Traveling with pets can be challenging. But imagine traveling from Boston to the Bahamas on a 48-foot aluminum sailboat with two cats. In September 2021, the Weiss family made this trip with their two “boat” cats. The Weisses were living on the sailboat when they decided to sail to the Bahamas. Alex and Joy Weiss set sail with their daughter Kinsley and their two rescue cats. Peter is a 13-year-old black domestic short-hair and Pumpkin is a 3-year-old orange Maine Coon cat.  “The cats were living with us on the boat,” Joy said. “They adapted pretty quickly to life on a boat so we decided to sail to the Bahamas with them.”

During the voyage, Peter and Pumpkin would often curl up beside or on a family member below deck. But they also enjoyed their time on deck. “They spent time soaking up the sunshine and watching the sea birds,” Joy said. But there were times when the cats had difficulty adjusting to sailing. The family recalled the time Pumpkin wanted to be on deck even during rough weather. “He made the association with conditions on the front deck would be calm,” Alex Weiss said. “But being the not-very-clever cat that he is, he wanted to be up there during bad weather.”

The family arrived in the Bahamas in January 2022, and spent four months on the island. When they docked, the cats were a big hit. “They kind of served as ambassadors as we went everywhere. People would stop and start a conversation. People would come by and say, ‘You can have a cat on a boat,’” Joy said.

Kinsley Weiss, 10, describes herself as a “cat person.” She describes them as “good companions,” but exhausting. “I just like cats. I love to cuddle up with them and read books with them,” she said. But being docked also proved challenging as the family experienced a cat overboard. “Pumpkin tried to jump from the boat to a dingy. We saw his paw prints on the dingy and a smear. We pulled him out, and gave him a long shower,” Joy said. 

The family spent four months in the Bahamas and described their trip with cats as a success. They now live in an East Boothbay home, but they do not expect to take any long sailing trips with their cats. “They both did really well sailing. They get along, but Peter is a little older and stiff, so he’s not as adept for long travels. So, I don’t think we will be taking another long trip with him,” Joy said.

For now, the family is content sailing around Boothbay. “Sailing in Maine is incredible. I would compare it to anywhere. Every time I vacationed here, I never wanted to leave,” Joy said.