long as her quality of life seems good--and her interest in exploring indicates that it is--we will continue to enjoy her company.

C.A.R.I.B. II

The fact that we're living on a boat--and have been for the past 4 months--still catches us by surprise.  Early in the year living on a boat was simply one of our possible retirement options, but we thought we were at least a year away from making any decisions.  But Pat stopped working full-time in January and Lon followed suit in April, and at that point we decided we could start looking seriously for a boat that would allow us to live aboard and be suitable for future "Great Loop" cruising.  Little did we know that it would only take a week to find such a boat and have it under contract!    

Our new home is a 42-foot trunk cabin trawler, built in the year 2000 by the Ricker Brothers of Bradenton, FL.  It has a very open, airy salon, two staterooms (bedrooms), two heads (bathrooms), and a "one butt" galley (kitchen).   The boat also has lots of lovely outdoor space, including a large, covered flybridge.

The original C.A.R.I.B. was the houseboat that we owned from 2002-2005 and kept on the Mississippi River just south of St. Paul, MN.  C.A.R.I.B. stood for "Chill and Relax It's Boat-time" and was meant to reflect our hopes for our time on the boat as well as the relaxation that we'd always enjoyed on trips to the Caribbean islands.  It just seemed natural to apply the same name to the trawler, but with a "II" to denote its status as the second of our CARIBs.

             

So far, so good.  We've transitioned from 1700 sf of condo to 400 sf of boat without feeling claustrophobic or having second thoughts.  Now it's on to planning for our Great Loop cruise, which we hope to start next spring.