Buddy's Page

Buddy's Page

Those who we met sailing the San Juan's, down the coast of the US, and into Mexico and the Sea of Cortez will remember our black lab, Buddy. Buddy was in charge of hospitality on 'Victoria Rose', and took an occasional stint working security.

He was an active member of our crew and a fantastic sailing dog. Well mannered and suited for life aboard. Quite low maintenance.

As our plans for sailing included crossing the Pacific, another family waited a year to adopt Buddy. He now resides on land with a fantastic family in Riverside, CA.

Because he was an active crew member, sailing well over a few thousand miles, we'll keep his page active.

For those with questions regarding cruising with a dog, please e-mail us.

Buddy's 'stateroom' was under the table. Here he's doing his morning stretch.

On overnight passages he slept in the 'sea berth', awakened during watch changes... to his great annoyance.

Like any good sailor, he enjoys his morning cup of coffee in the cockpit.

He'd check his morning e-mails, weather forecasts, and stock market reports

Aah, the rides ashore to 'take care of business', to swim, and frolic in the sand

We heard somewhere that labs like to swim

Underway, it's all business. Buddy wears a harness and is tethered in, just like the rest of the crew. He has a lifejacket when the weather is rough.

Sand, running, and playing. A tired lab is a good lab.

And the chance to explore new places. Notice that Buddy still wears his harness... it goes on before he gets in the dinghy, and comes off once he's safely back aboard 'Victoria Rose' It's light and provides ventilation, but we can pull him out of the water if needed.

The two most important things we found regarding cruising with a dog: having a well trained and socialized dog, and having the right safety gear.

For training, Buddy attended (and graduated!!) the basic and advanced classes at Sunny Lane Canine Academy.

His harness, lifejacket, protective shoes, and other safety gear are from Ruff Wear. We've used gear from other manufacturers, but we found this stuff to be the best. The life jacket and harness are heavy duty and fit well. We also used a LED light clipped to his harness or lifejacket at night.