My good friends, Cherie Anderson, her son, Sean, and Pam helped me to rig the canoe for sailing. We went to a used marine supply store in Ft. Myers and Cherie noticed a used windsurfer, which was perfect since we could use the mast, the sail and the rudder. I wanted to use the board of the windsurfer as an out rig. The purpose of the outriggers was to make sure the dogs did not flip the canoe over lest, God-forbid, the three of us should end up in the waters of the Caloosahatchee river or Lake Okeechobee as gator feed. In the end, we decided against using the board. Instead, I would try to build the outriggers with river reeds once I arrived at the island in Alva. Cherie and Sean ended up doing most of the work since I was not knowledgeable in anything that had to do with tools. None of us knew anything about sailing, much less rigging a canoe. However, we had done some research on the PC on the subject and I must say that Cherie and Sean did an outstanding job on rigging the mast as well as fitting a couple of aluminum pipes across the canoe to which I would eventually be able to attach the outriggers.
This was the first time we would test the canoe to see if it would sail. I imagine that anyone who was watching must have placed bets that I would not make it. I had never sailed before in my life and the knowledge that there were a couple of large alligators somewhere under the water did not make my first attempt at sailing any easier. The sail and the rigging, which Cherrie and Sean had installed, were working perfectly but the leeboard I had installed was not the right size nor shape and the canoe was not responding. It also didn't help matters that I had not installed a rudder, thinking that I could easily use the paddle to steer. Yeah, right! I am sure Cherie must have had a good laugh while watching me trying desperately to keep the canoe on any kind of course. It was a humbling experience.
I have been doing research to try to identify Alice's breed because none of the veterinarians to whom I have spoken really knows. She looks exactly like Steve & Terri Irwin's dog (Crocodile Hunter): Zoey. They look like identical twins except Alice does not have a tail. I believe she is an Australian Cattle Dog: a breed that resulted from a mix of a now extinct English Shepherd, Dingo and Staffordshire Bull. Not only does she resemble a dingo but on one occasion my girlfriend, Donna, and I took her out to the country and let her loose so that she could run to her heart's desire. She went into a cattle ranch and started to chase the cows. When any of the towering bulls would come running towards her, she would turn and outrun it. As soon as the bull stopped, Alice would resume her chase of the cows with absolute glee and pleasure.
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