Panic attack!

For almost 10 months neither cat has shown the least bit of interest in getting off the boat to explore the docks or shore.  So it was quite a surprise last night to realize that when Sue was fixing supper and I was down below reading Fluff had jumped off the boat!  We were tied up along one of the lock walls which was level with the deck of the boat.  All along the wall was lawn, with a bit of a hill with brush and trees a short ways away from the lock wall.  As soon as we realized Fluff wasn't on the boat we both went searching.  Sue went ahead of the boat looking in the brush by the hill.  I went behind the boat looking in the water which was flowing towards the downstream lock and dam.  Fortunately in just a few minutes Sue heard Fluff crying up the hill in the brush.  She eventually found him and I was able to catch him and carry him back to the boat.  He was quite upset and was meowing piteously.  We eventually calmed him down, and then spent the next 45 minutes pulling all the little "pickers" from vines out of his fur.  Later that evening he was quite insistent  about going back out in the cockpit.  We weren't sure if he was ready for more shore leave or just wanted to check things out from the cockpit.  At any rate, we kept him down below.

This morning when we were having breakfast in the cockpit Fluff jumped off the boat again.  As soon as we had him back on board Zim jumped off.  We're now going to have to be more careful about leaving them unattended.  The good news is that we should be back home in the next couple of weeks.  It's also good that they didn't realize they could get off the boat months ago.

Last night we tied up with a home built powerboat. ( Jack, check out "Sow's ear" - it's similar to a Bolger design - you'll probably want to build one.)  They are also here in Fairport with us.  When we tied up this afternoon right ahead of us is another boat that we first met in Vero Beach, Florida and then in Marathon, Florida.  The boat is from Boston, but the owners are full time live-aboards.