Today our fearless mascot and friend caught the trade winds coming from the east and sailed off gently alone into the sunset. It was as poetic as that. We will never know where those winds took him, but I imagine him running along white sand coastlines chasing waves and basking in the sun. How he loved a great splash into the cool waters.
We all knew the time was coming, and yet it didn’t make it any easier on us. He was an integral part of our family and became the perfect mascot for Swiss Ocean Tech. He was loyal, fun-loving, a team-player and incredibly insightful. He could read a room and adapt his behaviour accordingly. If he met a friendly dog, he was equally friendly. If a dog was out to start a fight, Nilo would just make a huge circle to avoid him. He had better things to do. If he noticed someone was ailing or sad, he would wait patiently at their feet to bring comfort but never demanding anything. And if there was food to be had? He would bring down walls, break through locks, bust through barriers and steal if needs be. That is when the rebel would come alive. Sometimes you just have to break some rules to get ahead. I think Nilo internalized that philosophy when it came to filling his bottomless tummy.
What really set him apart, however, was his resilience and determination to get through tough times. No matter how many curve balls life threw at him – and life threw many at him – he dodged them all. He refused to let anything take him down. The veterinary named him simply, “The Fighter”. We could not have asked for a better mentor to accompany us on our uphill mission to bring safe anchoring to the world. He never gave up and neither do we.
We are not quite sure how to fill the gaping hole he has left behind. But we remain forever grateful that the stars aligned back in April 2013 to bring him into our lives. Little did we know back then what a difference he would make.
He continues to live in every fiber of our soul and in the deepest places of our hearts. Safe sailing, sweet Nilo.