Curiosity

 

Mom and Dad are often asked, what type of dog is Dora? While it's pretty obviously she has a lot hound in her - you should hear her bay - there's definitely something else there. She looks a lot like a foxhound but she's not quite big enough. Maybe mixed with a beagle???

The crew has been toying with the idea of doing a DNA test to find out a little more about her background. Not that anyone cares what breed she may come from. She couldn't be loved more, even if she came from royalty.

Over the weekend, Mom ordered a Wisdom Panel Canine DNA Test. There are lots of different tests one can buy but Karen's niece used this one on her rescue dog and recommended it, so, why not? It arrived today.

There's a couple of swabs with detailed instructions for retrieving the DNA from her cheek. The test has to be done 2 hours after any food or treat, so we need to wait because Dad fed her some of his chips from lunch.

Then the box turns into its own return package. Wait a few weeks and we'll be able to look up her results online.

Dylan and Dee Dee want to run a pool but will only accept treats, no money. They don't have any pockets to put the cash in anyway...

We'll pop the package in the mail tomorrow. Then the whole crew will wait with bated breath for the outcome. Whatever the results, one would be hard-pressed to find a better crew than this.

We'll keep you posted.

A Long Day

Mom and Dad decided to try something different for Red Head’s cruise down the New Jersey shore. It’s never been a favorite passage. The plan was to leave the Sandy Hook anchorage and go nonstop to the Cape Henlopen anchorage in Delaware. It’s a 125 nm passage. If the crew could leave at dawn, then Red Head could be in by dusk. A long day.

The crew was awakened at 4:30 am, happy to receive breakfast early. Dee Dee and Dora quickly settled on the pilothouse settee.

While Dylan chose to settle in front of the starboard side door to catch some breezes. Mom and Dad started hauling the anchor and left the anchorage as the sun rose.

For Dora, it was another first. Her maiden voyage on the ocean. She loved sniffing the ocean air. It was a good trip, although a bit bouncy in the middle of the day. So how did she do?

Why, she handled it with aplomb!

Uh-oh!

The crew had intended for today’s blog entry to be about throwing off the lines and heading down the Hudson River. While everyone enjoyed the time at Shady Harbor Marina, the crew was itching to move on to new adventures. 

They wanted to tell you how Dora had finished going through heat. Mom and Dad had gotten through a dozen items on their project list. Maybe show some more of those cute cuddle pictures. But things went a little differently. 

Ever since Dora made her way to Red Head’s roof during a past docking at Shady Harbor, she has been tethered in the pilothouse whenever the boat is docking. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t needed any more since Dad constructed gates to keep her contained on the pilothouse level when underway.

Plus, she has pretty much chewed through the leash that was being used. But tethered she was...

As is typical, she cried when her dad left the pilothouse with remote in hand to undock. At some point, Dora became quiet and an unfamiliar alarm sounded but then stopped. Hmmmm, strange.

Mom finished clearing the deck of lines and fenders, then took over at the helm so Dad could make his log entries and put away the remote. Pretty much like any other docking. Then Dad said, “Uh-oh.”

He had discovered what caused the alarm and Dora’s silence. She had consoled herself by chewing on the remote’s cable.

This is not a remote where one can just run into Radio Shack and buy a replacement - wait, are they even in business??? In fact, it is one of the most expensive pieces of electronics on the boat. Of course, we only have one - Mom and Dad had been talking about getting a backup but, well, refer to the previous sentence.

Fortunately, Dad had a summer job in college at a board manufacturer and learned to be a soldering expert.

It took most of the morning but he was able to splice the cable, all 21 wires. She may not be pretty but she works.

Fortunately, Dad has a soft spot for the littlest crew member. She managed to survive the ordeal. But Dora honey, don’t push your luck. 

Dad Has Bread...