sv Bella Rose

Ahoy!

On Sunday we had some true Liveaboard excitement. While I was away from Bella Rose, I get a phone call from Cheri. She informs me that Zoe, one of our cats, is stuck somewhere in the boat. The cabinet under the sink in the head is open and Cheri can hear Zoe meowing but doesn’t know where she is located. I ask Cheri to open the access to the engine room and see if she can get Zoe to exit that way, because there is access to the bathtub next to the engine. She informs me she already has that panel open.

I return to the boat, not in the best of moods (sorry) and try to figure out where our FAT cat (ZOE) is located. I remove everything from under the bathroom sink and try to look behind the wall between the sink and the tub, nothing. I remove a small piece of wood in the cabinet that sits against the hull and the floor of the head. I can see Zoe at the other end sitting under the bathtub. She is about 3 feet away from me and there is no way she will fit through this small space. I go to the engine room and try to coax her out this way, because the tub sits just to the side of the engine with a large access under the tub. She won’t come out….

I try to "encourage" Zoe to move by poking at her with a broom handle. All she will do is dance around the end of the handle. No matter how much I poke at her, she won't move.

By now I am really getting upset. I can’t leave here sitting there. She isn’t hurt or truly “stuck” she is just sitting there, but she is meowing. The other cat Maddie, and our dog Tiki are going nuts, and Cheri and Jonathan aren’t too happy with the constant m-e-o-w-ing. I am now thinking I will have to cut a hole in the bathtub in order to get her out. Steam is coming out of my ears and bad words are coming out of my mouth!

Cheri is digging around under the galley sink. I ask herwhat she is doing? What are you looking for? She tells me she is looking for an empty spray bottle… Thank you Cheri! The light bulb goes on. I have an idea. I go out on deck and get the water hose. I turn on the water and bring the hose down in to the boat. I get in that small access under the sink looking toward the tub under the head floor where I can see Zoe. Cheri goes over to the engine room and shines our trouble-light at the tub. I spray Zoe with the water. She comes flying out from under the tub and next to the engine. Yippy it worked.

I had to pry her out from there, but we got her out, slightly dirty and very wet, but unharmed.

On a different note, you might find a couple of videos interesting. They are kind of a statement of everyday life aboard a sailboat. NO! I thought about it, but I didn’t shoot a video of rescuing the cat from under the tub. I would have too many “beeps” in it! LOL

 

Spring is just around a very long corner. I can smell it!

Rob