Escapee from Alcatraz

We set the anchor in the centre of a fairly wide channel.  “Fairly wide” is based on a standard of my making, could I comfortably swim to either shore, I felt I could not.  That evening I emptied our well tied and double bagged garbage and recycling into a shopping bag. The bag is reusable and I use it to store, garbage/recycling until we get to land.   The bag prevents unwanted garbage juice leaking into the dinghy or the cockpit locker, plus all garbage is contained in 1 bag.   This evening, in preparation for going ashore in the morning, I put the bag in the dinghy.   The dinghy was hanging beside the boat, level with our rub rail, quite a ways above the water.   I did hesitate to leave the garbage in case our yorkshire terriers might smell the bag and hop into the dinghy.   But decided it was late enough and the dogs likely would not be out on deck alone.   So,  there the bag went for the night.

In the morning Branko lowered the dinghy,  put on the motor, attached the gas tank and spent sometime getting the boat ready to go ashore.   As he moved the garbage bag, out jumped a rat, a smallish rat which I first thought was a mouse.   The rat ran up the dinghy line aiming for the boat, I dropped the line into the water, thereby setting Branko adrift while the rat jumped nimbly onto the rubrail, destination 1 floor up by my feet...eekkk!   So I did the only thing any smart thinking person would do I stamped my feet and screamed.   

Mr. Rat jumped into the sea heading for the snubber line and anchor chain.   Thankfully Branko was still adrift and could give me instructions as to where the rat was.   I continued the stamping and yelling, it worked.  I knew this type of commotion would be successful in warding off any male attention.  As he looked ready to scurry up the line, I could see him cringing from my shrill voice, that was when I knew he was a Mr. and not a Miss.

Not only did he swim away, fast, but most of his swim was underwater.  He headed for shore and we soon lost track of him near the bathers, hehehe, but we heard no screams so obviously they did not see each other.

Where is Branko going?

Are you wondering what our “bred to kill rats” dogs were doing?  Nothing absolutely nothing. They did not see the rat, they did not smell a rat, it is as though they were just, dogs. They were however distressed to see Branko had left without them, all they were capable of was to watch Branko drift away, silently hoping he would return and save them from the shrillness.   

We determined that the rat swam from the uninhabited island; starved from lack of food and saw his chance to live on a boat or make a stop before continuing to the mainland, brave little guy.