A look back at 2016: Tall ship's crew includes seafaring feline

Fiji the cat is one feline who definitely isn't afraid of water.

The 6-year-old female has lived aboard the tall ship Picton Castle, a three-masted, steel-hulled barque homeported in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, since 2013.

On a circumnavigation sail of the globe that year, Picton Castle crew members adopted the then-malnourished 6-week-old kitten from an animal shelter in Suva, Fiji.

Since joining the crew, the cat has made two voyages around the world on the Picton Castle, which is visiting Erie this weekend as part of the Tall Ships Erie festival.

The cat is white with gray and orange spots.

"She's very social and very used to being at sea because she's spent her entire life on board," said Picton Castle Second Officer David Damkiaer-Classen, 28, of Denmark. "Even when we're in heavy weather or rolling a lot, she's fine. She'll always crawl into the bunks at night and snuggle up with the crew."

Picton Castle crew members said the animal is extremely sociable and often leaves the ship when it is docked to mingle with festivalgoers or crews of other tall ships. Fiji typically returns to the Picton Castle when the 6 p.m. dinner bell rings aboard the vessel.

Picton Castle crews on Friday could not locate the cat on board their vessel for media photograph requests. On Saturday, Picton Castle crew members said the feline wandered over to the tall ship Lettie G. Howard, docked near the Picton Castle behind the Erie Maritime Museum, and spent time with Lettie crew members, who were busy most of the day providing festival day sails.

Damkiaer-Classen finished his first world voyage in June, when the Picton Castle completed a 14-month, 30,000-mile sojourn. After returning to its Nova Scotia homeport, the vessel departed for its Great Lakes summer sailing season of Tall Ships America festivals.

About a week ago, Fiji developed a tooth infection and has been battling a fever, necessitating a visit to the veterinarian earlier this week in Kingsville, Ontario.

"She's been a little sick and she has been sniffling a lot," Damkiaer-Classen said. "We wanted to take her to the vet a few days earlier, but we couldn't find her on the ship."

Long lines of festivalgoers toured the Picton Castle on Friday and Saturday. The vessel is docked behind the Erie Maritime Museum in a berth normally occupied by the U.S. Brig Niagara. The Tall Ships Erie festival concludes on Sunday. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Picton Castle's sparred length is 179 feet. The vessel normally sails with a 12-member professional crew and about 40 sail trainees.

"When we're at sea, Fiji has different spots that she likes to hang out in," Damkiaer-Classen said. "She likes to crawl up on the galley house. She's a really good crew member and she fits very well with the rest of the crew. She's very social and very loving."

Ron Leonardi can be reached at 870-1680 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ETNLeonardi. 

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This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Tall ship's crew includes seafaring feline