We take a break
We push the pause button – put the boat ashore and take a period of a few months home in Denmark. But why now, when life here in the Caribbean is actually quite fantastic, with 30 degree summer weather, an exotic nature, an exciting culture and a lot of other lovely Danish sailors. And Corona makes sure there is plenty of room here. Anchorages that are usually crowded with 100 boats may have 10 boats or less. All the way through Europe and here there has been really good space.
But Corona also has its price. Here we are not talking about those affected by the disease, the many closed shops and cafes, which is proof of a very high price for the people whose income are taken from them, and where there is no safety net under them as at home. The further south we come here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the greater part of their income comes from tourism – probably up to 90%. Nor are we talking about the fact that we have not yet heard a real Caribbean steel band because live music is not allowed to be played.
We must realize that many of our thoughts are not here in the Caribbean. The most difficult thing about sailing away for 3 years has clearly been that we are not the entire family on the boat. The plan was for Freja and Nanna to come out to us when the opportunity arose, and this has been included in the budget. But the possibilities have not presented themselves, because you do not take a short trip out into a world with Corona, where there is up to 14 days of self-isolation at each end. It does not fit into studies, vacations etc. And when it even has to fit with trade winds, hurricane seasons and other things, it seems pretty hopeless. We have tried to ignore it, but it does not work anymore. We miss them too much, and would love to experience just a little of the world out here with them.
We have seen how Denmark has closed down again, whereas we have had a fairly free living and few restrictions here – with that perspective, all in all, a far better place to be here than at home. St. Vincent and the Grenadines have a low number of infected and are thus a low-risk country. But that is changing at the moment. The number of infections is rising and we can see that the countries around us are starting to impose restrictions that make it difficult to sail to them. We have sailed with the motto that things work out (Carpe Diem), and it has worked fine so far, and could probably also work in the future… But we also think it may be ok just to see what happens before we are trapped somewhere and burns time off, without being able to move us. Right now, partly due to the extra time it takes to travel in a world with Corona, we would have a hard time reaching some of the places we really want to visit, for example Costa Rica. And we have to travel slowly, we have discovered this is just right for us. With a little break, we can get restart on the other side of a hurricane season and then have plenty of time again, even though it might delay our return by maybe a year. We have been determined to sail for 3 years, but maybe we are more in the process of a lifestyle change, where there will be more space to sail for several years, mixed with periods of work.
What the world looks like on the other side of our break we do not know. But we take the chance, and one thing we are absolutely sure of: The adventure continues.
Over the next few weeks, we experience all we can of beautiful St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after which we sail to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), where the boat comes ashore. It is outside the hurricane belt and a good stretch in terms of getting to Panama and further out into the Pacific Ocean. That part continues on the other side of the break.
The decision has been both difficult and easy. Difficult because all three of us love the long-distance sailing life, and thrive in it, and easy because it feels like the right decision.