Cats on Hatch Screens

Today was pretty slow, after a fast start, when the rains started to pour into open hatches at 7AM. It was grey all day, with occasional rain, and nasty winds. Not a good day to snorkel, like yesterday, when we explored the reef at the north end of the mooring field. Saw a number of large fish that would probably taste quite good, if only we could fish for them inside this park.

But instead, it was a day for maintenance and paperwork. Getting estate papers done, re-doing lifeline connections, fixing the damn hatch screens, again.

For those of you who don't sail with large cats and hatch screens, it turns out that the screens are considered to be great places to hang out. They have lots of air flow, which is a good thing if you are covered with 2-inches of fur. And you are cool everywhere, because the air flows BELOW you, as well as on top.

Unfortunately, if you are a gigantic Maine Coon, you eventually find out that the screens were not designed to support a 20 lbm cat. Or even a 12 lbm cat. So, you fall through, onto the table below, landing on your feet, maybe on top of the computers, shaking off any suggestions of a loss-of-dignity accident, and go eat something. Or whatever.

This leaves the screen behind, wide open, for the human staff to deal with. Back in the US a long time ago, we bought a screen repair tool, which is used to stuff the rubber gasket into the groove to hold the screen in place. This was purchased to repair ONE screen door that had been shredded by a couple of Maine Coon cats, and then it had sat in the tool box for several years. It is now out of the tool box, being used several times each week, to re-install screening. In fact, we will likely have to purchase a roll of screening material when we get back to Florida, because this material is hard to find in France, and expensive. We will probably also buy some rubber gasket material as well. And, we will keep the handy tool available for duty in European ports...