Ever wondered what sparks a great adventure tale?

We have some pretty standard rules for when we are sailing with Marco.

Whenever we are underway, if he’s up top, he has his harness on and he is clipped in.

(Marco, keeping an eye on the instruments)

When we are at anchor, or in our slip in the marina, he has free roam.

(Relaxing in his slip)

One balmy summers evening a few years ago, the cicadas were singing through the heavy and humid Chesapeake Bay air. We were pottering around the boat when I realized I hadn’t seen Marco in a while.

If you have a kitty friend, I imagine you’ve undertaken your own mildly panicked hunt, only to find them safe and sound in some cozy napping spot.

(One of Marco's favorite nap spots!)

This was our story, but that cozy napping spot was on someone else’s boat in a slip next to ours!

I can only imagine Marco had hopped down onto the dock while we were not looking and found himself somewhere a little quieter to relax.

(Our dock: the inspiration behind the illustration)

He could quite possibly have become an unexpected stowaway and ended up in Panama! Which is now the recurring joke between Chris and I whenever he is nowhere to be found.

And that is how Unfurmiliar Territory was “born”! We found him that night. But in another universe, there’s a different story that would have played out had we not figured out his cunning nap game.