LuLu is an 8-year old Australian cattle dog who lives on a dairy farm in Vermont most of the year. But, like her owners, Janine and John Putnam, she dreams about Maine, and joins them on summer visits to Vinalhaven.
She loves the speed of a Boston Whaler and the feel of the wind whipping through her fur. But sailing downwind in the family’s Pearson Ensign is good, too, because it offers the chance for a well-deserved nap. LuLu is proud of her life jacket and really appreciates it when jumping from the dinghy onto the rocky shore, or to the dock at low tide, when one can lose their pawing.
In the spring, when her dad works on the family boats in the driveway, LuLu keeps an eye on things. She hangs out under the hulls in the shade, trying not to get bottom paint on her back. When the sander comes out, though, she takes off to chase squirrels and other vermin, returning only when the noise ends.
When all the boats—including the Ensign, a Whaler, a Whitehall, and a North Haven dinghy—are launched for the season, LuLu and her life jacket are ready to go yachting.
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