Well, this is certainly not a post I envisioned when I headed out to the boat to prepare for the trip to the Bahamas. Up until recently I've been working hard to get the boat back into proper cruising shape and I think it is about there. There is one big item left...but more on that later.
Unfortunately, while I was busy working on the boat, the SARS-Cov-2 (Coronavirus or COVID19) virus was busy spreading across the planet. For a while, perhaps fueled by some of the mis-information that was available at the time, I had held out hope that the spread would slow or not reach the more remote places and small towns where I am or intended to travel. Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case at all.
Around the time the replacement standing rigging finally arrived at the boat, it was increasingly evident that the trip was not likely to happen. My help had gone back home several weeks prior while we awaited the creation and delivery of the rigging and it was obviously unwise for him to return to the boat once the rigging made it to the boat. It also seemed like a bad idea for me to pack up, drive more than half-way across the continental United States and return home. The idea of all that public contact by staying in hotels (if they were even open), eating fast food, and getting gas and supplies for the trip would only increase my risk of coming in contact with the virus and possibly spreading it with me. So, I decided that I would "shelter in place" and take the time to continue working on the boat...albeit at a slower pace.
In some aspects, the cruising lifestyle lends itself rather well to physical isolation. If you are on your boat and are well provisioned, it is fairly easy to isolate yourself from society for a relatively long period of time. Unfortunately, if like me, you have not yet provisioned for a trip, all of the panic hoarding of supplies has made it almost impossible to provision now. Trying to get groceries and supplies for a week or two can be an exercise in frustration. Not only are you met with bare shelves, but physical isolation seems nearly impossible as everyone seems to crowd the stores trying to find coveted items like fresh meat, canned goods, cleaning goods, and toilet paper. Fortunately I was partially stocked for a trip with four people, so I do have enough to get by...at least until our supply chain can catch up and some of the panic hopefully subsides.
Amid all the bad panic behaviors, there is also what seems like a sizable contingent (at least here in relatively rural North Carolina) that still believe this is a hoax, or just another flu, or will somehow disappear in a few weeks, or for other reasons that escape me, seem to ignore hygiene and physical distance recommendations of the scientific community. While I'm not at anchor and completely isolated, I am glad that I am at the farthest slip out at the far end of the marina, so there is very little traffic around my boat.
My hope is to reschedule this trip once all of this blows over. In the meantime, I have a number of projects to work on...guess that is another advantage of owning a boat in these times...there is always something to fix or improve on a boat. I should also have a bit more time to catch up on blog posts.
Hope you are all staying safe and finding good ways to pass the time.
