This last post tells about one thing I have done right, several I would change completely, and one thing I have left to do. Chubie and Dunkin' are typical of most ferrets in that they love their Linatone and Ferretone. I have a squeaky toy (and a spare) and they come running when they hear it. It is very useful if I need to put them in their cage, but I also try to use it at random times just so they don't get any set expectations. I would highly recommend this to anyone, no matter where your ferrets live. You know the talent they have for getting into unexpected places. If I had it to do over again, I would be a hundred times more conscientious about knowing exactly where the little guys were. Due to my inattention, Dunkin' has given me several heartbreaking scares and days of worry. The first occurred on the passage from Florida to Belize. We were early ( or late - however you want to look at it) and expected to make landfall at Ambergris Cay in the middle of the night. Obviously, this wasn't such a good idea, so we hove to for a few hours to let some time go by. This is a maneuver for slowing the boat way down and allowing it to drift in a safe and comfortable manner. We did a few chores, enjoyed some relaxed time in the cockpit, colored our home made Belizian flag, and did one more navigation check. When we were ready to get underway, I looked for the ferrets to put them back in their cage and couldn't find Dunkin'. I squeaked the toy, hollered, searched, tore the boat apart and squeaked some more. Although I thought we had been careful and hadn't seen him even trying to get to the cockpit, the obvious conclusion was that he had gone overboard. I won't even go into the anguish and mental state that this caused. After repeated searches, scanning the water, and motoring in ever widening circles, we just had to conclude he wasn't with us. I arrived in Belize the next day in a state of complete decompensation. My state of mind was so bad that I had left the forward hatch open during the night, resulting in a completely soaked bunk. As a result, a bed and breakfast inn gave us a dry bed for a few days while we were getting things dried out. I didn't enjoy Belize. I felt that I had ruined my long planned cruise. I regreted my decision in buying Dunkin' and taking him on such an ill-fated trip. I knew that I was the most cruel, inattentive, careless person in the universe. I grieved, cried and grieved again. And all for nothing. On the third day after our arrival, I was putting things back together when I felt a tickle on my toe, looked down and saw a little white critter. It wasn't a ghost, it was our very own Dunkie. How did this happen? I later found out that he could get into the bunk via the top of the hanging locker if certain things were in exact places on the setee. Evidence shows that he spent the days trapped in a locker under the bunk. I think he was stuck and couldn't get out until he lost some weight, as there was no evidence of him anywhere else on the boat. He was hungry and thirsty but otherwise just fine - his rascally little self. This same little Houdini had another two day escape that occurred in a similar way - through my inattention and lack of awareness of his abilities and ingenuity. This time we were at a dock. He was gone for two days and, just when I had searched everywhere, talked to everyone I could find, and almost given up, he plopped through the forward hatch in the middle of the night right onto my face. I deserved worse, believe me, and he deserved better. In addition, I gave the local people a very peculiar idea of what we gringos do to pass the time. They got so used to me walking the area, squeaker in hand, that they finally stopped watching. Since then, I don't leave the boat even for a minute, unless the bug screen is securely snapped into place. If the companionway is open, I am watching the ferrets. If they are in the cockpit or on the deck, I keep an eye on them. It has been 5 months since the last escape, and I hope it will be 100 years before the next one. The last thing I intend to do to insure their safety, is to put together a ferret 'boarding ladder' and teach them how to use it. I think what I have planned will work, and, with the help of a few friends at strategic places in the water, the little guys are going to have a few survival lessons and learn how to get back aboard on their own. This doesn't mean Chubie and Dunkin' will get to roam at will. It is just a small insurance policy that might pay very big dividends. I know of three different boats who have lost their cat overboard at night while the boat was at anchor. If they had had such a system, they might not have had so much guilt and grief. Well, that's about it. Thanks to all of you for allowing me this space. Comments and suggestions are very welcome. I will be on the FML this week, then it is back to Roatan and the furry fuzzbutts. Shirley, Chubie and Dunkin' on Chelsea B [Posted in FML issue 2241]