By Susan Bard Hall
That’s just the kind of response you’d expect from a couple of “salty dogs,” except that “she” is Sellar’s nine-year-old Abyssinian, Tasha.
Tasha has been a mainstay on Sellar’s sailboat since kittenhood, which may explain why she’s so comfortable with sailboats, sailing, and dock life. In fact, she’s so comfortable that Sellar has to keep a watchful eye on her when they pull into port. Otherwise, Tasha will entertain herself by exploring other boats. (Maybe she just wants to see what’s cooking in the galley!)
While under sail, Tasha spends most of her time below deck or in the cockpit where she wears a harness. And if Sellar hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he says he never would have believed that Tasha actually gets up off the cushions and moves to the other side of the boat when they tack or change directions.
According to Sellar, Tasha instinctively knows how the boat should “feel.” When docked one particular evening, she alerted him that one of the fenders was slipping.
“She has a sort of intuition about it,” Sellar said. “She knows what’s normal and what’s not.”
Sellar also noted that Tasha prefers to be under sail rather than under power.
“Motoring aggravates her terribly,” Sellar said. “To me, it’s just another sign of her good taste!”
Since Sellar considers his sailboat his second home, he says it’s natural that Tasha be there.
“I want to share life with her,” Sellar said. “If you’re going to have a cat, it doesn’t make sense to leave her alone so much.”
Just about the only time that Tasha doesn’t go sailing with Sellar is when guests aren’t cat lovers. (Maybe they’re just afraid to admit that the cat has better sea legs than they do!)
