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Roo the Sailing Basenji
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Okay, try again everbody, I think I fixed the links!
Randa
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Yup, all fixed… how cute!!!
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He is adorable!
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Wow, great pictures! Roo looks lovely in his safety vest
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OMG Jason & Miranda…..he is soo cute...thank you so much for sharing the pictures. it looks like he is doing well with the sailing. I am soo happy you two to be able to have him out on the boat, what a joy.
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jep, works! Thanks for sharing these nice pics.
Esther
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How adorable…Roo looks really comfortable too!
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Great pictures, Jason! Roo is such a handsome pup. How does he like sailing? Does he enjoy laying up on the bow or does he slide around when tacking?
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These pictures are adorable, I am so glad to see another Basenji in a lifepreserver. My sister thinks I am silly for putting one on my B, Sahara, she says all dogs can swim. I said, "Hey, she doesn't like the water, so we want to make sure when she's on our boat that she is safe. Besides, it is my money so what gives. haha!!!!
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What great photos, the few times I tried to take a basenji on a sailboat many years ago, well, lets just say it didn't work out too well. Roo looks very comfortable and confidant!
Anne in Tampa
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Great pictures, Jason! Roo is such a handsome pup. How does he like sailing? Does he enjoy laying up on the bow or does he slide around when tacking?
We do not let Roo up on the Bow when sailing. If you take a look at our boat (Melges MC Scow) then you will see there is nothing to keep him from sliding off when we are heeling the boat. The last thing I want to do in a race is to fish Roo out of the water. During a Race there is a rule that you have to finish the race with the crew you start with. So he is usually running the floor of the boat or camping out under the hull in the bow area. Of course if we are sailing flat, then he will lay behind our splash boards. There is also a place where he can get behind me in the transom area. So far he has been very good and we have not had trouble with him wanting to chew on the ropes. We figure a few more times out and Roo will finally have his real sea legs under him. Of course I was very nervous the first time he was out with us. Not only do I worry about capsizing the boat with Miranda(poor swimmer), but now I worry about the Dog. Thank God Roo has shown he can swim well. I will be posting some images of that also.
Jason
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What a very lucky dog you have.
Great pics -
Great pics!! He is so darn cute!
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Speaking of cute Setidog, the photo of your b smiling is wonderful as well.
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Thank you Sharron
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Hey Jason…I have a question. If you sail/race with Roo...what DOES happen if you capsize...have you tried it? Roo is tied to the boat, right...what happens if he gets trapped under the sail, or gets wrapped up in some rigging? I've never sailed on a scow but know of the boats and I do understand that they capsize. I ask because I've sailed/raced one design for years (lasers, J24s - owned my own--and crewed for years on PHRF, One Tonners, 50ft class, IMS and MORC (traveling from Maine to Florida for huge regattas both inshore and offshore))...I've seen many unexpected and sometimes bad things happen.
You might want to capsize a few times on purpose with him so that at least you'll know how it goes in a planned situation. Trust me, the man overboard drill I learned and practiced every year came in handy on more than one occasion. Its one thing for a person that knows they need to keep their head up and can figure their way out of being trapped, but I'd be worried that an animal would not know what to do if trapped underwater. I've been trapped underwater under a sail before and trying to get an air pocket under it isn't as easy as you might think and is quite disorienting (as you're pushing up, you are going down)...and I'm a STRONG swimmer.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but I would seriously practice the whole thing...and not just once. I've raced on boats with olympic class sailors (in fact, a couple of gold medalists and 2 silver medalists and others who have competed at the olympics). And throughout the years, every one of the boats with these uber experienced people have run into trouble (whether due to weather, boat failure, shifting wind conditions or crew inattentiveness)...things that have happened include flash tacks due to a wind shift, broaches, capsize/pitchpole and mast breakage and people have ended up in the water unexpectedly.
Just something you might want to consider. I always prefer to try things out in a controlled setting and then at least it isn't a complete surprise.
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Hey Jason…I have a question. If you sail/race with Roo...what DOES happen if you capsize...have you tried it? Roo is tied to the boat, right...what happens if he gets trapped under the sail, or gets wrapped up in some rigging? I've never sailed on a scow but know of the boats and I do understand that they capsize. I ask because I've sailed/raced one design for years (lasers, J24s - owned my own--and crewed for years on PHRF, One Tonners, 50ft class, IMS and MORC (traveling from Maine to Florida for huge regattas both inshore and offshore))...I've seen many unexpected and sometimes bad things happen.
You might want to capsize a few times on purpose with him so that at least you'll know how it goes in a planned situation. Trust me, the man overboard drill I learned and practiced every year came in handy on more than one occasion. Its one thing for a person that knows they need to keep their head up and can figure their way out of being trapped, but I'd be worried that an animal would not know what to do if trapped underwater. I've been trapped underwater under a sail before and trying to get an air pocket under it isn't as easy as you might think and is quite disorienting (as you're pushing up, you are going down)...and I'm a STRONG swimmer.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but I would seriously practice the whole thing...and not just once. I've raced on boats with olympic class sailors (in fact, a couple of gold medalists and 2 silver medalists and others who have competed at the olympics). And throughout the years, every one of the boats with these uber experienced people have run into trouble (whether due to weather, boat failure, shifting wind conditions or crew inattentiveness)...things that have happened include flash tacks due to a wind shift, broaches, capsize/pitchpole and mast breakage and people have ended up in the water unexpectedly.
Just something you might want to consider. I always prefer to try things out in a controlled setting and then at least it isn't a complete surprise.
You sail in a completely different class and situation than we do. I will do my best to answer your questions.
You suggested in your questions that Roo was tied to the boat. The answer to that suggestion and / or question is ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is no way I would ever tie a person or an animal in a boat. It would never be safe to do so nor would it be responsible.
I really have to ask you who manufactured the sailboat that say you sailed on that was called a PHRF? To my knowledge PHRF is a handicap rating system that allows sailboats of different shapes and sizes to race against each other and then provides a formula for adjusting the sailing time for each individual boat. That way they can get a fair comparison at the end of a race.
We happen to sail on a lake, and it appears that even though you mention you have done some sailing inland, most of what you have mentioned from Maine to Florida is done on the ocean. As you know the conditions and problems that ocean sailors face, are much different than Inland.
You are on the coast, and I am in IL. Since I am Inland, I can pretty much choose where and when I will sail. I also have Miranda in the boat as well. We own a 16 foot scow with a 26 foot mast. If you look up a Melges MC Scow you will see what I sail. I sailed last year in 25-30 mile an hour winds on the Misissippi at the Polar Bear Regatta last year, but I would never take my Basenji out in conditions like that.
I have also attended different Regatta's before Roo joined us.
Lets face it you have to use some common sense in choosing the things you do and the conditions you do them under.
Lets be clear on one thing, I certainly would never knowingly put my Basenji in harms way. At this point, Roo will only be involved in club racing, which our sailing club has scheduled every week here. If you have been around sailing as much as you have stated then you should be very familiar with what club racing is. Other than that, Roo will be pleasure sailing with me.
You also might be interested to know that there is another dog at our lake that is dragged behind a power boat on a large inner Tube. The dog seems to love it and apparently had better balance than the people he sometimes shares his Tube with.
The Melges MC Scow, is a much different boat from the J-24 or Laser. In my opinion, the Scow is a very stable boat compared to others I have sailed.
If you noticed in the pictures, Roo has his own life Jacket. His life jacket also has a handle on it so he can be dragged out of the water quickly. I have already taken Roo swimming several times this year so if he ends up in the water, he will have some idea of what to do and his life jacket will help him keep afloat. I know because I tested the Life Jacket with the dog in it! It would be foolish for anyone to take any dog into the water if they have not planned for their safety.
As far as capsizing goes, it certainly can happen. I have capsized in other boats, and I have never seen it happen so quickly that sail ends up under water right away. Also there are flotation devices for the mast, that keep a small sail boat from turtling. In my case, I am prepared for this because I have a 26 foot mast and the deepest part of our man made lake is only 18 feet and is mud. I have no desire to get my mast stuck so I have a flotation device.
If you have sailed with guys who have Olympic experience, then most likely they are pushing the envelope. Not everyone that sails and races use the same tactics. Not all Inland lakes are the same either.
In todays world, we have weather reports which include both high wind and storm warnings. Although the weather is always unpredictable, you can get a good idea of what you might run into on any given day.
Just as You, I am a very strong swimmer. I was an AAU swimmer and was on the team in high school. I am also former Navy. I learned to sail about 36 years ago when I was 15. I took a long break from it and only recently purchased the two sail boats I currently own. I will never claim to be the worlds greatest sailer, but as you probably are aware, if you do preventative maintenance on your boat, you can greatly reduce the risks of having boat failure and equipment failure issues. Like you say, inattentiveness can get you hurt.
I certainly understand your concerns, but now that you have more information , maybe you can lay some of them to rest.
Jason
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You sail in a completely different class and situation than we do. I will do my best to answer your questions.
You suggested in your questions that Roo was tied to the boat. The answer to that suggestion and / or question is ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is no way I would ever tie a person or an animal in a boat. It would never be safe to do so nor would it be responsible.
I really have to ask you who manufactured the sailboat that say you sailed on that was called a PHRF? To my knowledge PHRF is a handicap rating system that allows sailboats of different shapes and sizes to race against each other and then provides a formula for adjusting the sailing time for each individual boat. That way they can get a fair comparison at the end of a race.
Lets be clear on one thing, I certainly would never knowingly put my Basenji in harms way. At this point, Roo will only be involved in club racing, which our sailing club has scheduled every week here. If you have been around sailing as much as you have stated then you should be very familiar with what club racing is. Other than that, Roo will be pleasure sailing with me.
You also might be interested to know that there is another dog at our lake that is dragged behind a power boat on a large inner Tube. The dog seems to love it and apparently had better balance than the people he sometimes shares his Tube with.
The Melges MC Scow, is a much different boat from the J-24 or Laser. In my opinion, the Scow is a very stable boat compared to others I have sailed.
If you noticed in the pictures, Roo has his own life Jacket. His life jacket also has a handle on it so he can be dragged out of the water quickly. I have already taken Roo swimming several times this year so if he ends up in the water, he will have some idea of what to do and his life jacket will help him keep afloat. I know because I tested the Life Jacket with the dog in it! It would be foolish for anyone to take any dog into the water if they have not planned for their safety.
As far as capsizing goes, it certainly can happen. I have capsized in other boats, and I have never seen it happen so quickly that sail ends up under water right away. Also there are flotation devices for the mast, that keep a small sail boat from turtling. In my case, I am prepared for this because I have a 26 foot mast and the deepest part of our man made lake is only 18 feet and is mud. I have no desire to get my mast stuck so I have a flotation device.
If you have sailed with guys who have Olympic experience, then most likely they are pushing the envelope. Not everyone that sails and races use the same tactics. Not all Inland lakes are the same either.
In todays world, we have weather reports which include both high wind and storm warnings. Although the weather is always unpredictable, you can get a good idea of what you might run into on any given day.
Just as You, I am a very strong swimmer. I was an AAU swimmer and was on the team in high school. I am also former Navy. I learned to sail about 36 years ago when I was 15. I took a long break from it and only recently purchased the two sail boats I currently own. I will never claim to be the worlds greatest sailer, but as you probably are aware, if you do preventative maintenance on your boat, you can greatly reduce the risks of having boat failure and equipment failure issues. Like you say, inattentiveness can get you hurt.
I certainly understand your concerns, but now that you have more information , maybe you can lay some of them to rest.
Jason
Jason…
Yup, your response definitely alleviated some of the concern. The reason I though Roo was tied to the boat was that it looked like he was on some sort of tether in your pictures.I understand that scows are more stable than lasers and lake sailing is completely different than inshore/offshore ocean racing, but because I know people that race scows and had them capsize (some good stories of that), I would want to try it intentionally...you never know. But it sounds like you think you have the situation under control.
Oh, and BTW, yes...PHRF is a handicap
...there is no such thing as a PHRF boat...Many times up here when the small boat season is over, if I race on big boats (on J35s for example) if there aren't enough to make a one design class, we'll race them PHRF. In fact, when we've raced J35s as one design, for race weeks, we've also scored them PHRF as there are different ratings for ones with tillers, masthead vs. fractional rigs, inboard motors...that sort of thing. Also, sometimes 1 tonners and 2 tonners are raced PHRF depending on the size and make up of the fleet. Oh, and IMS is also a rating/measurement system. -
What a beautiful pup! He looks happy sailing! Does he help with changing the sails and tacking (or whatever the proper terms are)? He he.
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What a beautiful pup! He looks happy sailing! Does he help with changing the sails and tacking (or whatever the proper terms are)? He he.
Thanks for the nice comment Wizard, Miranda and I feel the same way about him, but heck we have to feel that way because he is part of our family. I am sure that Roo would love to help us Tack and pull his own weight,and although he can reach some of the lines, he is just to short and light to be effective. We really want to discourage any chewing of lines and do not have any issues with that at this time. So Roo has agreed to be used as movable Ballast. Its an effective role for him and he seems to enjoy it.
The only real problem we have had is when Roo decides he is comfortable and lays down on the dry bag and a life jacket to take nap. So getting him up to move and change the position of our movable ballast can be a real chore when we come about. I know I do not have to tell you how slow and stubborn Basenji's can be. Esp when you wake them up for a nap. Then you have to wait for them to decide to move after they wake up.
Jason
