Millie goes swimming – our most successful video on YouTube!

We shot this video back in 2008 when we were in Turkey. Millie was still a kitten, and back then a pretty active cat! She had fallen over the side at anchor once chasing a butterfly, and Jamie immediately dived over to pick her up. It was a wise cruiser, and fellow cat slave, who told us to put a rope ladder off the stern for her to climb up if it happened again. We didn’t quite believe it would work, but we thought we would give it a go.

Up to this point, Millie had been very careful not to fall in. But on this calm day, she insisted on joining Liz in the dinghy to help retrieve the fishing pot from a line strung out to shore. On the way back to Esper Liz was astonished when Millie leapt towards the boat much too early and plopped into the water. Unperturbed, she swam in an anti-clockwise circle round the boat till she arrived back at the stern and promptly went up the ladder!

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Half an hour later Liz took the dinghy out again, and Millie came along for the ride. She did the exact same thing on the way back to Esper, but this time Jamie was ready with the camera. Now, back then we didn’t have the technology we have now, and we can’t find the original footage, so this is the only version we have. The quality’s not great, but it gives you the general picture of events!

After the third time, always diving too early as if on purpose, Liz called it a day and washed the salt water off Millie’s coat for the third time. As you would expect, Millie had a good meal of fresh fish that evening!

Peace and fair winds, friends

Liz, Jamie and Millie xxx

PS. The ladder has changed over the years and Millie has continued to make good use of it in its various forms – although nowadays she is a salty sea cat, and good at not falling in. She’s never shown any inclination to get in the water since that day. 

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