May 7, 2009

Manatees in St. Augustine, Florida

We were working on the boat today and it was incredibly hot. I turned on the hose to get my hair wet, and suddenly a huge mass surfaced out of the water. I started yelling to LeeAnn "Come out! Come out there are manatees!!”
It turns out manatees really really like freshwater. Apparently it’s a mystery why manatees like freshwater so much. But they swim up freshwater rivers, and hang out around fresh underwater springs.


They would suck the hose into their mouths and drink off it like a bottle.
There were 5 total, including one baby.
The manatees stuck around for over an hour while we fed them water. Then we stopped giving them water and they still wouldn't leave!

May 5, 2009

A Cat On A Sailboat

This is Sushi.
Sushi is a cool cat.



Sushi was born in New York State, but has traveled to three countries and eight different states.


 



Sushi has sailed about fifteen hundred miles.





She would get seasick when she was a kitten, but seems to have grown out of it these days.





The boat is a big playground. She has ventured onto the dock a few times, but for the most part stays on the boat like a good cat.






Sushi likes dinghy rides.





Sushi is very interested in the water, she loves to watch it and paw at it, but like the stereotypical cat, she hates to be submerged in it! She doesn't like seafood, but dolphins are an endeless fascination to her.






Mostly she is just a lazy cat.




As far as dealing with the boat and the water, we got her when she was only a few months old... so she really doesn't know anything different. She is curious about the water She likes to go out in the rain. She likes to sit our on deck.