The adventures of OÏ and Marie – #Episode3
Let's go for the rest of the adventures of our three sailors, new episode 3! Oï and his masters, Marie and Diario have packed up for a long three-year sea crossing with magical destinations. In episode 2, they discovered the Canary Islands, a magnificent destination to do with a dog. They have since provided for their adventure towards a new distant land… Oï has taken over the helm between his legs, his gaze plunging towards the horizon: towards Cape Verde!
Stay in Cape Verde with a dog
The trip there went well: as far as customs are concerned, in Cape Verde, it was rather simple since… we weren't asked anything.
On the other hand, we are currently in the Caribbean with Oï. After Martinique, we wanted to leave for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with our dog, but doggies are prohibited on land. As a result, we have reviewed our program and are spending more time in Martinique. Out of the question to leave Oï on board for several days.
In Cape Verde, we visited the islands of Sao Vicente, Sao Antao and Sao Nicolau with our dog. It is a downright dog friendly destination. Here, there are not really domestic dogs but many street dogs which are in fact the “people's dogs”. Everyone feeds them and gives them a name… As a result, we were always followed by a horde of dogs very curious about our little gringo. We couldn't really go unnoticed with this kind of welcoming committee!
22 days on a boat with a dog
The transatlantic went well. We could see that in the end our dog was a little bored, so we tried to stimulate him as much as possible with physical exercises but especially small exercises to occupy him “mentally”. For example, we make him sit/not move and then we hide a kibble somewhere in the boat. He must then find it and therefore put his flair to work a little!
Guadeloupe with a dog
Guadeloupe with a dog, it's cool! Which is not necessarily the case in Martinique. People, in general; are quite scared of dogs and they are banned everywhere. In Guadeloupe we could go to the dog friendly beach without this being a problem. We also hiked a lot.
The only problem with my dog is… The chickens! He has an irrepressible passion for them and here they are EVERYWHERE!! As a result, we must always be on our guard to see them before him and take him back on a leash before he sees them. One day, he was faster than us and killed one… Fortunately, it was a wild hen and we didn't have to report to its owner. But poor chick...
When we stopover we always sleep on the boat, so no problem with accommodation. For restaurants it was quite variable. Some accepted Oï without problem, others asked us to tie it in front. But generally he knows how to appease everyone and even the most recalcitrant end up being fooled by his cocker spaniel gaze.
A dog with sea legs
Oï is a super sailor dog, really. He never gets seasick, he adapts to all situations without ever seeming to suffer from it. When we got him, he was afraid of water… Today, he bathes a lot, but only from land. He never jumps into the water from the boat. And fortunately, because it would be really problematic for his safety.
As for defending the boat… we are working on it. We will pass through places prone to petty piracy. Of the type: flights on board during the night while people are sleeping. So we try to train Oï to bark when we get too close to the boat. It works more or less… If he sleeps inside, he sleeps like a groundhog and nothing can wake him up. But we realized that by letting him sleep outside, he is much more attentive.
In Cape Verde, he woke us up in the middle of the night because a fishing boat came to pick up a trap right next to the boat. Congratulations, croquette and hop: we go back to bed!
If you want to sail with Oï and Marie, I invite you to watch this video Too W'ouf 🙂 You will be able to follow live how Oï learned to climb the ladder to be able to access the boat. With the added bonus of a few bowls! Their next adventures will take place in Colombia in Cartagena, it will be an opportunity for Oï to sniff a new breed of dog: El perro fino colombiano, a typical doggie from there 😀 we hope they will have the chance to meet one 🙂
To be continued in the next episode !