Monday, March 26, 2007

Kalmar Nyckel Loses a Crew Member



Clew Garnet who joined Toolbox, the stalwart cat of the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel, was found dead this weekend on Seventh Street in Wilmington. Crew members suspect he was hit by a car.

"He was a cool cat and a smart cat," wrote Sharon Litcofsky, chief mate and boatswain, in an e-mail to the crew. "He was still clumsy like a kitten but he kept Toolbox company. Toolbox is really upset about the kitten being gone. Give her a little more attention this week, please."

Clew Garnet -- named for a piece of rigging on a ship -- was abandoned on the ship as a 3-month-old kitten in February 2006. Freelance writer and former News Journal editor Kathy Ansell writes about him, "With his goofy personality and propensity for performing tricks, the gray-blue male soon endeared himself to the crew, though to some his nickname was 'clueless.' "

He eventually grew to be slightly bigger than Toolbox, and staked out higher perches on the ship than his older furry shipmate. "By the end, Clew was going to become the dominant cat," Litcofsky says.

One of Litcofsky's favorite things about Clew was how trainable he was. When he was "cute and little," the crew taught him how to walk on a leash, how to sit and how to roll over. He also loved to explore ports towns the Kalmar Nyckel reached, sometimes leaping to land before the ship even met the dock.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's so sad ... sounded as if toolbox had found a friend :(

those eyes are intense .. he doesn't look goofy but he really does look smart!!

Anonymous said...

awwww! :-( My husband and I were in Lewes over the summer last year, and we took a trip on the Kalmar Nyckel. I got to meet Toolbox and Clew. They were such sweet kitties. It is so sad that Clew is gone. :-( My thoughts are with the crew of the Kalmar Nyckel.

Anonymous said...

Fare thee well Clew. You were a sweetie. Someone please give Toolbox a special scratch from me.

...Sandee

Anonymous said...

Fair winds and following seas, Clew.

Anonymous said...

I remember one time when we had the winter greenhouse up (over the deck)Clew ran up the gangplank and straight into the perspex door! He approached life head on. RIP, and say hi to Cap.

Anonymous said...

May he rest in Kitty Heaven, sorry that whoever hit him did not get him help. I cannot help say that if it was not a car that hit him he probably would have been a gonner from the poison cat food.I know Lonnie will miss him.

Anonymous said...

I can clearly see that Clew was loved.