On the 15th we moved from Falmouth Harbour to Jolly Harbour. Virus containment measures in the Caribbean have been increasing since our last post. The islands to the south we were planing to depart to have closed down to visiting yachts and others are starting a 14 day quarantine on your boat at anchor upon arrival. With these new rules, our plan is to stay in Antigua & Barbuda until islands open. As of now there is still one known case of the virus here and the grocery shelves have remained well stocked. We have been limiting our time ashore to be safe. We must renew our cruising permit next week and hope that this is not an issue since we have not been out of the country. The politics of the shutdown (including cruise ships and flights) is controversial with the locals. The economy is totally dependent on tourism, many have no savings, and there are no resources for government backstops to pay for the loss of income. Our primary goal is to get down to Grenada before hurricane season and hope the situation will allow openings before then. Currently the ABC islands are on lockdown, Panama is quarantined restricted for private yachts, and many south pacific islands are on lockdown so this situation would need to change before making any plans to head west. With that said, we are lucky to be in such a beautiful place, happy not to be stuck in a house, and hope everyone stays well.
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Miss you both. The SIP orders have some people on edge more than others. I can see the point of view of business owners there. Working from home has given me time to catch up on all your adventures. It has been fun to read them back to back chronologically to see your confidence grow. The early posts sounded technical and cautious, now they sound relaxed but more open to adventure. Dixie was canceled along with every other regatta until June maybe : ( still working on the free time to travel to Marquesas with you if that invitation is open and still happens.
Tanner, sorry the Spring Series is not happening. We did err on the side of caution transitioning from one design to ocean sailing. All the books and classes loaded with worst case scenarios can keep you up at night. It is funny how many of the cruisers out here have little in safety equipment or redundant systems and do fine. You will be our first call if French Polynesia opens back up and we ever get to set off to the Marquesas. I get the feeling FP will stay closed to yachts until a vaccine is widely available.
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