We bought a Nordic Tug for this Great Loop adventure because it is sturdy and reliable, not for it's genealogy. But the other day I got to thinking about how much the boat and Scott, who is also of Scandinavian descent, share the same characteristics; quiet, resilient, happy to spend hours or days at the dock or at anchor, more interested in functionality than ostentation, and more.
Then the other day, Norm, a boat restorer in Titusville, Florida saw our ship's cat Pika (Pee-ka) for the first time and exclaimed, "She's so pretty! And big. Is she a Maine Coon?"
"No," I answered. "She does have the tufts of fur between her toes characteristic of Maine Coons, but she's more fluffy than big. So while she's Maine Coon-ish, she's something else."
But what is she? Since fostering and adopting Pika more than ten years ago, I've wondered about Pika's lineage. With time to kill on Green Eyes due to weather delays, I resolved to discover Pika's tribe. I began with a Google image search for "furry gray cat with tufted paws and ears and white bib with white blaze on nose" and up popped a photo of Pika! Well, not my Pika, but a definite match. I dug deeper into ear size (rounder than Maine Coon), face shape (triangular), profile (slight upturn of the nose), vocalization (Pika talks softly, and a lot), loyalty (so very loyal, she thinks she's a dog), and low and behold, it turns out Pika is of the breed Norwegian Forest Cat. Of course she is. It all makes sense now. The Captain, the craft, the cat. They are all Scandinavian.
Scott and the cat share many Scandinavian mannerisms. One is the blank stare. It is a stereotype that Scandinavians can be often caught staring at something or someone. But they may not even see what their eyes are fixated on. They are thinking about something else entirely. This make me nervous when we are underway. 
Scott does 99% of the time at the helm. And he certainly appears to be watching the channel markers or oncoming traffic. But sometimes, he's really just staring into a void while thinking about skiing, or flying, or tracking wild animals in Africa, or any number of other interests.
Scott does 99% of the time at the helm. And he certainly appears to be watching the channel markers or oncoming traffic. But sometimes, he's really just staring into a void while thinking about skiing, or flying, or tracking wild animals in Africa, or any number of other interests.
Pika does the exact same thing.
She has a routine each night where she sits on my lap for tummy rubs; contented, relaxed, and purring. Then at some random moment she suddenly rolls over and climbs off my lap as if she just remembered she is urgently needed elsewhere. She walks to the end of the couch, and either stands on her hind legs or sits on her haunches, and stares deeply into the corner for at least five minutes. She does this every night. Is she thinking about Fancy Feast? Playtime? Maybe she's thinking about tracking wild animals with Scott. 
Pika and Scott share other Scandinavian traits. Take dancing. As rare an activity in my Scott as it is in cats.
I
once asked our Danish friend Lars if he had ever danced. "Oh yes," he
said. "Every year I walk around the Christmas tree with my family."
"Lars, that's not dancing."
"For a Dane it is," he asserted. Here is a video of Scandinavian dancing where the instructor actually says at one point, "Walking is not just walking. Walking is dancing."
Click to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHih1aG44yM
Or click on this more exciting version:
Scott may be a Scandinavian anomaly. At parties, he routinely seeks me out for all the slow dances, and he also does a fun cross between the jitterbug and the swing, only it's like a slow dance.
One of the fun things I like to do on the boat to pass the time during long crossings is Dance Off. I love to dance. If there is music playing, I can't stop myself. Scott has a terrific music mix on his phone, mostly the hits of the 70's. Most of it makes one get up off their chair and DANCE. Unless you're Scandinavian.
Picture Scott at the helm, Pika across from me in her bed. I press play on Scott's Amazon Tunes. It's James Brown, Get Up Offa That Thing. Yow! "Dance off!" I exclaim while turning up the volume. I'm off my seat, shakin' my groove thing in the wheelhouse next to Scott. After a time, I strike a dance off pose, you know, like how Chris Pratt did in Guardians of the Galaxy.
click on the link:
I point at Scott, "Take it down!" He stares ahead. I take it back but I'm still hopeful. I point at Pika, "Hit it Peeks!" She yawns and stretches, then closes her eyes again. "Okay," I say, "then I'll go" and I'm the dancing queen, alone again, naturally. Suddenly I stare into the corner and think about Chris Pratt. A little drool falls onto my air mic. Then Thelma Houston sings Don't Leave Me This Way. Yow! I take up the Dance Off baton again. I sing directly to Pika and Scott. Then Barry White sings, You Are The First, The Last, My Everything. I dedicate this Dance Off to the Crew of Green Eyes. I am singing and dancing to them. I give it my all. They stare. Scott reaches over to his iPhone. He selects Donna Summer's Last Dance.
Scott and Pika share other characteristics such as being cuddly, fun to be around, adventurous, and reliable. They make wonderful companions. And damn, they're soft on the eyes.
I wouldn't trade my three Scandinavians for anything in the world.
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