And so it began, we went to open the shop as usual and Breeshey and Baggie are there, next thing Jon, Baggie and me are off in the jeep, taking the cover off the RIB, putting the new engine on the Pig and then launching them both. Onto the beach and I’m in the back of the jeep, here we go, backwards into the sea. I’ll stay in here, the water is nearly up to the door, there is no way I’m getting out, I’ll get wet. This is it,the season has started, there will be lots of people waiting at the shop when I get back!
Jon pulls up and lets me out, the excitment is too much, I’m running toward the shop, can’t control my tail, who will be here? Seven children all together, three instructors and Jon. Numbers duly noted in case I need to round them up. And there is Nell, Jon’s niece, I know her, ah, I’ll give her a cuddle. There’s Georgie and Duilleann I’ve met them before and five new friends for me to make. All dressed ready to go, I’ll count them out as they go to the beach. And they’re gone, I’m still here. At least now it’s warmer and the door is open I can lie outside and watch the other dogs go in and out of the dog doctors across the road.
They are back, all ready for lunch. Great they are eating in the classroom, a chance for me to hoover the bits that fall. Hmmmm, a ham sandwich corner, wow, I never get meat from Jon and Jen, they don’t seem to eat meat…. I can’t work it out??
A sunny afternoon and back on the water. Jen picks up my lifejacket, I know what this means, I’m going too! Oh no, there goes my tail again, no control, wagging away and making the rest of me waggle with it….. Lifejacket, concentrate, lifejacket, sit still, just for long enough. First over my head, next under my tummy one strap, two straps, that’s it, argh, tail’s going again. Come on, come on, let’s go. Across the beach, running, running, running to the harbour. The boats are down a ladder, no way for a dog to get down. No problem, Jen get’s the boat, she knows the drill, I’ll meet her at the steps where she can pick me up and gently push the bow of the boat out as I jump in. We are good at this, I can proudly say I have never missed the boat (I might have missed the slipway once though, what a horrible, embarassing wet moment that was!).
And off to sea we go. And this is great I’m up on the bow, wind blowing through my fur, ears flapping away. Summer is here. We go to the beach and I count all the boats as they leave the beach, I have seven to worry about plus one RIB and us in the Pig. The afternoon is calm and fairly uneventful, plenty of time to snooze in the sunshine, curled up in a space which clearly had me in mind when they designed this boat, my own fore-cabin.
Oo, we’re moving kinda quick, I’d best wake up and see what’s the rush. Oh dear, someone seems a wee bit upset, ah, a gust caught him and he got worried. Stand back everyone, this is my job. I look at Jen, she is looking back at me with that ‘you know what you have to do’ look about her. She taps the boat with my new friend it. I jump into the boat. I sit down and look at my friend with all the comfort and softness I can find and my friend is no longer frightened, he has a dog in is boat, this makes him happy and brave and he carries on sailing. My job done and I’m back to some serious relaxing in my bunk.
Home we go now, I’m helping Baggie and Jon put the boats away…. until they get the hose pipe out, I’d forgotten about this bit. Run away, run away, please put me back in the jeep, I don’t like this. Phew, that bit’s over, covers on, back to the shop we go. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven sailors have said goodbye everyone is happy. I hope for more of this tomorrow and every day.
