Dockwise Yacht Transport: A Dog's Eye View
Most dogs are content with a plot of land behind their house, walks through the neighborhood and the occasional romp on the beach when the weather is nice, but I’m not most dogs. I am Marina, a six-year-old Golden Retriever, and I consider the Atlantic Ocean my backyard and Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT) the most appropriate vehicle for making outings at sea with my caretaker Cliff Rome (Kodiak, Alaska) aboard our Delta-70 motoryacht OASIS.
Cliff has been my best friend since puppyhood, teaching me how to walk the cat-walk, swim off the back of the ship and help him on the boat when DYT is underway. Before me, Cliff took care of another Golden Retriever who logged 80,000 nautical miles at sea. Currently I have about 30,000 under my collar and room for much more.
The reason we like using DYT is because we can predict our time of arrival to a given destination and there is no time wasted having to do maintenance when we get there. Instead, once our boat is situated, I jump right in to the dingy and eye Cliff until he gives in and takes me ashore.
Offshore expeditions are no easy task and a canine lacking sea legs will not fare well during the long journeys from port to port. In 2008, during a DYT Passage, onboard the Super Servant 4, I went 53 hours underway without stopping to go ashore and on the same trip injured my knee aboard our boat, but nothing will stop me from making these voyages. Cliff once told me that about 15 to 20 years ago, the Russian commercial boats brought dogs along as companions for the crew and that, like them, I am a true dog of the sea. Two to three times a day, I hike up several flights of stairs to visit with the officers on duty and play in the mess hall with the crew. From the treats they feed me when I make a visit, I have a good feeling that my company is appreciated.
Sometimes it can be lonely in the middle of the ocean, and I miss stalking down squirrels, rolling around in the dirt, and playing with other dogs, but travelling aboard DYT is the life for me due to my ear condition which prevents me from flying; I wouldn’t trade it for all the treats in the sea.
For more information:
Dockwise Yacht Transport
Newport Shipyard
One Washington Street
Newport, RI 02840 USA
www.yacht-transport.com ***
