The Dog Watch. True Story

[RobGallagher]

The following is a true story, told by a good friend whom it happened to. I don't think he's ever written it down so I'm taking the liberty.

Mario tells his story much better than me...
(Mario, if you read this and I got something wrong, feel free to correct me)

It was a hot, calm summer morning when I felt my wife elbowing me in the ribs and hissing "wake up".

As I opened my eyes I was staring right into the face of a huge German Shepard. He didn't seem dangerous or afraid, he was just panting and staring back down at us.

As the fog of sleep cleared I realized we where lying on our backs in the V-Berth looking up through the open hatch.

I try to clear my head further, we are at anchor, it's not our dog, so I must be dreaming or we dragged during the night and have run aground. What other logical reason could there be for a German Shepard to be on the deck of my boat staring down at me with that doggie grin.

He doesn't seem dangerous, but still, you never know. So I ever so slowly crawl out of the V-berth and go aft to the companionway. All the while this big dog just watches, and grins. I pop my head out and look around, we are still lying peacefully at anchor, the anchorage is full but no boats are anywhere near close enough for the dog to have jumped to our boat.

The swim ladder is not in place. How the hell did this dog get here?

It's very early in the morning and all the other boaters seem to still be sleeping. I look to the closest boat and notice the companionway is open.

In a sort of shouting whisper I call to the nearest boat "pssssst hey, you own a dog? pssssst hey!

After several minutes of straining my voice trying to yell and whisper at the same time, while not waking up the entire anchorage, a man's head pops up and looks around.

He looks half asleep and his gaze is darting back and forth between the dog on my boat, the topsides of his boat, and back down below on his boat.

He seems as confused as me.

He pops back down below, probably to put on some pants, comes back up, hops in his dink and slowly motors over to get his dog.

The end.

Now the fun part is guessing how the dog got onto the boat.

[Minnewaska]

Was the dog wet? Would have expected it was dripping through the hatch.

[flyingwelshman]

The answer is really obvious:

the cat took control of the 'Bow'son's sling and maneuvered the dog across to your friend's boat.

[DoubleEnder]

My guess is the clue is this "It was a hot, calm summer morning".

It was probably so calm that the two anchored boat floated together while everyone but the shepard were sleeping. He was "fending off" when he got caught on the wrong boat!

[RobGallagher]

Originally Posted by DoubleEnder

My guess is the clue is this "It was a hot, calm summer morning".

It was probably so calm that the two anchored boat floated together while everyone but the shepard were sleeping. He was "fending off" when he got caught on the wrong boat!

No one but the German Shepard will ever know the truth, but that is the most logical explanation. So we have a winner!

Although I like the cat and the bosun's chair explanation too!

[AdamLein]

Was the dog wet or dry?

If dry I guess the obvious answer is that the boats swung together and then swung apart.

[RobGallagher]

Originally Posted by AdamLein

Was the dog wet or dry?

If dry I guess the obvious answer is that the boats swung together and then swung apart.

Yup, calm summer night, the boats probably drifted together when the current was slack. Dog probably just stepped over the lifelines and the boats drifted apart.

I do love that story as my friend tells it. Can you imagine waking up to a strange dog staring you down....lol

[Mirari]

Anybody know where this event happened?

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by flyingwelshman

The answer is really obvious:

the cat took control of the 'Bow'son's sling and maneuvered the dog across to your friend's boat.

Now that's funny.

(At first I thought this thread was about SailingDog - God rest his keyboard.)

[MikeGuyver]

Dogs owner takes him to the beach to do his doggie duty in the evening before retiring and runs into old an buddy from somewhere .A few drinks later stumbles back to the dink with fido in tow.In the dark all those bleach bottle boats look alike anyway,dog jumps aboard first.Popeye stops to whiz off the dink and sees the wrong name on the transom and forgets fido all together.Fido being a smart German Shepard lets the old drunk go on without causing a fuss,probably better off with the new owner anyway