Pets and boats seem to go together. Actually, we’ve been cruising with pets, or some type of animal, for about 15,000 years, according to this great story from Atlas Obscura.
That’s when Phoenicians carried cats on board to ward off rodents. And ancient Romans took chickens on their warships, believing that if the hens ate before a battle, they would be victorious. In 249 B.C. when the hen did not eat, an incensed Roman admiral threw the bird overboard; his entire fleet was almost wiped out.
In more peaceful times, meaning today, people cruise with all types of pets. I haven’t heard of chickens, but I can attest to dogs and cats and parrots; indeed, about half the people cruising the Great Loop today have some type of pet on board.
To recognize the role of pets in our cruising history, Patricia Sullivan, of Annapolis, founded the online Museum of Maritime Pets with four volunteers in 2006. According to Atlas Obscura, she defines pets broadly, to include “animals living or working on or near the water, who collaborate with man in times of peace and war.” One favorite: Simon, pictured at top, the first decorated cat in British military history. Simon was on board the British sloop HMS Amethyst when it was attacked by the Chinese People’s Army for three months in the Yangtze River in 1949. Simon received a medal for “surviving injuries, killing off a rat infestation and raising the crew’s morale.” For more:
