Vincent

In loving memory of Vincent

A true sailor dog with 10 years experience under his collar.

You were and still are dearly loved Vinnie.

Doggy Name: Vincent (Vinnie)

Doggy Age: 14 years old when he passed away

Years Sailing: 10 years

Places Sailed:
Cruising on a Leopard Catamaran. Travelled from Brisbane down to Wollongong, stopping at Sydney Harbour, Manly, Watson’s Bay, Port Stephens, Forster, Clarence River, Port Macquarie and Hawkesbury River.
Vincent was regular crew for SAGS and WAGS on a Farrier Trimaran

How did Vincent handle sailing life?
Vincent went canoeing as much as he could; loved it.
Vincent loved being with us on the water. If it got a little rough, under the table he would go, and often fell asleep. Vincent handled sailing very well, until he lost his sight.

 

Biggest challenge:
If Vincent was going out for a race around the triangle, toileting was not a problem, but when he started cruising we tried a drip tray filled with potting mix, and a square piece of turf. Well he did enjoy the turf, he laid on it, but never used it as a toilet. So, we ended up progressing to artificial turf, and it took a while, but in the end, it was a great success.

 

How did you overcome/manage these challenges?

When we first went up to Gladstone and back to Brisbane, I made Vinnie a patch of grass. I used a drip tray, filled it with dirt and added a patch of grass, idea being this was his toilet. Well he laid down on it instead, I spent some time trying to keep the grass alive, (so funny to look back).

Well, the last few months of Vincent’s life, I realised he was smarter than me, he just used a square of fake grass.

Vinnie loved to race on a trimaran. When we went slow, he got plenty of attention, lots of cuddles.  When we raced and the wind picked up, he barked at the yachts we passed; the best of both worlds.

Most dog friendly places you’ve experienced on your travels in your local area and abroad?

When we were fuelling up in Port Stephens, Vinnie managed to jump off the boat when I wasn’t watching. For some reason I looked up towards the restaurant and to my horror, what did I see? Vinnie running the full length inside the restaurant! He was looking for food, the smell was too hard to resist.

Any tips on international travels?
Vincent sailed Australian waters only.

What’s the longest leg your doggy has travelled and how do you manage her energy, toileting and behaviour on these legs and keeping her safe on larger swells.

When arriving at a destination, whether that day or the next, Vinnie would go for a long walk with us, or if for some reason he could not go ashore, we would go for a swim.

What advice would you like to share with others who have dogs who sail or who are considering having a dog on a boat?

Vinnie had a wonderful life, he enjoyed the many walks and taking in all the different sea creatures. Vinnie liked being close to us on the boat, and in fact he was better behaved on the boat then on land.

Sometimes in the afternoon we would leave him by himself on the boat for 15 minutes to half an hour, but only if he had gone for a long walk during the day. This made him not fret when and if we went on another boat for sundowners, and they requested no dogs.

Vinnie was not left at any time for more than an hour. He would wag his tail as we approached the boat, always sure we would return.

 

Last thoughts
I still miss Vinnie so much, [losing him] breaks my heart. I have been putting his ashes in places that he enjoyed, I hope this is enough.

I think Vinnie would thank us for giving him an interesting life, a life of new sights and adventures, and lots of fun.

Lots of love, Vinnie’s Mum xoxo