excited, zipping around checking out his new digs, then finally jumping up onto a bed as if to say, “Look, look at this glorious new place . . . can I chew the comforter?” After two months of go-sees and interviews, we joined the South Carolina Yacht Club and rented a slip in Windmill Harbour, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We spent March and April traveling between our home and Annapolis, MD for the commissioning process of our sailboat. Three trips in all, and Moose is now a traveling professional; he knows the routine at the airport and breezes through security as fast as a deadhead pilot does. He has definitely earned his wings. Thank goodness we used his travel carrier as his bed and security spot for the first four months of his life, because now when it’s time he jumps right in and goes to sleep or chills out and plays with a toy. We stayed at the same bed and breakfast for each visit, a supreme retreat just off the beaten path in downtown Annapolis. Pippa, the resident Border collie, and Moose became fast friends and enjoyed an occasional visit together to the local pet boutique. Annapolis is super dog-friendly, so when walking Moose downtown, we got used to meet-
ing lots of local dogs, dogs on vacation, and friendly dogloving people. Moose’s time in Annapolis was divided between exercise walks in the morning, touristy walks and sightseeing in the evening (including ice cream parlours and trendy trinket shops that give away biscuits freely) and every minute in between running around the marina, visiting with the contractors working on our boat or making friends with other boat owners and their salty dogs. There was also a children’s pirate ship/tour located in the marina, and every day when Moose would hear the laughter and shouts of rowdy children turned pirates lining up to board the ship, he would demand to go see the children. Near the dock he would sit and receive affection, loving pats on the head from each pirate that filed past, and by the end of the week, he became an honorary pirate. We celebrated the handover of the Black Caiman with a champagne toast and dinner from the Chart House delivered to our boat, which was docked there throughout the commission process. Unbeknownst to me, as I was taking a picture of our server, Daniel, Moose entertained the customers inside the restaurant who were looking out the windows at the scene, by jumping up and tasting my cream of crab soup. What a clown! Everyone inside erupted in laughter, This was the perfect ending to our Annapolis experience and the beginning of our maiden voyage down the Intracoastal Waterway. In May 2011, the Black Caiman was ready, and so were we. With Moose as our first mate, we left Annapolis, MD for our adventure down the Intracoastal Waterway to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Approximately 565 miles, eleven days, ten marinas, three bays, and numerous bridges, and Moose enjoyed
- 16 - CottageDog - Fall/December 2011