Saturday, August 12, 2017

Cally Goes Pee on the Boat AND Steve, the Pee Daddy

SO ... with all of the planning Rip has done regard to anchorages, lock walls & marinas ... we really haven't had to worry with Cally learning to go potty on the boat. He researches each spot for where we can land Cally. Lock walls were easy; always grass to for her to wander around or a town to walk through. Marinas can be challenging because of her ramps and whether or not they fit on the finger piers, dock, etc. Parks Canada parks were easy with a dinghy dock to land and park area to explore; though rocky and limited.
20170627_075702We have had to use a short ramp on top of a step stool once to get her to the dock. Some walls are high and her ramp goes off the top of the master berthDSCF6453 cabin instead of the side of the boat. But, Rip gets it figured out each time. Up until Bone Island (Georgian Bay), we had beach or Park dock to take Cally to shore. Bone Island was the first time BadRiver1Aug (4)we had to use a rock shore for her potty needs. She did adapt quickly going on moss in the rock crevices.
There will be times coming up that it will be easier and we can run longer days ... if she will go potty on the boat. We can run longer each day if she can go pee on the boat. When on some of the inland rivers where there is only sticky mud that sucks your feet and legs … that will NOT be good for Cally’s bad ankles. There are other places we know she will need to go on the boat – like when we cross the Gulf of Mexico and we are in open waters overnight for 26+ hours. Now, she can hold it that long and vets swear it is not a problem for them to do that. Vets say dogs can go upwards of 72 hours before you need to worry about them. I would rather NOT have to put her through that if we can avoid it by training now.
During docktails this last LilCurrentAug89101112 (10)Tuesday in Little Current on
Gypsie's Palace, a visiting dog went to the bow and pee'ed on their dogs grass mat. That got me to thinking ... LilCurrentAug89101112 (5)wonder if we brought Cally over would she go on their big grass mat??
LilCurrentAug89101112 (8)After everyone else left, we took Cally over and SHE WENT PEE ON THEIR MAT on their boat!!
This morning we brought their mat over to our boat and
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SHE WENT PEE ON OUR BOAT on THEIR MAT!!
We rubbed our mat all over their mat to transfer scent and now have 20170812_145321just our mat in the same place theirs was on our boat. Later tonight or tomorrow am, we need her to go on her mat on our boat.
Fingers crossed, but I think she will do it!! Hope she doesn’t mind how much smaller her mat is than the one from Gypsie’s Palace.
The next trick will be going #2 on the mat. Didn't have any luck with that today.
Many thanks to Steve, Debbie, Jazzy and Mozzie!!
UPDATE: 2 nights later as folks migrated to Gypsie’s Palace again … Bette & Vic Peirce from Felix were bemoaning all they had done to get their dog to go on their boat on their mat with no success. I suggested they bring over their dog to try out the mat on the bow that now had lots of dog scents. They did … and in no time flat their dog went pee on the bow, too!!
Steve, Captain of Gypsie’s Palace is now known PEE DADDY and ready to start a dog potty training business aboard!!
Cally has not gone on her mat, yet. We’ve tried twice … she just sits on it and stares out. That’s her signal she wants to do something else/go somewhere else. Sad smile






Little Current

Day 110-114 … Tues-Sat, August 8-12, 2017 … 23 miles; 3:20 Hours
Baie Fine to Little Current
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Pretty, but windy and cool day. Not a particularly scenic run today; but, enjoyable.
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Leaving Baie Fine we passed a neat cottage situated on one island LilCurrentAug89101112 (39)with a bridge to a smaller cottage on a smaller island nearby.
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LilCurrentAug89101112 (45)Another lighthouse as we near Little Current. The lighthouses are not as interesting as the lighthouses on the east coast of the US. Here, they seem to all be so similar; whereas in the US each in so different.
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Slowing down in moving current is not easy and requires Rip’s fun attention to stay between the marks and not drift out and, potentially, onto rocks or a rock shelf. He did another great job. Once past the swing bridge our marina was in sight.
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Timing the swing bridge that only opens on the hour left us with about 1/2 hour to kill, so Rip slowed the boat down after we crossed some open water. Timing the wind, current and finding a slip on B dock (which, OBTW, we have NEVER seen) wasn’t easy. Rip got us in and settled.
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Fortunately – we were right by the Fish & Chips AND Ice Cream store!! LilCurrentAug89101112 (53)Unfortunately, we were right by the squeaking dock hinge.
Fearing no sleep wouldn't be had by either, Rip elected to move to a slip further out the dock. GREAT decision!! A few more steps to ice cream, but we sleep great.
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The original plan was for 3 nights here at the Downtown Docks in Little Current, but between weather and repairs for Firestorm, we both decided to stay 5 nights. We will move on on Sunday. This extra time allowed for more docktails and a special cocktail party.LilCurrentAug89101112 (14)LilCurrentAug89101112 (16)LilCurrentAug89101112 (18)
Tuesday, docktails were aboard Miss Utah, another Looper. After docktails, 10 of the 14 of us (5 boats) went to dinner in town together.
Fun was had by all … until time to leave the boat for dinner. Tom from Destinations couldn't find his shoes (must boaters take there shoes on a boat to not mar the decks, etc).LilCurrentAug89101112 (11) At first, we thought he’d had one too many; but his size 9 Topsiders weren’t there. There was a pair of size 10 deck/tenLilCurrentAug89101112 (19)nis shoes. LilCurrentAug89101112 (20)So, Tom put them on and away we went. After dinner the group approached one of the boats that didn’t go to dinner … sure, enough the Captain was STILL wearing the 1 size too small shoes that weren’t his!! LilCurrentAug89101112 (27)
A beautiful moon over the swing bridge greeted us afterwards.LilCurrentAug89101112 (3)
Thursday, docktails were aboard Gypsie’s Palace … too many Loopers to count, but the Leopard 47 Powercat had room to spare!
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Thursday & Friday morning, I attended the Cruiser's Net VHF radio show, held at the Anchor Inn. The boating area in the Georgian Bay and North Channel has very little signal/data/phone. 20170811_09045620170810_08582920170810_085837
Most anchorages have no bars/no signal. SO, this Cruiser’s Net was started some 14 years ago. Every morning at 9am on VHF 71, Roy provides an opportunity for any emergency situations to be addressed,  the weather info, and some news & sports scores.
20170811_090103Then it is call in time. Boaters call in from there location. That way you know where your friends are located and where they are going. One boater missed receiving a package at Killarney and arranged for another boater coming his way to bring it to him. The slogan is “Boaters Helping Boaters”.
This is for locals and Loopers … anyone in the area! On Friday’s from 3-5pm is the Cruiser’s Net Cocktail Party at the Anchor Inn. FREE appetizers! 25 boats were represented at the party.LilCurrentAug89101112 (25)LilCurrentAug89101112 (24)
It’s Saturday, last day in Little Current … mostly I am working on catching the blog up as we haven’t had signal for it for SO long.  Tomorrow we move on, again!!